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If you are not into self absorbed rants then just skip today’s post(s) and come back tomorrow when we resume our regularly scheduled type posts. OK RANT time! 😉
First off I understand Delta’s desperate need to trick bamboozle deceive convince gullible passengers into thinking C+ is a real “premium” seat. After all, if you can sell the same size seat a few rows up for more money than the same seat a few rows back why not? (fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice.. well you know).
Then again row 1 on a CRJ200 is really NOT the same seat as the rest of the jet because your leg room is GREATLY restricted (what you expect with an upgrade right). Oh, and with no seat back storage the wall mounted units are worthless if you need to store anything more than your boarding pass! At least you get your own “reserved overhead” space (as the PR tells you) right?
Oh yeah, no you don’t. On the A/B side that overhead is filled with emergency equipment. So, even if you board first, you have to go a few rows back and then, when you land, either jump up as soon as you make the gate and you hear the “ding” to get your stuff out or wait for everyone to exit the jet to get your bag behind you.
Did I mention just how much fun it is to have almost 50 people hit you with their bag, backpack, purse, ESA dog and anything else that maybe did not have to be plane side checked? Oh yeah, I forgot about the joy of always having to plane side check anything larger than a shoe box! Grrrr!
Another big perk of this wiz-bang “upgrade” row is fixed armrests. I just love them to death – don’t you too? I mean look at all this (fake upgrade) space:
Oh, right, never mind – your “upgrade” seat is one of the most narrow seats possible on the jet. Even if someone is not next to you, clearly you can’t raise the armrest for any additional space! Yes when I think upgrade I think smaller and less is more. Err…
Another joy about this C+ seat / row is the current bug with blocking the rest of the seat map. This way you have absolutely no idea if say an exit row (with a tiny bit more room) is wide open with 2 seats for you to enjoy and change to. Love this sweet “enhancement” to the Fly Delta App once you get your fake congratulations “upgrade” email from the mothership! 🙁
At least being in row one, if you can get your bag out of the overheads in row 3 and rush back to your seat that is, you can be the first to exit and then have enhanced pleasure of everyone bumping you (again) as you then wait for your plane side checked bag. You also can enjoy hot humid air in the summer and cold nasty wind in winter for MAX time since you are 1st off. Perfect right?
Then, after all of this amazing “Comfort+” branded upgrade, your hometown airport may even have a sign showing the jet you wish you had been on rather than the torture device known as a CRJ200.
Delta, you promised these evil things would go away to die in the Arizona desert and instead you had some (clearly over paid) numbskull, that should be fired btw, make elites even more frustrated by often being stuck in row 1 if we want free drinks on a 1hr+ ride on a jet that should not fly as far as it is allowed to go. You do have a chance for a quality Woodford Reserve (in a plastic cup) but have you noticed FAs often say that Delta never stocks enough Woodford on these jets and they just ran out (even though you are in row 1)?
At least, thanks to weight and balance issues, many times the amazing and very kind and professional Delta Connection FAs ask me with a warm smile to move to the back of the jet. In the past I hated this when I was in row 2 or 3 to have to move back by the toilet. But now, in my upgraded Comfort+ seat, I just pray they will ask me to move to help them out! Yep, praying to be unupgraded – this is Delta elite life flying on CRJ200’s in 2017!
Rant off (did I miss anything):
You tell me, am I being too hard on Delta today? – René
Advertiser Disclosure: Eye of the Flyer, a division of Chatterbox Entertainment, Inc., is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. Some or all of the card offers that appear on the website are from advertisers. Compensation may impact how and where card products appear on the site. This site does not include all card companies or all available card offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities. Some of the links on this page are affiliate or referral links. We may receive a commission or referral bonus for purchases or successful applications made during shopping sessions or signups initiated from clicking those links.
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All the CRJs I’ve been on haven’t had fixed armrests. Maybe it varies by RJ operator?
On my last flight, 1A refused his upgrade, so I ended up getting an empty next to me. Not bad if you can pull that off.
You really hit the nail on the head with this one.
I was upgraded to a Comfort+ seat from MSY-ATL and got no premium snack.
Unbelievable that folks would pay for an inconsistent product.
The whole fleet should really have the same amenities and service.
I like C+ for the extra legroom. Could careless about a premium snack or booze, although the booze is nice.
I’m happy to pay on longer routes for legroom. Comfort is in the name of the product for a reason.
CRJ200s only benefit is your knees get some room.
you are spot on. bulkhead no feet room; no overhead storage (equipment there), and their web & app block of the bearable exit row aisle 8b & 8c seats. and on the rez line for Medallions you have to beg & plead for them to move you from the C+ row 1 to exit seats.
I always deselect the upgrade option for these flights and watch the reactions of people sitting down in their ‘upgraded seats. If I buy a business class ticket I call delta to get me out of row 1. I refuse to sit there or the exit row on a 200 due to the fixed armrests.
You pretty much got it all. PR to eliminate this plane was 2/2012. 5 1/2 years ago. Even Skywest wrote them off the books as of end of 2016 – they still have a few flying. (Anyone notice the increase of Endeavor CRJ200’s replacing ExpressJet CRJ200’s? – remember Delta owns Endeavor). Only additional thought, a few of us like not having someone put their seat down in our laps. It used to be reserved for “Premium” and if you were one of the “crazies” who liked the first row and you were Elite, you got it. Now that they sell it, you probably won’t get it unless you buy ticket very early. Today, I’m 3rd on the list for 2 seats. We agree that Delta really messed this one up.
Nailed it. And please Delta, lose the dreaded CRJ. They probably don’t realize this actually cost them money when I switch to Southwest because CRJ are the only other option. They need to be put to bed in the sand box.
Get my man Rene a Double Woodford, pronto!
@Daniel – I have always liked you!
Spot on, Rene. Can’t wait for the 200’s to be retired. Will probably happen when Express Jet and Delta part ways. I don’t even like C+ on standard flights. I always opt for an exit row if it’s open. Much more leg room and no extra cost. Although exit row seating on the 200 doesn’t have much more room than standard.
And no, on the CRJ 200 there is no premium snack basket. It doesn’t exist.
Right on, brother…one of the few reasons I am thankful I fly out of a hub (ATL), but sometimes I do fly into smaller regional airports. I avoid CRJs at all cost. If I have no other options (including driving), then I pack into a duffle bag so I don’t have to plane-side check a bag and let Delta’s baggage thugs tear another one of my bags up. These planes look best with desert sand piled up around them!!
I got fooled one with my upgrade when I first experienced a CRJ200 with C+ seats…and that was the last time I ever took one of those seats. I would rather have a seat by the lav then sit in one of those seats again. I have a trip coming up that will be on one of those wonderful planes, and now have to call as delta.dumb won’t allow me to deselect the ‘upgrade’ request.
@ALL – What Jeff said. Period!
While I agree that Row 1 is no upgrade at all, you can control your upgrade requests by segment.
@Charles – As to part one, you agree. As to part two, the blocked seat map does not make that simple and must contact Delta. I should not have to work to not be put in the worst seat on the jet. Agree?
Yes, we’d all love for CRJ200s to go away. Until that happens, they just need to call everything economy.
Sidebar: was on a CRJ200 before I knew much about planes on AA and asked the FA if there was first class. She replied, “sweetie, every seat is first class!” – amazing.
I avoid the Crappy Regional Air Jalopy at all cost. Horrible.
The upcoming flight schedules are simply replacing Express Jet with Endeavor. That is not what I call progress.
I’m a little late to the party but spot on. I’m not even a Delta Elite but due to a missed connection I got assigned to Row 1 the next day “for my inconvenience.” Holy hell it was only a 30 minute flight and I’m only 5’7” but it was an awful experience.
The one thing you forgot to mention about the CRJ200 in general is the windows. At least on the 700/900 they got smart and lowered the floor a couple inches so you don’t have to contort your spine to get a peek out of them. Seriously the most god awful awful design imaginable.
As a 6 foot 6 inch male, the CRJ200 is the worst plane out all of Delta’s fleet for me. My knees don not fit between the seats. They just don’t! I can’t sit in a window seat, as my head hits the overhead. I don’t mean the hair brushes against it, I cannot sit up straight. The curvature of the cabinet also forces me to lean toward my seat partner. These are simple the worst planes Delta has. Get ride if them!
American Airlines retired most (if not all) of their CRJ-200 fleet. You should fly on American Airlines if you hate the CRJ-200. The CRJ-200 planes that American Airlines retired will probably be going to the desert, to be scrapped. American Airlines is adding more CRJ-700 and CRJ-900 aircraft to their fleet. PSA Airlines retired all CRJ-200s, and they are retired effective immediately, and it was like that for a few weeks already.
I think those seats should be called F+ seats on any cramped RJ.