Offer More Passenger Room, Shorter T/O Rolls Than E-145 RJs

Continental Airlines is working hard to move past the stigma attached to the word "turboprop" in the minds of many passengers, as it looks to replace Embraer 145 regional jets with larger Bombardier Q400 propliners on many routes operating from Newark International Airport.

The airline has contracted with Colgan Air to operate the Q400s under the Continental Express banner, reports NorthJersey.com. The 74-passenger planes will replace the 50-seat Embraers now used on runs within 500 miles of Newark this summer... and Continental notes the turboprops offer several operating advantages, especially when it comes to freeing up valuable runway space.

The Q400s will be able to operate from Newark's short runway 11/29, Continental notes, when wind conditions would relegate the RJs to larger runways, "thus reducing aircraft requirements on Newark's longer runways," said Continental Senior Vice President Zane Rowe to the Senate Commerce Committee in a September hearing on runway congestion.

The turboprops will also not operate above 25,000 feet. While lower operating altitudes offer less efficiency than cruising higher, Continental notes the mid-20s flight levels are underutilized around Newark -- freeing up higher levels for jets. The airline also says it can operate a turboprop Q400 for the same cost-per-seat-mile of a smaller, thirstier RJ.

Calyon Securities analyst Ray Neidl agrees with that line of thought. "The Q400 can fly out of the main traffic patterns," he said, and "will have an impact" on congestion and delay problems at Newark.

Continental says the Bombardier planes also answer requests from airport officials that airlines operate fewer, larger aircraft. As ANN reported, smaller regional jets were blamed by officials at nearby LaGuardia Airport for clogging ramps and runways.

"We are encouraging the use of larger planes throughout the system," said Marc Lavorgna, spokesman for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The true impact of adding the Q400s remains to be seen, however... and critics note regional jets will still comprise a large percentage of traffic at Newark. They also note the Q400s will need to operate from larger runways, same as other airliners, when there's a tailwind.

"On balance, it's probably not going to have much of an effect at all," said pilot Bill Leavens, a member of the New Jersey Aviation Association and a former president of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Coalition.

There's also the perceived safety factor. Though operators like Alaska Airlines regional subsidiary Horizon Air are quick to laud the Q400, the aircraft's safety record was marred this year by a string of landing gear incidents involving turboprops flying for Scandinavian Airlines.

But Continental remains bullish on the Q400.

"The landing-gear problems impacted Q400 aircraft at one specific operator," airline spokesman David Messing replied. "We are monitoring the situation, but we are confident in the responsive actions taken by Bombardier."

FMI: www.continental.com, www.bombardier.com