Flying PSA Airlines from Washington Reagan to Chattanooga

PSA Airlines CRJ-700 Main Cabin Extra

4.2

Rating

4.2/5

Flyctory.com Pros

Superb Seat Pitch
Nice service
Normal American Airlines Service

Flyctory.com Cons

Limited, standard American Airlines catering

In order to transfer from East Coast to Tennessee on my trip to CMA Fest 2019, I flew from Washington Reagan National Airport to Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport. Being booked on American Airines flight 5309, the flight has been operated by PSA Airlines, who operate their planes in the colors of one of the American Airlines’ regional carriers, American Eagle. The flight has been operated by a Canadair CRJ-700 plane. As a British Airways Gold / oneworld Emerald Customer, I automatically received an upgrade to the Main Cabin Extra.

PSA Airlines CRJ-700 – The Cabin

The Main Cabin of the CRJ-700 is a 2-2 seating, i.e. two seats on either side of the cabin. This is the configuration you find in the vast majority of CRJ airplanes. The difference from the “ordinary” main cabin to Main Cabin Extra is the seat pitch. Especially in row 8 (which is in fact the fourth row of the plane), where I have been sitting, the pitch is massive. There are only 12 rows of Main Cabin incl. two rows of Main Cabin Extra (row 8 and the emergency exit row), the final row of the plane has two seats on the left and the bathroom on the right.

The Domestic First (regional Business Class) comfort is massive, though. PSA Airlines has a 1-2 configuration here. The pitch is given with 37 inch, the width with 21. Just for comparison, the lovely seats in the American Airlines’ B777 Flagship Business Class are “just” 20.5 inch in width. Of course, the PSA’s CRJ-700 Domestic First Seats do only recline, they are not lie-flat.

Last but not least, the toilet is as narrow and small as you would expect it to be.

PSA Airlines CRJ-700 – Service

On the ground, the service is fully in line with the American Airlines policies. I could check-in at the priority desks and had lounge access to the Admirals Club at Reagan Airport. As you see in my airport review of DCA, Reagan Airport also offers curbside check-in as the space available within the airport building is rather limited. Boarding to most PSA planes is done by bus boarding. There are designated ramps instead of staircases, which bring you up to door level. They are currently upgrading the airport, though, so that the boarding process may be improved soon.

The Main Cabin Extra service was a drink and a snack, just what you get on all other American Airlines short-haul flights within the USA. There are no power plugs or USB ports on board and the plane does not feature an in-flight entertainment screens. You may stream movies via the on-board WiFi, though. This also allows you to connect to the internet for a charge.

PSA Airlines CRJ-700 – The Flight

The scheduled flight time from Washington Airport to Chattanooga is roughly two hours. Our flight on 2nd June 2019 took less than 90 minutes net flight time. Taxiing was very enjoyable, as you had some nice views of the airport and other planes.

After take-off, you could spot some waypoints of Washington and its suburbs, before the flight headed Westbound towards Chattanooga. I enjoyed the approach to Southeastern Tennessee as well.

Finally, we arrived at Chattanooga Airport. The ground handling at the gate was efficient and excellent. They even had a jetty for Canadair planes. It took some while to receive luggage, though.

PSA Airlines CRJ-700 – My View

I was always dreaming to land at Reagan Airport. Unfortunately, during my CMA Fest Trip, my flight from Germany had been re-booked and rerouted to Washington Dulles. The more I enjoyed to have that flight from DCA. The service on board was fine, the Main Cabin Extra seat pitch was amazing. Thus, I had a very nice and comfortable hopper to Chattanooga. Well done, PSA Airlines – thank you!