Between January 6th and 7th, the Northeastern
United States was hit by a giant winter storm referred to as a Nor’easter, bringing
lots of snow, heavy wind, and freezing temperatures across the region. And guess who
was flying to New York during this time? Yup, this guy. Today I’m flying from Chicago to
White Plains, New York on a rather empty American Eagle Embraer 170. What started off
as a rather uneventful flight turned into a thriller when it was time for landing. I’m glad
you’re coming along so let’s get right into it. Good morning everyone from Chicago O’Hare.
After arriving from Bloomington into the very end of Concourse G, I now have to make
it across to the opposite end of Terminal 3, more specifically the L-Stinger concourse where my
next flight departs from. Connections at O’Hare, especially within Terminals 1, 2, and 3, are
always rather straightforward and even on my short layover today, I was able to make the walk
in around 15 minutes. Today is my first time departing from the relatively new “L-Stinger”
gates, opened back in 2018 as an extension to the existing Concourse L. The “L-Stinger”
concourse is accessible via a newly added walkway but before we go further let’s check our
flight status. So far, our Flight 3812 is showing as “on-time” which is a huge relief considering
the weather hitting the East Coast at the time. It was so serious that I received an email from
American a few days earlier allowing me to make changes to my flights without issue if needed.
The walkway across to the stinger gates is very clean and neatly-built. It also offers a lot of
windows to look outside although unfortunately, they’re covered in some sort of dotted window
film. That’s actually our aircraft on the left, sadly not the retro livery E170 on the right. The
stinger gates are really nothing special, there’s one main restaurant but it’s really just all
gate space. I reached the gate right as boarding commenced and, based on what I saw in the gate
area, it was going to be a pretty empty flight. Our aircraft today, despite being nearly 20 years
old, was only delivered to its current operator in September 2023 and it’s got quite the history.
Originally, this aircraft was delivered to regional airline MidAtlantic Airways who operated
it and a bunch of other E170s under the US Airways Express brand, hence the “MD” at the end of the
registration. When MidAtlantic ceased operations in 2006, these aircraft continued flying under US
Airways Express, this time operated by Republic Airways. Our aircraft even flew with Aeromexico
Connect for about seven years before returning to the States and Republic Airways, this time
operating under Delta Connection and later American Eagle. Envoy configures these aircraft
with 65 seats consisting of 12 First Class and 54 in Main Cabin. Interestingly enough, even
though rows 8-10 are Main Cabin Extra, so are the “A” and “B” seats in rows 11-14. The “D” and
“F” seats in rows 11-14, interestingly enough, are standard Main Cabin which I never understood
why. Another random thing about the Envoy 170 is that in order to keep the aircraft at 65 seats due
to scope clause limitations, seat 21F is blocked, meaning that only 21D can be reserved in this row.
Now, reserving seat 21D can be pretty challenging because this seat, in addition to 20A and 20B,
remain blocked until online check-in. The reason for American blocking these three seats is to
guarantee seats being held for Basic Economy passengers. But once online check-in opens,
all of Main Cabin is fair game. I had actually reserved 21D during online check-in, having
moved from 20F, because I wanted to showcase the uniqueness of this seat. Unfortunately,
depending on how you look at it, American moved me up to Main Cabin Extra the day of my flight,
I’m assuming due to my status and because the flight was empty. I was able to select Main Cabin
Extra seat 13A for free since for status holders, these seats are also free at check-in.
The seatback is rather standard, with a large tray table and seat pocket with the usual
inflight literature. Legroom in Main Cabin Extra is plentiful as always with a generous 34 to 34.5
inches of pitch. You’ll also find universal power and a USB port for every pair of seats. At the
passenger service unit are the air vents, reading lights, and the sole call button. Boarding was
quickly completed and it was clear that because of the bad weather in the Northeast, not many
people were flying there today. The weather in New York didn’t seem to be a bother here in Chicago,
as we prepared to pushback relatively on-time. Flights between Chicago and New York are usually
rather full, so it was rather bizarre to see how empty our flight was today. Despite the headrests
on the 170 and 175s being adjustable in that they slide up and down, you actually can’t fold the
sides in like you can on the mainline aircraft. That’s something I never noticed before. Because
of the light load, the crew on this flight were very efficient and excellent. Snack service,
just like my last flight, was both pretzels and cookies instead of just one choice like I’m used
to. For the beverage I went with orange juice. Free WiFi is available on the 170s and through the
website, you can purchase internet access, stream entertainment, check weather and other relevant
travel details. Internet access, as always on American, was rather pricey on this flight and not
something I’d spend my money on. The entertainment options themselves are rather plentiful and more
than satisfactory for any domestic or short-haul flight. Now unfortunately, despite this aircraft
having in-seat power, none of the outlets were working which was a minor inconvenience.
So earlier we discussed the interesting configuration of the Envoy Embraer 170, in that
seats 11D/F through 14D/F are standard Main Cabin while the A/B seats in these same rows are Main
Cabin Extra. You can clearly see the difference in seat pitch from the standard Main Cabin
seats compared to where I’m sitting in Main Cabin Extra. It really is quite significant since
apparently, the Main Cabin seats on the D/F side of the aircraft actually have two fewer inches of
pitch than the Main Cabin seats on the A/B side, 29 inches as compared to 31 inches. It’s the same
in Main Cabin Extra although the difference is minimal as the seats on the D/F side have 34
inches while the A/B side I’m sitting on have 34.5 inches. But other than that, not much else
to report on. The flight went by rather fast and soon, it was time for descent into New York.
The flight was pretty uneventful up until this point. The East Coast was still getting
hit by snow at this time which made our approach quite the thriller. Ideally, we
would approach from the northwest passing Upstate New York and Southwestern Connecticut
before making a 180 over Long Island Sound and landing on RWY 34. Clearly, as the flight
playback shows here, that was not the case. Due to poor visibility, the pilots
couldn’t see the runway and as such, we had to execute a go-around, the first
time I’ve ever experienced one of these in a video of mine. After our missed approach,
we entered the pattern for RWY 34 again in hopes of landing on our second attempt. Let’s
see what happens. Visibility didn’t improve much by the time we made our second attempt.
But after going around for the second time, we entered a quick hold before trying again
for RWY 34 which thankfully, was a success. I really have to commend the crew on today’s
flight for being on their absolute A-game in all aspects during the flight. Even despite
the struggles we faced in trying to land in White Plains, they were very helpful in
keeping us updated on what was going on. The flight overall was pleasant and I have no
complaints. I expected we would have some sort of hiccups when trying to land but it was still
a comfortable and safe experience. Great work as usual from Envoy Air and American Eagle.
Thank you very much for tuning in and I hope you enjoyed this unique flight experience. If
you’re interested in supporting the channel, consider checking out my Patreon linked
in the description and don’t forget to like and also subscribe if you’re new
here. I’ll be in New York for about a week before flying home so until I see you
next time, take care, stay safe, and goodbye.
