Test Flight - Embraer 175

I was actually looking forward to trying the brand-spanking-new EMB-190 yesterday. However, there wasn't as much to see as I expected at the Thomas A. Edison Memorial Tower and Museum.

A big light bulb?

So, I got to the airport earlier, and ended up on the almost-as-new EMB-175 instead. A colleague of mine was commuting to Boston for the better part of last year. It doesn't take much to send him on a rant about the EMB-135's used by American Eagle. So, in spite of some initially positive reviews on the Internet, I wasn't expecting too much.

Good news:
- This is not the time to be debating the pros and cons of "wasting" a precious Special System Wide Upgrade certificate (expiring in 33 days!) on a 347 mile flight in a small airplane. Suffice it to say, I was sitting up front in 3A, and got my free pack of cashew nuts. The single seat row is very nice, and comfortable too.
- My head only caught a glancing blow on the overhead compartment when I stood up to leave. Contrast this with the dizzying full contact on the Canadair Regional Jet, when you strike the same scuffed-up spot where the heads of so many previous passengers have struck before.

Bad news:
- Absolutely not enough storage space in Executive Class.
There was an announcement in the terminal, that roll-aboard cases would only fit under the seat in front of you. That's fine, I thought, as I wasn't planning on doing any work, and my laptop bag will certainly fit in the overhead bin. Also an improvement over the CRJ, where they don't even suggest you can do this, and gate check everything.

After we got on board, there was a brief delay while I and several other passengers had to work our way back out of the plane, to gate check our roll-aboard bags. Then there was another brief delay when those passengers who thought they could defy the laws of physics and squeeze in their bags finally gave up as well.

The overhead bin on the port side is outrageously shallow. If it was at least one foot deep, it would only be ludicrously small. You could fit a purse or rolled up windbreaker, but certainly not a full-size handbag or coat. However, it did appear that you could fit some roll-aboards in the starboard side overhead bins, as long as they weren't the expandable kind.

- No inflight entertainment yet
On the CRJ, you get to look at the cheap leather seat back in front of you. Right now on the EMB-175, you get to look at a sticker announcing the video on-demand system that will be available soon.

Overall impression:
OK. Better than the CRJ, but still not something to look forward to.