Many people sing the praises of the quiet cabin of the A380, or the comfort of flying on the Boeing 787, or the nostalgia of flying the Queen of the Skies. But there are other aircraft out there that I really enjoy. One of my favorites is the Bombardier Q400.
Bombardier Q400: One of the Last Turboprops in the U.S.
Over the years we’ve seen the slow retirement of turboprop aircraft at the major airlines and their regional partners. I distinctly remember my first flight out of our tiny local airport on a turboprop. Arcata-Eureka (ACV) was served for years by trusty Embraer Brasilia planes. There are days where I really miss them. We now primarily have the awful CRJ-200 instead.
But you still have the opportunity to fly a turboprop. You just need to get yourself to the Pacific Northwest and take a flight with Horizon Airlines, a subsidiary of the Alaska Air Group that flies exclusively for Alaska. Their fleet of 32 Bombardier Q400s is still alive and well. The aircraft is one of the Dash-8 series, originally manufactured by de Havilland.
Aside from Alaska regional flights in the U.S., you can also find the aircraft in the fleet of Porter Airlines (who operates them exclusively) and among the aircraft operated by Air Canada Jazz.
You might be thinking you’d want to avoid the Bombardier Q400 due to how noisy and small these 76-seater aircraft are. But then you’d really be missing out. Here’s why you should try to work a flight on a Q400 into your travel plans.
Runway Acceleration Is Intense
Unlike the lumbering takeoff of a wide body aircraft or your typical 737, the Q400 accelerates quickly. The takeoff force aboard regional aircraft is typically greater than larger jets, but the turboprop seems to be the king in this regard. They are far more efficient at generating thrust than your turbofan jet engine. You’re up in the air within seconds.
It’s a thrill every time. I remember my last adventure aboard one on a trip to Montana back in 2017, and it was so much fun. I’d forgotten what takeoff was like.
You’ll Likely Enjoy a Free Drink
There is no first class section on a Horizon Q400, but everyone enjoys the benefits anyway! Well…I guess this is the only first class benefit you’ll enjoy. When flying aboard Alaska Horizon on a Bombardier Q400, everyone gets a free beer or glass of wine.
The selection is typically pretty limited, but you can count on a craft beer or wine from the Pacific Northwest. There are typically around a half a dozen or more options shown in the Alaska menu. I do recall that they only had a stout and Chardonnay aboard my last Q400 flight.
Porter Airlines offers free beer or wine as well. They even serve it in glassware! Honestly, I was really impressed by Porter on the whole. Very classy little airline.
There Are Certainly Some Cons
The Q400 is certainly not a glamorous way to fly. It’s barely more spacious than a CRJ-200 or ERJ-145, and it has a very noisy cabin. The noise might be the biggest complaint that I have aboard turboprop aircraft, but these days I have gotten into the habit of flying with a good pair of noise-canceling headphones.
The lav is also missing a sink (at least they are on the Horizon fleet) and only offers a bottle of hand sanitizer. So plan accordingly. Finally, there isn’t a first class section. Or maybe everything is first class?
Conclusion
Not sold on the idea? Give the Bombardiere Q400 a chance. It’s a fun ride on a short hop, and I hope to enjoy them until Horizon eventually phases the aircraft out completely. The delay in the 737MAX certification has slowed Alaska and Horizon’s plans, but it will certainly be a sad day when they eventually ditch the Q400.
Just a quick update. The Q400 is now built by Dehavilland Aircraft of Canada in Downsview, Ontario. This company is owned by Longview Aviation Corp. A Canadian run company. The other major airline that has a fleet of Q400’s, 47 at the present time, is WestJet.
Right. I totally forget about WestJet. Makes sense that Canadian airlines fly so many, as both companies (Bombarier and de Havilland) are Canadian.
I had my first flight on a Qantas link q400 last month. I was a bit nervous (even though it is one of my favourite aircraft) but once in the air I loved the flight.
Nice! I didn’t realize they used them, but it makes sense for a country with so many spread out rural towns like Australia.
The only reason why I want to avoid flying the dash 8 is due to the fact that it’s a bad designed piece of crap… why would they otherwise be called crash 8?
trust me…I’ve worked on these. Each manufacturer has its problems and flaws, but bombardier? They even managed to screw up the Manuals…
It doesn’t seem like its safety record indicates the model far less safe than many other planes. The Colgan flight was quite a while ago now.
What about the view from the window seats? SeatGuru says that most of them have an obstructed view because of the engines and landing gear. Is it really that bad?
It’s pretty bad. You want to be close to the front (first 1-3 rows) or near the way back. I prefer the first two rows.
It’s probably one of the more recognizable turboprops due to it’s high wing and landing gear extending from the nacelles.
If I didn’t know anything about the plane and told me the fuselage was a pod that could be changed between wing/engine sections, I’d probably believe you…
Been on Commutair (United Express) and AC Jazz Dash 8s myself, also had the experience of a Saab 340 on JAL.
They are recognizable for sure! I love seeing Alaska’s at SeaTac.
The Q400 has great acceleration and climb rates but it lands like a shopping cart.
LOL. I feel the same way about the CRJ-200 landings.
Is there an aircraft anywhere that lands gracefully? Maybe a little more design research…do you think/
I enjoyed the Bombardier Q400 next gen of the Philippine Airlines. Doing island hopping in the Philippines.
Nice! I hope you went to Palawan. That’s the spot in the Philippines I hope to visit someday.
You missed (maybe?) the Dash 300. No “Q” involved. Like sitting inside of a lawnmower with a growling grizzly behind you. Flew those things several times, most recently IAD-RIC on CommutAir several years ago. Wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
I’m sure I missed it. Only really picked up my flying in 2013 and 2014. That doesn’t sound fun. I know the Q400 has active noise canceling, but maybe previous models didn’t?
There were newer models of the 200/300 that were “Q-ed” but if the one I was on was a Q you could have fooled me. But it WAS fun, from an av-geek perspective.
Experienced an early (early) morning flight from Quebec City to Montreal on a Q400 and it was really enjoyable! I’m a big guy but the seat and legroom were ample by 2020 standards. And the flight, from takeoff to landing, was fun. All that said, like any turboprop, I don’t think it would be nearly so enjoyable under turbulent weather conditions. Currents that cause a 737 to “hit a few bumps” tend to throw a Q400 around like a cat playing with a ball of yarn.
Agreed. It would be way worse in a smaller plane at lower altitude they fly at.
As a MM on AS I can tell you if flying once in a great while it might be “fun” but if your on one as much as I have been over the years they are not fun to ride on, you should avail yourself to a packed plane in the middle of winter or better yet the heat of the summer, they can not run the A/C on the ground until the engines are up and running,
I guess I can see that. I certainly feel this way about the CRJ-200. I have gone over a year between Q400 flights, on average. So it’s still a novelty each time.
Favorite Turboprop is still the turban suburban – PC-12.
You can often get on those planes on the shared jet services for a reasonable price.
The Pilatus PC-12 is an amazing ride! Took the older kids on the short hop from OAK to MCE on it a couple years ago, and it was so much fun.