My connection is on a… wait for it… a Cessna!!
I appreciate airlines finding connections with partners. It offers us alternate routes they do not fly and timings they do not fly at. But really, shouldn’t they assure ‘minimum aircraft type’? I was trying to look for flight to and from Albany (ALB), from Washington Dulles (IAD). The outgoing flight options had no surprises. But on the return, right at the bottom of the page, showing up was a ‘Partner flight’. It showed a routing via Boston (BOS) with the ALB-BOS segment on a partner called Cape Air. How cool! Till I noticed the aircraft type – a Cessna 402!
A Cessna! Really!!I have done my share of prop jet and puddle-jumpers. But no Cessnas. The closest I came to flying a Cessna was on a flight club ‘get a free flying lesson’ thingy. Never as a commercial flight. Just to make sure, I checked out the Cessna model there too. Nope, it is a tiny Cessna. We complain about being in a Regional Jet for a couple of hours. Try sitting in this for an hour and a half. Though I am sure the view is probably awesome as these fly low and slow compared to jets.
Has anyone flown on a Cessna as a commercial flight below? Anyone flown Cape Air? Do share your experiences. Leave a comment below.
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Check out my trip report on a Cessna from BOS-PVC http://www.youwentwhere.com/?p=909
@Adam. Cool! Thanks for sharing.
OMG. We have all manner of Cessnas up here. I remember chartering a Cessna Citation jet ANC-CDB. I’ve flown Cessnas ANC-ENA, plus several times CXC-MXY. We’ve flown the C206s on floats, too, along the Nushagak River north of Dillingham. It’s all part of the Alaska experience.
Cape Air was one of the first interline partners with Jetblue in Boston. Their pilots have a training path from Cape into Jetblue, or at least they used to. There is no formal link between ownership, product, or experience though (other than same terminal).
Cape Air is a solid company with a large operation in the NE and in the Caribbean. Have fun! Take Pictures!
My brother did this from STT-SJU. He said it was awesome. Get there early, but not to early as they may board only five mins before departure and will still be out on time, and express interest to the pilot that you want to fly in the copilot seat. Yes that is right, you can fly right up front. It’s nothing particularly comfortable for a long flight but the trip you are looking at is less an an hour so it will suffice and the neat factor will not wear off that fast.
“tiny” Really? A Cessna 152 is tiny. A Piper Cub is tiny. It’s not that bad, and plenty of people in some parts of the country/world fly in similar, or smaller, and it’s not the end of the world, honestly. I’ve flown in a 402, I’ve piloted one. Very good, solid aircraft. Relax, you’ll live longer! 🙂
Pacific Wings flies Cessna Caravans (single engine tuurboprop) inter-island in Hawaii. Makes a Dash-8 look like a 777!
Yeah! I love pacific wings! Once, flying over Haleakala, the pilot swooped down into the crater and flew us around the cones. Couldn’t have done that in anything much larger than a caravan!
Wouldn’t do it…no way.
Yes and yes. They were perfectly fine. All your stuff has to go in the wing, though. If you’re lucky, you might be able to sit in the co-pilot’s seat.
There is nothing wrong with a Cessna 402 and Cape Air enjoys an excelent reputation as a local/regional carrier, providing service to multiple points that do not justif a larger airplane. You may be shocked to learn that similar carriers in other areas provide scheduled (Part 121) service in even smaller airplanes, commonly using even Single Engine turbo-props! While they are not in the 737 and 747-class that you are used to, these work-horse airplanes and airlines serve a very necessary function. Sure, they are small and you won’t find three-star dinning, the the trade-off is convenience and schedules that work for most connecting PAX. Their flight legs are rarely more than 60 minutes and can easily save you several hours of driving, a real bargain if you believe that your time is that valuable. Theyh often serve city pairs between which there is NO other commercial service – of ANY kind. The aircraft are maintained to Part 121 standards and the pilots are as well-trained and professional as on any other Part 121 carrier. In short, Get Over It, or suffer through that r ush hour drive.
I flew a Cessna on a commercial flight on Reeves Air (now defunct) from Honolulu to Lanai back in 1987.
More recently I flew a 12 seater helicopter as a commercial flight from Victoria BC to Vancouver on Helijet.
I fly my own Cessna 182, that planes huge compared to mine! Do it, fun adventure:)
My family used to drive to Martha’s Vineyard from NYC. When we learned that we could park in New Bedford for next to nothing and take a 20 min. flight over to MVY, we couldn’t get enough. Well worth the cost to save up to 2 hrs of cape traffic/ ferry crowd. And the return trip was an even better time saver. We live in HI now and recently flew BOS-MVY for my brother’s wedding. I even got upgraded to the co-pilot seat !!!.
I flew on Cape Air’s 402s in October of 2011. The flights were from Logan (BOS) to Adirondack Regional (SLK) in Saranac Lake, New York and back. The route is fairly convenient to get to and from the Lake Placid area for vacation. The 402s are unpressurized and noisy, but have great views. I sat directly behind the pilot outbound, and was able to fully view the instrument panel and miles ahead through the forward windscreen. On the return flight, we passed over an outbound cruise ship at about 1,500 feet on the landing approach into Logan, and had a great view of the airport, and our runway. As noted above, Cape Air has an excellent safety record. I’d highly recommend you give them a try!
I flew Cape Air from STL to Quincy, IL for work in Jan. 2013 three weeks in a row. Saved me a ton of time in driving and I have no complaints about the service. I am sure I will use them again in the future for trips from the STL area. I agree with SC Osprey that it was interesting to see the instrument panel and have a actual “feel” for pilot actions to plane reactions.
What a great way to travel and save on tons of stressful driving time! Flying from Rutland, Vt to Boston, Ma and Westchester, Ny to Lebanon, NH is convenient and cheap! The views are awesome and you even get those “butterfly” feelings in your tummy when the plane sometimes goes up and down. Cape Air should expand their services, especially from rural areas. I can’t say enough about Cape Air. They’re awesome and I would highly recommend…one down side, no pre-check TSA, why??? I don’t like exposing my freshly painted and manicured feet to the potential of nasty foot disorders like “Athlete’s Foot”, that’s my ONLY complaint!!! Enjoy!
Just had a flight today and last Friday on Cape Air. (to/from White Plains NY / Provincetown MA – a 1 and 1/2 hour trip). Yup they are the tiny Cessna planes. 8 seaters. Sounds like a lawn mower as it’s starting up! Loud engines the whole way. It was fun and adventurous but also a bit scary as there was turbulence and rain storm on the way back. You could see and hear the rain driving against the windshield. the little plane was buffeted a bit, but we had a masterful pilot who did a great job! Very cool flight, you see everything. Not for the feint of heart or fearful flyer!
Nice! Thanks for sharing.
Flew Cape Air last week back to Boston from Hyannis – love it! Flying out of Logan is a little odd, as you taxi behind an Airbus or a Boeing – the Cessna feels tiny. Best view you’ll get of the Boston skyline as you land, though. Some years ago, flew Hyannis to Nantucket and back – return flight in terrible weather, after a departure delay because the weather had closed Nantucket Memorial Airport for several hours – the young lady piloting the aircraft was superb. I’m a big Cape Air fan – and there’s nothing quite like the views from a Cessna on a clear day.
Nice! Thanks for sharing.