Continental Airlines and its new regional partner, Colgan Air, will fly a fleet of 15 Bombardier Q400 turboprop regional aircraft from Newark Liberty International Airport, Continental’s New York–area hub, beginning early this year. The brand-new 74-passenger planes will replace the 50-seat Embraer 145 jets currently used on select flights to within 500 miles of Newark Liberty, operating as part of the Continental Connection regional network. By mid-June, Q400s will fly to 21 cities from Newark Liberty and Cleveland, with more than 100 arrivals and departures per day. The switch to new turboprop aircraft will help reduce congestion at Newark Liberty and potentially help Continental/Colgan Air avoid flight delays.
“Our selection of the Q400 aircraft is an important move for us because it addresses our need for efficiency without sacrificing our customers’ comfort, and because it is well suited to the unique operating environment at Newark Liberty,” Continental’s senior vice president of corporate development, Mark Erwin, emphasizes.
The Bombardier Q400 is an update of the highly respected De Havilland Dash 8, a high-wing turboprop airliner with more than 20 years of proven service. The “Q” actually stands for “quiet,” and the aircraft incorporates a new generation of 21st-century technologies that make it quieter, more comfortable, and more efficient than previous turboprops.
With an ability to cruise at 360 knots (414 mph), the Q400 offers virtually the same flight times as regional jets over routes of 500 miles or less. However, its ability to operate from shorter runways gives it the flexibility to avoid congestion on the longer runways used by larger aircraft. Thus, the Q400 can help Continental crews and passengers achieve on-time arrivals and departures when other aircraft may be stuck in traffic. In addition, Continental Connection Q400s will operate in airspace below 25,000 feet, staying outside main traffic patterns and helping to further reduce congestion and delays around Newark Liberty.
Travelers familiar with older-generation turboprops will be surprised by the Q400’s smooth travel and minimal interior noise. Most of the noise and vibration created by a turboprop aircraft is generated by pressure pulses from the propeller tips that bounce off the airframe. Bombardier’s Noise Vibration Suppression (NVS) system uses a series of vibration absorbers mounted along the fuselage that are tuned to specific frequencies to counter pulses from the propellers, sharply reducing cabin noise and vibration. NVS technology, the manufacturer says, makes the Q400 the quietest, most vibration-free turboprop in operation.
