Flew on the 717 from BNE to CBR yesterday. My observations:
* Decor was clean, new, sleek - nicely done
* Seat was comfortable, perhaps I was imagining it but better than both QF and VA's newer 738s
* IFE is an iPad mini, smaller than the full-sized iPad provided in some of my recent Y trips on the refurbished QF 767s. So if screen size scales with the aircraft, does that mean A380 pax will each be getting a 40 inch personal IFE
* Sitting on the 3 seat side of a 2-3 config you could almost forget that you're not in a 737.
* Bit of an odd sound on taxi and take-off with the engines spooling up from way up back - much louder than other aircraft I have experienced, but got quieter as we took off and started the climb. I guess the wings probably dampen some of the sound on 737's and the like, and Dash's just have a different buzz all together.
* I found the ride a little different also, perhaps having the thrust so far back made the yaw motions seem to pivot further back (CoG ?), anyway it was just a little different from the aircraft movements that I am used to.
* I was sitting in an exit row and we had a bit of turbulence on the climb, I could swear either the seat was moving side to side or fuselage was flexing (at first I thought the exit door was moving, that was a bit of a shock). I could tell because my thigh was resting on exit door and I could feel the movement quite distinctly. Maybe I should put this to JB on the 'Ask the pilot' thread ?
* Although it was only yesterday morning my QFF account normally updates with points and SCs within 24 hours, even for Q-Link flights, but this time the flight is showing up with zero points and zero SCs ...I'll give it a few days but will chase the FF team if this doesn't resolve itself. I think Q-Link is having a few teething problems on these manifests, the seat in front of me was allocated to two pax - the guy who got there second was quick, I think he suggested to the Cabin Crew that he would be happy to sit up front to help resolve the problem
Final remark, arriving in Canberra we took an unusual taxi path back down runway 35 because there was construction blocking the apron between the VA parking bays and the QF ones, there was room to taxi but perhaps with low wings on the 717 would not have sufficient clearance over the construction gear. For those who know YSCB (aka CBR) we exited 35 at the F intersection and taxied A-D-RWY 35-M-B then to the bay.
cheers,
OzE
