EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Frequent flyers have a nickname for the cramped, 50-seat CRJ-200 aircraft that serves many of the routes out of Evansville Regional Airport.
"Devil's chariot."
The notoriously uncomfortable aircraft, with its windows well below most passengers' line of sight, was designed as a business jet before airlines realized they could cram 50 seats into the fuselage and make a lot of money doing so.
While American and Delta are up-gauging to larger aircraft from EVV, they still use CRJ-200s on some of their routes. United almost exclusively uses them for its thrice-daily service between Evansville and Chicago.
But relief may be on the way.
Bombardier has a new 100- to 150-seat jet — dubbed the C Series — that promises reprieve to markets like Evansville.
The extremely fuel-efficient jet promises passengers a more comfortable ride and promises airlines low fuel consumption. It's designed for markets like EVV, which are starting to outgrow 50-seaters but can't easily fill jumbo jets.
"The C Series have unmatched operational flexibility. It is capable of covering the two extremes of aircraft performance: It can access small and challenging airports, with take-off field length as short as 4,000 feet, while also offering the range and comfort necessary to fly long missions of up to 3,300 nautical miles," Bombardier spokeswoman Nathalie Siphengphet said.
That would put any Lower 48 airport within reach of EVV, which has a main runway over 6,000 feet long.
"Because it is designed for optimal operational flexibility, the C Series will allow carriers to explore new types of routes and business models," Siphengphet said.
Delta has already placed a large order for use on short- to medium-length routes.
As EVV grows its passenger counts faster than Indianapolis, Louisville and St. Louis, it's seen airlines send larger jets to match that demand. If and when EVV outgrows those jets, the C Series would be a logical replacement.
"Evansville Regional Airport plays a key role in supporting connectivity by feeding major hub airports in the U.S.," Siphengphet said. "With increased demand, there is a need for enhanced passenger experience and better connectivity with the use of larger aircraft."
Don't count on that happening anytime soon, however.
"There's a lot of regional jets that are still out there, and we think that it'd be several years before they totally phase out," said Leslie Fella, EVV's director of marketing and air service development. "The good news is when they do decide to up-gauge or phase them out, they'll send (larger aircraft) to Evansville. They have confidence in our market that they can send in a bigger plane and we can handle that new capacity."
And the devil's chariot is likely to remain a staple at EVV for years to come.
"I’ll be concise: They’ve been saying the 50-seater's going away for many years, but it’s still here," said Doug Joest, EVV's executive director.
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The airlines will find a way to put 200 seats on it.
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