Background:
I was flying from New York (LGA) to Savannah (SAV) and then from Savannah (SAV) to New York (JFK) both on the Delta CRJ-900 to visit Savannah for the 4th of July holiday. Originally, my return flight had a connection, but I was able to change to a nonstop and save over $100 by changing my flight a few weeks after I had booked. I wrote about how that worked out here if you’re interested in reading about it.
Aircraft: Delta CRJ-900
The Delta Connection CRJ-900 operated by Endeavor Air has a 2-2 configuration with either 70 or 76 seats depending on the layout type. I was on the 76-seat version, as that version doesn’t have power plugs in the Main Cabin, but it does in Comfort Plus and First Class.
Comfort Plus seats have 34 inches of pitch, compared to 31 inches in the Main Cabin.
Flight Details:
Delta Connection operated by Endeavor Air Flight 5395
New York (LGA) to Savannah (SAV)
Plane: CRJ-900
Status: On Time (10 minutes late)
Delta Connection operated by Endeavor Air Flight 5536
Savannah (SAV) to New York (JFK)
Plane: CRJ-900
Status: Delayed (30 minutes late)
New York (LGA) to Savannah (SAV) in Comfort Plus:
At the Airport:
A very quick TSA PreCheck line on a Sunday afternoon, and then I was off to my favorite Sky Club in the network! The LaGuardia Sky Club has great food selections and is very spacious. You can check out my full review here if you’re interested.
Upgrade to Comfort Plus:
My friend and I are both Silver Medallion Members. Despite there being 10 Comfort Plus seats available at check-in, our upgrades to Comfort Plus did not clear until 1 hour before the flight’s departure which was a bit surprising that it took so long. Additionally, my friend ended up 1st on the First Class upgrade list and I was number 2. Four people did clear ahead of us for a First Class upgrade. So close, but no cigar!
Boarding:
We started boarding the aircraft 30 minutes before our scheduled departure time. At this time, it started raining pretty heavily, and the flight next to us going to Denver paused their boarding process but we continued going. Towards the tail end of boarding, they had to close the ramp to board due to the nearby thunderstorms. About 20 minutes went by, then they resumed the boarding process. To be frank, I wish they just paused the whole boarding process from the beginning rather than have us sit on the plane idle.
One negative thing about flying on the CRJ was that the gate agent tried to “pink tag” my bag to gate check it as the CRJ overhead bins are smaller than most planes. But, I had no problems fitting it in the overhead as my carry-on is on the smaller side, and there was plenty of overhead space since we boarded with Comfort Plus. Perhaps it was just a slip-up from the gate agent.
The Flight:
Once on board, the captain announced our flight would be 1 hour and 38 minutes en route, and that we would make up for most of our delay as the flight was blocked for 2 hours and 30 minutes.
We left the gate 30 minutes past our scheduled departure time. Thankfully, we were number 3 for departure so we took off 15 minutes after leaving the gate.
The legroom in Comfort Plus was pretty decent for a shorter flight.
And, there was a full-size tray table.
Shortly after reaching cruising altitude, the snack service started. Snack choices included a Kate’s White Chocolate Macadamia Bar, Biscoff Cookie, and almonds. I opted for the Macadamia Bar which was quite tasty. You get complimentary alcohol in Comfort Plus, so I had a hard seltzer.
Wi-Fi was available on this flight and worked well. Since it’s a “regional jet”, it doesn’t have free Wi-Fi quite yet unlike most of Delta’s mainline flights. A flight pass was $9.95, 30 minutes for $4.95, or there was free Messaging App usage. Additionally, T-Mobile customers could get free internet. WiFi service started above 10,000 feet and also lost connection about 15 minutes before landing.
There is a power port in between the seats, and it also has a USB port as well.
The flight went by quite quickly, and we ended up getting to the gate in Savannah only 1o minutes late. Overall, it was a pretty decent flight!
Savannah (SAV) to New York (JFK) in the Main Cabin:
At the Airport:
After a quick visit to the small Passport Club Lounge, which you can read my review of here, we waited at the gate area for boarding. Boarding started 20 minutes before our scheduled departure but was quickly halted due to some legality problems with the paperwork. The captain came out to talk to us passengers which was nice, and he said the mechanic needed to come back to sign off. It was fixed relatively quickly, and we then began boarding at our originally scheduled departure time.
Upgrade Stats:
So, we didn’t get any upgrades on this flight. In the week before departure, the First Class and Comfort Plus cabins were all quite full. We ended up 5 & 6 on the First Class upgrade list, and 2 & 3 for Comfort Plus.
The Flight:
The captain announced that the time in the air would be 1 hour and 37 minutes and that we would make up for a good amount of the lost time. We took off about 50 minutes behind our scheduled departure.
After reaching cruising altitude, a snack and beverage service is provided. Snacks available on this flight included sun chips, almonds, a white chocolate bar, and biscoff cookies.
To my surprise, the FA serving the Main Cabin even came by with the cart again if anyone wanted to top off their beverage. That was nice, especially for such a short flight.
Main Cabin Seat:
The standard main cabin seat that I was assigned to was in row 10, which is the row right after the Comfort Plus cabin. Do note that this row has a missing/misaligned window if you enjoy looking outside. The legroom was definitely noticeably tighter than the Comfort Plus seat.
One very annoying aspect of this aircraft is the headrests. They are much lower than traditional planes, and so if you are taller, your head would be above the headrest.
I think that the Embraer 170s that also serve this route are a much more comfortable ride, so if I had the choice, I would opt for an Embraer.
Wi-Fi and Power Plugs:
Welp, this is where this flight suffered. The Wi-Fi was inoperable the whole flight. Both my friend and I tried connecting and it kept disconnecting.
Additionally, it seems we ended up with the Delta CRJ-900 configuration that doesn’t have power plugs in the Main Cabin. Sad!
The flight went by relatively quickly, and we actually landed on time but we were stuck waiting for our gate. We ended up getting to our gate about 30 minutes after our scheduled arrival time.
The Verdict:
Overall, the Delta Connection CRJ-900 operated by Endeavor Air isn’t the worst way to get from point A to point B, especially if you’re traveling with 1 companion due to the 2-2 seating. However, the cabin feels cramped in comparison to the Embraer 170/175s, and the Wi-Fi can be unreliable.
Have you flown on the Delta CRJ-900s recently? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
Yep, I try to avoid the Canadair’s as much as possible. Remember, all they are is basically a stretched bizjet, yet they were flying off of the assembly line when they first debuted. My how expectations have changed in 25 years. Agree, I would take the Embraer over these every time.
Thanks for sharing and reading!
Interesting vlog. I am a flight attendant for this operator and it’s helpful to be able to read your insights in a passenger perspective. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! Thanks for reading!