Well, i did, en-route from TRI(Tri-Cities) to ATL. All I know is, that ancient AT7 scared the witts out of me(first flight)! The worst thing was, on the ground in TRI the engines shut off twice just before taxi. That shows how old they are! The second time was reverse, ATL to TRI. This one was BAD! When we got to the gate, they had switched flights because the original 5 bazillion year old AT7 boke down. You want to talk about some MAD passengers since the flight was originaly from ATL to Charlotte but mad that un-expected stop! If possible, i say AVOID ASA! What do you think?

I took an ASA AT7 from GPT to ATL, about six months ago. My only complaint was that the AirTran 717 from ATL to GPT had gotten there in about 40 minutes, and it took nearly two hours to get back in the ATR.

Other than that, the ground staff was friendly, the aircraft almost brand new, and the cabin crew very professional. Overall, I was impressed.

For february school vacation my family flew Delta/ASA from ORH to PBI and back, obviously through ATL. Our origingal flight on Sat. 2/17 was cancelled supposedly because of weather problems in Atlanta - the CRJ never made it up the previous night. Delta had no availability out of BOS, MHT, PVD, BDL, or ORH to PBI so we were forced to be rebooked the next morning. ASA only has 2 flights to/from ORH each day, the second would have gotten us to ATL but no ATL-PBI availability. Plus DL refused to put us on another airline.

We took the 7:30AM CRJ ORH-ATL on 2/18. Boarding was quick and easy. The cabin was fairly clean, and I'm sure the plane was relatively new. The captain (or first officer or both) were nice and pointed out areas of interest along our flight path and advised us of our location often. By the way we departed on time. The flight attendant was very friendly. I was suprised when in addition to a beverage we were given small prepackaged snack packs (Oakfield Farms). At least they give something on their second longest flight. We arrived 10 min early and I got some nice shots pulling into the gate at ATL as well as on the tarmac (no jetway).

Coming back from ATL friendly crew and another snackpack. Left the gate about 10 mins late and arrived ORH about 20 mins late. Overall great flights and service!!!

hi all
flew ASA too, routing ZRH-BSL and ZRH-LCA. now I guess you start wondering. this ASA was African Safari Airways and I was flying on DC-8-63s a couple of years ago
 

I don't see why ASA's ATR72s should be old, the oldest was built in 1993, and the newer ones (ex Air NZ) are 1995/96 models. Maybe they're not well-maintained? But check out this photo from a very frequent ASA-flyer and it looks great to me:

Click for large version

Photo © Camille Hodges


Not wanting to start another Boeing vs Airbus (now on a regional level), but
could it be that some have prejudices against "foreign" aircraft...?

Konstantin

Ok, to start this off, I fly ASA a hell of a lot, and enjoy doing so! My routing usually includes ROA-ATL-LFT or ROA-ATL-DFW-LFT and vice versa. I have also flown alot on other carriers, but I could easily say that ASA is one of the best regional airlines that I have flown on. I always fly on the ATR when i'm going ROA-ATL, then on the EMB-120 from ATL-MEI-LFT and then on the way back i fly on the EMB-120 also, but into ROA I will either fly on a CRJ or an EMB-120, depending on which flights I fly up on. I have flown on the ATR's alot, there's nothing wrong with them! (well ok, they could use a li'l more leg room, but anyway) Yes i did take that picture that was posted above   Anyway, back to the point, the ATR's are often bumpy, but that is not the fault of the aircraft as much as the weather. The weather can NOT be helped! It's not that hard of a concept to grasp, but i guess for some people it can be... That's like yelling at a gate agent to change the weather in DFW, so you can make your all-important flight, as if your ass was the only one that mattered, but believe me, they want you to go as bad as you want to go! Yes ASA is not always on time, lol it once took me two days to get from LFT to ROA, but that can happen on any airline. As for the crews who work on ASA, almost all of them have been really cool (friendly and professional), and when I ask to go up into the flight deck after the flight, the pilots willingly show me around the flight deck, (yeah it's not that big, but it's neato). I have only once been denied permission to go up into the flight deck after or before a flight, and that's because we had a two hour delay due to SNOW in ROA. As for boarding and deplaining, it sure is alot quicker to get on and off of an ASA aircraft than any mainline plane! And if you think gate agents are being rude to you, you might want to take a look at the way you're talking to them. I think that's a fact for anyone you talk to, but for some reason people seem to forget that when talking to an airline agent. Come on people, do you actually expect someone to smile and look all happ and work with you after you start yelling and ranting and raving at them?! Anyway my overall point is, before you go on bashing some airline, you might want base your opinion on more than ONE flight. I'll step off of my soap box now....

*Camille*
ASA flyer for 5 years and counting!
[email protected]

Camille, who could have said it better?
I'm not in frontline passenger service, but you're the kind of passenger airline employees love, knowledgeable, understanding and cooperative. That way everyone wins!
Konstantin

geeze! You can believe that is the LAST time i post a PERSONAL OPINION! Geeze! And you better believe me, that ATR7 was POORLY maintained! The engines shut off TWICE during Taxi and took about a minute to Re-Start each time! Well, My first experiance here has definently been a bad one! Goodbye, for good!

If those engines shut off twice because of some malfunction, even a pilot in Congo, Angola or whereever wouldn't have proceeded with the flight. Who would believe stories like these? It's amazing how amateurs misinterpret stuff. For example, props often taxi with just one engine running, and of course, you don't just turn an aircraft engine on like your car, but it takes a while.

K.

Hey man, no harsh feelings or anything, but how could you tell whether it was poorly maintained or not? I have flown on some really scuzzy lookin airplanes, and they had some of the best maintenence records I have ever seen!!! Most of those ATRs not in the new livery look pretty nasty from the outside, but i guarantee you that if they're on the line and flying, that they are airworthy and safe. As for the props stopping or whatever... as fly-k said above, sometimes the ATRs taxi with only one engine, and you could have mistooken the engine starting or something for the engine stopping.....just my 2 cents...

*Camille*

Ok, I haven't flown ASA as much as Camille, but I've had a good number of commuter flights, I was on board my first ATR a few weeks back (did not fly on it) but I can tell you it was in MUCH better shape than some of the other carrier's aircraft I have been on. (United Express mainly).
The problem here is you are basing your first impressions and that is making everything else bad, you saw one part of an entire company...and I can tell you that ASA is one of the best. But like every company they have their problems, and as was said before, if the aircraft was not fit to fly no pilot in his or her right mind would fly it. (And that is coming from a pilot)
So, before you go off bashing everything you saw, try it a few times...
and BTW...the ATR isn't old...but from the looks of it...it might be older than you.

Ryan Gaddis
Atlanta, Georgia USA

I agrree whole-heartedly with Fly-K with regards to misinterpretation of airline operations by amateurs. I have worked for airlines for 10 years in various capacities including ramp, customer service, operations and inflight.

However, two jobs I have never had are Pilot or Mechanic. Which means, that I, despite a good deal of knowledge with regard to this industry and it's aircraft, have ZERO qualifications to discern the airthworthiness or maintenance standards of an airplane.

I assure you, engines do not simply "shut down" during taxi or flight. They may fail (usually very LOUD accompanied by flying debris), run out of gas, or are shut down by a pilot. Not only props, but all aircraft at all airlines often taxi out on one engine (saves fuel). What you probably witnessed were the props being "feathered" (change in direction of blades).

All of that said, ASA is a good airline. I've never worked for them, but they seem to offer a good product. Give 'em another chance.

Thanks Travatl. It WAS my first flight and at least you corrected me without jumping all over me like everyone else did!

All I have to say since it was your first flight, don't jump to conclusions if you don't know what all is going on.

Then why didn't you say it was your first flight ever? You were talking like a seasoned traveler. If you make statements like that, don't complain about other's reactions.

Konstantin

Bottom line=fly a prop, you're gonna' bounce around. Personally, I've had pretty good experiences w/ASA's AT7's with the exception of an icing situation (VPS-ATL) as we were deviating around a small tropical storm coming ashore @ PFN. ASA's EMB's can be pretty "fun" as well. If you didn't care for the AT7, stay off the EMB. ...but if you must fly an ASA EMB, assign yourself seat 8B or 8C. TONS of leg room! (exit)

Gib
ATL

I have as Propfreak has, flown on ASA African Safari Airways LGW-Mombasa DC-10 a touch late both times but i love the DC10 and its a unique experiance to fly on ASA, and I am currently contemplating a holiday with my folks to kenya again, now BY 762 or ASA DC-10, NO CHOISE! Its gotta be ASA

LGW