Background

Back in July 2020 things were starting to look back to a semi normal routine. After months of lockdown, my family and I decided we would go to Chicago. Naturally, because I love airplanes I decided to fly and see how things were going. The alternative was to drive 5 – 6 hours.

For a video version See below

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UW1YCWW5pDY


Flight info

Airline: American Eagle operated by Envoy

Flight No: 3481

Seat Number: 14A

Route: EVV to ORD

Plane: ERJ 145

Duration: 1 hour 8 mins

Booking:

I booked this flight paying cash. It was booked relatively late, so I didn’t score any of the pandemic deals.

Transport to airport:

I live near to Evansville Regional airport, so I took my personal car to the airport. Airport parking is cheap at $8 per day.

An Uber or Lyft will suffice getting to Evansville Regional airport. Some area hotels also offer free shuttle service.

Day of Travel

I checked in online using AA’s app. I do wish they would provide boarding times on their mobile boarding pass. So, I went directly to security and that was a breeze at such a small airport even without TSA precheck.

Before Boarding:

The gate agent informed all passengers to get snacks and drinks at the terminal before departure as there would be no inflight service due to the pandemic.

Flight:

The flight seemed to have a 50% load. I found that surprising considering this was the height of the pandemic. The flight left and arrived on time at an empty ORD. Flights bound to ORD from Evansville often fly over Indianapolis then turn towards Chicago. They do that due to arrival patterns at Chicago ORD.

Seat

The seat was comfortable American Eagle ERJ-145 planes are arranged in a 1 – 2 configurations. I was lucky enough to score a throne seat. The seat was a little tight but good value for a short regional hop to Chicago. Unfortunately, the ground crew didn’t do a good job of cleaning as I did spot a few stains here and there. May not be apparent in the photo

Service:

Due to the pandemic, there was no service. However, generally on this route there would be a snack and drink. United Airlines though on the same route doesn’t provide anything except for water. United Airlines terminated this route on January 4, 2022, due to crew shortages. The flight attendant was average.

Arrival

Soon enough we made our way to Chicago. We flew in from the south and one of the first signs of Chicago was Midway airport.
Then as my plane landed the emptiness of O’hare was apparent. United had no regional planes on their side of the concourse
Conclusion & Rating:

I felt safe flying back in July 2020 on American Eagle. Masks were required as they are now and distancing could have improved. Cleaning then and now could be improved. I used my own wipes to wipe down my seat.

Thanks for reading or watching! I will be posting more trip reports in the future.

Next report will be over a flight I took in flagship business on American aboard the 787 traveling to Honolulu, Hawaii.

Next trip report will hopefully have photos. I think I’ve figured out a hosting solution. I know that it’s not fun to have a report without pics.