Well I took a lovely trip up to RockVegas today to get myself on one of the Inaugural Q400 flights now that Qantaslink has started flying them.
Here is my review. I know GroundFeeder also was heading up today, so he will probaly also have a review of his own.
The planes are big compared to a Dash-8 300. Much longer and taller. Imagine a stretch limo. Well that's what it looks like next to a Dash 8-300... let alone what it looks like next to a Dash-8 200!
Inside, the planes are quite nice. If you fly Dash-8 300's then it will be very familiar.
Most of what is inside is the same. Including seat pitch (well I didn't notice any difference, but didn't have a tape measure to double check!)
No more Seats 1CDEF though, they are replaced with a bulkhead.
The best seat would be 1A or 1B. Plenty of legroom. 2CD is also ok, but the bulkhead restricts the legs stretching out too much. Seats 2CD are exit row.
As per the 300's (and I think 200's), there is no recline on the seats.
The seats are cloth. Fairly comfy, but (as per earlier Dash8's) no "wings" or anything similar to support the head if trying to sleep. Window is best if you want to do that.
No onboard entertainment, bar the magazines handed out/ looking out the window (as per earlier planes).
3 FA's on board compared to the 300 which normally has 2 (I think they also sometimes have three on the 300's?)
The engines are real beasts! Taking off, they scream down the runway a lot faster than earlier planes. The new engines also ensure that your journey is shorter than the earlier Dash8 series. The trip to ROK is now about 10-15 minutes shorter.
Inside the cabin, the vibration and noise has been reduced a lot from 300's and 200's. You can still hear the engines whirring, but it is a lot quieter. There is minimal vibration.
Overall a very nice plane. The Qantaslink staffers and service were top notch as per usual.
Any questions, let me know and I will try to answer them.
Here is my review. I know GroundFeeder also was heading up today, so he will probaly also have a review of his own.
The planes are big compared to a Dash-8 300. Much longer and taller. Imagine a stretch limo. Well that's what it looks like next to a Dash 8-300... let alone what it looks like next to a Dash-8 200!
Inside, the planes are quite nice. If you fly Dash-8 300's then it will be very familiar.
Most of what is inside is the same. Including seat pitch (well I didn't notice any difference, but didn't have a tape measure to double check!)
No more Seats 1CDEF though, they are replaced with a bulkhead.
The best seat would be 1A or 1B. Plenty of legroom. 2CD is also ok, but the bulkhead restricts the legs stretching out too much. Seats 2CD are exit row.
As per the 300's (and I think 200's), there is no recline on the seats.
The seats are cloth. Fairly comfy, but (as per earlier Dash8's) no "wings" or anything similar to support the head if trying to sleep. Window is best if you want to do that.
No onboard entertainment, bar the magazines handed out/ looking out the window (as per earlier planes).
3 FA's on board compared to the 300 which normally has 2 (I think they also sometimes have three on the 300's?)
The engines are real beasts! Taking off, they scream down the runway a lot faster than earlier planes. The new engines also ensure that your journey is shorter than the earlier Dash8 series. The trip to ROK is now about 10-15 minutes shorter.
Inside the cabin, the vibration and noise has been reduced a lot from 300's and 200's. You can still hear the engines whirring, but it is a lot quieter. There is minimal vibration.
Overall a very nice plane. The Qantaslink staffers and service were top notch as per usual.
Any questions, let me know and I will try to answer them.
