PSA To Start CRJ-900 Service for AA/US July 31 2014

miaami · Fri Jul 04, 2014 4:30 pm

New regional jets are starting up service this month. PSA is starting CRJ-900 service on 7/31/14. Looks like CLT and PHL are the winners this time.

http://www.ch-aviation.com/portal/ne...ons-for-us-airways-by-end-of-month

Are all the CRJ-900s going to be based on the US operations side?

dtwpilot225 · Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:07 pm

I know Mesa will be operating 900s out of lax soon. It appears so far it's all on the airways side

jetblastdubai · Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:39 pm

Any thoughts on why they got the CRJ9s instead of E175s? From the earlier comments on a.net, it seems like the cabin of the E175 was much nicer for pax. Is the CRJ9 cabin the same diameter as the CRJ7 that some people hate flying long distances on? With equal seating capacity, the E175 seems like a better option.

Price, delivery schedule, common fleet with existing CRJ7 operators?

175erj · Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:44 pm

Quoting jetblastdubai (Reply 2):

The 900 has lower operating costs...

jetblastdubai · Fri Jul 04, 2014 5:50 pm

Quoting 175erj (Reply 3):
The 900 has lower operating costs...

Same fuselage diameter as the CRJ7 or did they expand it a bit? Does AA have a limit on the distance RJs can fly or are they going push them to the passenger comfort limits as well?

MesaFlyGuy · Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:22 pm

Quoting jetblastdubai (Reply 4):

I think it's the same fuselage diameter.

I also suspect that, like the Boeing/Airbus orders, rate of delivery is a factor. Getting both the CRJ-900 and the E-175 delivered allows for quicker expansion and fleet growth, which is necessary at this point.

thegoldenargosy · Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:36 pm

Quoting jetblastdubai (Reply 4):
Does AA have a limit on the distance RJs can fly or are they going push them to the passenger comfort limits as well?

I think only DL has the company policy of limiting 50 seaters to flights of 750 miles or less

Polot · Fri Jul 04, 2014 6:40 pm

It's more accurate to say PSA is starting CRJ900 service , not AA/US. Crj900s have been flying for US for years now, including at CLT.

pensacolaguy · Fri Jul 04, 2014 7:56 pm

So, what is the difference between Mesa CRJ-900's, and PSA CRJ-900's?
I know the PSA CR9s are new aircraft, with the new AA paint scheme.

CRJ-900 Operated by Mesa Airlines dba US Airways Express
9 First Class Seats
70 Coach Class Seats
=79 Seats in all

CRJ-900 Operated by PSA dba US Airways Express
12 First Class Seats
64 Coach Class Seats
=76 Seats in all
Wi-Fi on board ($)

Anything else?

P.S. - Great to see PNS, as one of the first markets with the new AC!

phlwok · Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:47 pm

Good to see GoGo WiFi on these. The lack of it on some Mesa CR9s has been an annoyance for me in the past as the Embraer fleet in US Express has it.

etops1 · Sat Jul 05, 2014 12:10 am

Annoyance ?? Remember like 2 yrs ago,when there was no wifi whatsoever onboard AC ? What did you do then ? SMDH .

newhaven · Sat Jul 05, 2014 1:48 am

Quoting miaami (Thread starter):
New regional jets are starting up service this month. PSA is starting CRJ-900 service on 7/31/14. Looks like CLT and PHL are the winners this time.

... if you consider a CRJ "winning"

MesaFlyGuy · Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:32 am

Quoting newhaven (Reply 11):

Well, when you have a brand new set of aircraft with a larger F cabin and better ammenities (wifi in this case), yes it is winning.

Quoting etops1 (Reply 10):

Give me a book or a movie on my iPad and I'm good! However, wifi is a nice feature on longer flights.

Quoting pensacolaguy (Reply 8):

Do we have a list of which cities will get them or did you just find out by checking the PNS scedules?

[Edited 2014-07-04 20:13:37]

MAH4546 · Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:39 am

The new CR9s are supposed to be very nice. Next generation interiors, and half of coach is MCE.

washingtonflyer · Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:41 am

Excellent. 12F! Winrar!

opethfan · Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:48 am

Quoting etops1 (Reply 10):

I feel that you may need to relax and use your "DH" for thinking rather than shaking. No one said that a lack of wifi is a "deal breaker" or "inexcusable" or "pathetic" - simply an inconvenience. We live in an interconnected world; we all rely on internet (you're on an internet forum) and for some more so than others, being connected en route to a destination is a convenience or luxury that they would not want to be without.

We could also go without aircraft, or shoes, or bacon, if you want to make that argument.

[Edited 2014-07-04 19:51:50]

phlwok · Sat Jul 05, 2014 3:29 am

Quoting etops1 (Reply 10):
Annoyance ?? Remember like 2 yrs ago,when there was no wifi whatsoever onboard AC ? What did you do then ? SMDH .

Yes, an annoyance. Aside from the roughly single digit number of soon to be retired 737-400s, the Mesa CR9s are the largest aircraft in the domestic US fleet lacking WiFi. (The international 757, 767 and A330 fleets don't for now have it.) Since I usually can avoid smaller RJs and props when flying US, I have changed my work habits since their rollout of GoGo to try to get more done en route, at least via email during business hours. As I fly on average 4-6 segments a week, I have a monthly (and not pay per use) GoGo subscription, and this has been a nice productivity enhancer for me and also lets me start dealing with crises as they arise during my significant time in the air each week, rather than being surprised by them upon landing. So yes, it's an annoyance when 5-10% of the time I'm not connected, and a throwback to the days a few years ago when this additional efficiency wasn't even a possibility for me.

pensacolaguy · Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:01 am

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 12):
Do we have a list of which cities will get them or did you just find out by checking the PNS scedules?

I just checked the timetable on US Airways website.. CLT-PNS-CLT PSA CRJ-900 service starts Friday, August 01, 2014. Bye-Bye MESA!

Wonder if the seat pitch would be a little better in economy with 76 seats..

Thomas_Jaeger · Sat Jul 05, 2014 9:16 am

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 12):
Do we have a list of which cities will get them or did you just find out by checking the PNS scedules?

First 2 aircraft will fly this schedule Monday-Friday:
#1: PNS-CLT-CVG-CLT-MYR-CLT-SDF-CLT-CVG
#2: CVG-CLT-PNS-CLT-IND-CLT-PNS

Saturday:
#1: PNS-CLT-PHL-LGA-PHL-CVG
#2: CVG-CLT-LIT-CLT-PNS-CLT-MDT

Sunday:
#1: CVG-CLT-SAV-CLT-RIC-CLT-GSO-CLT-PNS
#2: MDT-CLT-SAV-CLT-SAT-CLT-CVG

MesaFlyGuy · Sat Jul 05, 2014 11:03 am

Quoting pensacolaguy (Reply 17):

Quoting Thomas_Jaeger (Reply 18):

Thank you! So glad to see MYR on that list! As somebody who has had his fair share of Mesa CRJ-900s, I'll be happy to see some mew equipment!

slowrambler · Sat Jul 05, 2014 11:22 am

If they're configuring new CR9s with 12F, perhaps there's hope for reconfiguring the legacy AA 319 fleet (with 8F) yet.

Interestingly these are as far as I know the first US-branded aircraft with MCE. Quickly looking at the seat map, it seems that some of the MCE is exit rows. A large fraction of these seats are "Choice Seats", which no US elite can get for free, unlike the policy on AA; somehow I suspect this is going to cause trouble.

hufftheweevil · Sat Jul 05, 2014 2:33 pm

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 20):
Interestingly these are as far as I know the first US-branded aircraft with MCE.

Except they won't be branded as US.

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 20):

If they're configuring new CR9s with 12F, perhaps there's hope for reconfiguring the legacy AA 319 fleet (with 8F) yet.

I'm not sure I understand that logic. I mean I'm not saying they won't reconfigure aircraft...but what do new aircraft (at a regional airline) have anything to do with that decision?

MesaFlyGuy · Sat Jul 05, 2014 3:05 pm

Quoting hufftheweevil (Reply 21):

That's actually a good point. Paron my ignorance, but what will they be branded as? They will be in American colors but do they say "American" or "American Eagle"? I haven't actually paid close enough attention see whether or not the regionals say which on the fuselage.

boberito6589 · Sat Jul 05, 2014 3:12 pm

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 22):
That's actually a good point. Paron my ignorance, but what will they be branded as? They will be in American colors but do they say "American" or "American Eagle"? I haven't actually paid close enough attention see whether or not the regionals say which on the fuselage.

They are painted in the American Eagle livery

atct · Sat Jul 05, 2014 3:18 pm

Quoting miaami (Thread starter):
Looks like CLT and PHL are the winners this time.

Quoting newhaven (Reply 11):
... if you consider a CRJ "winning"

My thoughts exactly.

spudsmac · Sat Jul 05, 2014 4:04 pm

PSA is a bottom feeding airline. US/AA is going to get exactly what they pay for.

slowrambler · Sat Jul 05, 2014 4:33 pm

Quoting hufftheweevil (Reply 21):

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 20):
Interestingly these are as far as I know the first US-branded aircraft with MCE.

Except they won't be branded as US.
Quoting slowrambler (Reply 20):

If they're configuring new CR9s with 12F, perhaps there's hope for reconfiguring the legacy AA 319 fleet (with 8F) yet.

I'm not sure I understand that logic. I mean I'm not saying they won't reconfigure aircraft...but what do new aircraft (at a regional airline) have anything to do with that decision?

Fair enough that the paint will say American Eagle, but they're flying as US Airways Express, not American Eagle. So perhaps I should have said rather that they were the first aircraft on the legacy US side.

As for reconfiguring aircraft - the question is whether long term the 319 configuration is more like legacy US (12F) or legacy AA (8F) - of course it could be neither. But it's a bit anomalous to have aircraft in the mainline 319 fleet with fewer F seats than the E170s, CR7s, and CR9s. With this CR9 configuration it seems new management might prefer larger domestic F cabins going forward.

ouboy79 · Sat Jul 05, 2014 4:41 pm

Quoting spudsmac (Reply 25):
PSA is a bottom feeding airline. US/AA is going to get exactly what they pay for.

Well aren't you a ray of sunshine. What exactly is US/AA going to get exactly? You do realize that PSA is a wholly-owned so they are essentially paying themselves...right? In my world of logic, not sure about yours, I would imagine they have a pretty good idea of the level of service PSA provides considering they own it and run it. That in itself would lead to a better control of quality for AA when adjustments need to happen.

MesaFlyGuy · Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:07 pm

Quoting spudsmac (Reply 25):

Funny, I've flown PSA several times and never had a problem.

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 26):

Exactly, boarding announcments will still identify it a US Airways Express flight.

atct · Sat Jul 05, 2014 5:18 pm

Quoting spudsmac (Reply 25):
PSA is a bottom feeding airline. US/AA is going to get exactly what they pay for.

I can't agree more. I said the same about Mesa 10 years ago and was flamed by armchair CEO's on here who have never once stepped foot into an airline office. After losing all but 2 contracts and being a shell of their former self, they are now starting to pull themselves up by the britches and learned what bottom feeding does.

TheMSYGuy · Sat Jul 05, 2014 6:44 pm

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 28):

You're correct. Now they don't even mention who operates the flight anymore (in this case PSA), they just mention US Airways Express, now part of the new American.

Flighty · Sat Jul 05, 2014 9:38 pm

PSA has nothing to do with Mesa. Get ahold of yourselves. Crew at PSA is goin to leave? Don't they flow through to AA mainline? A little different for Mesa, isn't it? Or are you saying AA will scrimp on maintenance at a wholly owned subsidiary? Of course you won't actually say that because it's ridiculous.

b727fa · Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:19 am

Quoting etops1 (Reply 10):

Annoyance ?? Remember like 2 yrs ago,when there was no wifi whatsoever onboard AC ? What did you do then ? SMDH .

Are you talking in general or with AA? Wifi is not just two years old.

Cactus739 · Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:27 am

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 28):
Funny, I've flown PSA several times and never had a problem.

For as long as I've lived here PSA has done all the CLT-XNA flights... I've taken several of them and found the flight crews to be as good if not better than anyone else out there. Flights were on time, planes were clean, I was greeted and had no issues whatsoever.

Then again when I used to live in PHX I never once had an issue with a Mesa flight either!

Woodreau · Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:47 am

Quoting pensacolaguy (Reply 8):
So, what is the difference between Mesa CRJ-900's, and PSA CRJ-900's?
I know the PSA CR9s are new aircraft, with the new AA paint scheme.

The Mesa CRJ-900's are the original CRJ-900's and are owned by Mesa Airlines as they were the North American launch customer for the CRJ-700 and CRJ-900. As Mesa owns these aircraft, if AAG decides not to utilize these aircraft any longer, Mesa is on the hook to find new flying for them. I don't know about the recent 9 CRJ-900's that were awarded to Mesa prior to the merger. I'm not sure if they were owned by US Airways Group or if Mesa had to obtain the leases for them. - I believe they were ex-Pluna birds that Bombardier had taken back.

The PSA CRJ-900's are owned by American Airlines Group not by PSA, and can be reallocated to any other airline AAG decides to. They are NextGen CRJ-900s.

hufftheweevil · Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:39 am

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 26):
Fair enough that the paint will say American Eagle, but they're flying as US Airways Express, not American Eagle. So perhaps I should have said rather that they were the first aircraft on the legacy US side.

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 28):
Exactly, boarding announcments will still identify it a US Airways Express flight.

Quoting TheMSYGuy (Reply 30):
You're correct. Now they don't even mention who operates the flight anymore (in this case PSA), they just mention US Airways Express, now part of the new American.

Are we sure they will be announcing these new CR9 flights as "US Airways Express"? That just seems awfully confusing. Once the aircraft is painted in American Eagle colors, there's no need to refer to it as US Airways Express. The Express name is just that...a name. It's not a company and not a certificate holder. Not only that, but because PSA is owned by American Airlines Group, the PSA-CR9 contract shouldn't mentioned "US Airways" or "US Airways Express" at all in it.

crAAzy · Sun Jul 06, 2014 4:58 am

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 26):

As for reconfiguring aircraft - the question is whether long term the 319 configuration is more like legacy US (12F) or legacy AA (8F) - of course it could be neither. But it's a bit anomalous to have aircraft in the mainline 319 fleet with fewer F seats than the E170s, CR7s, and CR9s. With this CR9 configuration it seems new management might prefer larger domestic F cabins going forward.

The CRJ configurations have nothing to do with management liking the new premium configurations - as we all know US management does not like premium heavy configurations, with the new A321Bs are probably going to be found later to be a misstep in having only 16F. I'm not saying it needs 24 F like the 757s but 20 F probably would have been more appropriate for AA customers.

Instead the CRJ configurations have everything to do with pilot scope clauses and the total number of seats allowing on a plane being flown by it's regional carriers. The cap is 76 seats total - hence the larger F cabins on the larger RJs.

[Edited 2014-07-05 22:52:37]

opethfan · Sun Jul 06, 2014 5:45 am

What exactly about PSA, Mesa, and their CRJ900s that's apparently so dreadful?

I'm a little late to the party.

MesaFlyGuy · Sun Jul 06, 2014 5:51 am

Quoting hufftheweevil (Reply 37):

However, most people on the plane will have booked at ticket with US Airways, not American (technicalities aside). My dad flew a US Airways a321 in American colors the other day. He didn't get confused, and neither will most passengers who just board through the gate that's calling them and don't pay attention to the aircraft's colorscheme. If they use a hardstand, there is ground staff and pretty clear guidance to the correct aircraft, so there should still be no problems.

Quoting cactus739 (Reply 34):

I've frankly never experienced any bad crews on US Airways Express in general. Mainline, I've had one or two grouchy FAs over the course of my flying carreer, but that's about it. (Let's just say this--the best FA I've ever had was a US Airways one, and the worst I've ever had was also a US Airways one).

hufftheweevil · Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:39 am

Quoting MesaFlyGuy (Reply 41):
However, most people on the plane will have booked at ticket with US Airways, not American (technicalities aside).

Good point...

I actually just checked a few examples of the PSA CR9 flights...on both US and AA websites it's listed as being operated by PSA dba US Airways Express. Still sounds silly to me.

ouboy79 · Sun Jul 06, 2014 8:16 am

Quoting newhaven (Reply 33):
No, peoples .... a CRJ 900 is .... NOT..... the same as a mainline airplane

It's not the same as a mainline airplane? In what way? How it is laid out? The size of the actual aircraft? I mean it has a length of 104 ft, wingspan of 89 ft, it can seat 90 pax, empty weight of 49k lbs, mtow around 90k lbs, range of 1590 nmi...

Oh wait. Sorry, that was for the DC-9-15...a "mainline airplane" if you will. The CRJ-900 is longer, seats the same, and weighs about the same and the LR version can go just as far range wise (almost). The only thing not really mainline about it would be the payscales of those that crew it.

Cubsrule · Sun Jul 06, 2014 2:27 pm

Quoting ouboy79 (Reply 43):
The only thing not really mainline about it would be the payscales of those that crew it.

Cabin space (both for people and bags) is a key differentiator, though space for both people and bags has admittedly improved a fair amount since the CRJ-100.

ouboy79 · Sun Jul 06, 2014 5:08 pm

Quoting Cubsrule (Reply 44):
Cabin space (both for people and bags) is a key differentiator, though space for both people and bags has admittedly improved a fair amount since the CRJ-100.

Very true. Though the gap between the new generation regional aircraft and those jets that were mainline continues to shrink rapidly. If this was 30 years ago, the CR9 would be flown as a mainline aircraft in many operations.

Cubsrule · Sun Jul 06, 2014 6:36 pm

Quoting ouboy79 (Reply 45):
If this was 30 years ago, the CR9 would be flown as a mainline aircraft in many operations.

The key thing about this question with the CR9 is that it's a stretch of the CRJ, which everyone agrees is a regional airplane. In the States, most (all?) CR9 operators also fly or have flown smaller CRJs.

The 190, by contrast, does not have a 50 seat sibling and also has a bigger sibling (that hasn't sold well in North America), so it's more clearly a mainline airplane. The 717, which is a bit bigger, doesn't have a smaller sibling at all, and so it's unquestionably a mainline airplane.

bluefly · Sun Jul 06, 2014 9:59 pm

Quoting slowrambler (Reply 20):
A large fraction of these seats are "Choice Seats", which no US elite can get for free, unlike the policy on AA; somehow I suspect this is going to cause trouble.

Actually, US Preferred and AA Elite do get select Choice Seats at no charge, designated as "V" seats, including the exit rows. Choice Seats designated as "T" seats are those Preferred/Elite members have to pay for.

There has also been a rumor going around that MCE will be a thing of the past, but take it as you may.

washingtonflyer · Sun Jul 06, 2014 11:50 pm

And what is the difference between a "choice seat" marked as a V and a "choice seat" marked as a T - other than a money grab?

miller22 · Sun Jul 06, 2014 11:54 pm

Versus a 175, the new CRJ900 has the same size bins, and 1-2 inches extra pitch in every seat. Every seat as in all 76-seats. The American 175 has 30-inch pitch in economy. The CRJ900 is larger airplane than a 175 for lower weight and fuel burn. Not a lot of people realize that.

Fuselage of the CRJ900 is wider than the CRJ200, the floor is lower, the windows higher and larger, and the bins larger. From a cabin perspective, the only thing they share is the first three letters of their name.

These are not the same CRJ900s delivered to Mesa a decade ago, and definitely not the same as the CRJ200s or CRJ700s of yesteryear. Bombardier has made a lot of cabin improvements (as well as fuel burn improvements). This will be a very nice bird, indeed.

MAH4546 · Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:06 am

Quoting bluefly (Reply 44):
There has also been a rumor going around that MCE will be a thing of the past, but take it as you may.

There's no such rumor, and US Airways planes will be getting MCE installed. This has already been publicly announced.

bluefly · Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:13 am

Quoting washingtonflyer (Reply 45):
And what is the difference between a "choice seat" marked as a V and a "choice seat" marked as a T - other than a money grab?

You are right, Choice Seats are money grabbers. The "V" and "T" is really just an internal designator, such as "F" for first or "J" for business. Preferred/Elite passengers don't have to pay for "V" seats or exit row seats, but do have to pay for "T" seats. Non-Preferred/Elite members have to pay for both "V", "T" and exit row seats. There is no difference between these seats compared to others in terms of leg room, but they are located in the front of the cabin and come with Zone 2 boarding.

crj900lr · Mon Jul 07, 2014 12:14 am

Quoting TheMSYGuy (Reply 30):
You're correct. Now they don't even mention who operates the flight anymore (in this case PSA), they just mention US Airways Express, now part of the new American.

They let you know who is operating it when the boarding announcement on the aircraft is made.

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