Flying from Newark NY to Louisville KY with United Airlines

A United Airlines Embraer RJ 140. Photo / Peter Wheeler

Peter Wheeler flies aboard UA4010 from Newark NY to Louisville KY.

The plane: A well-used Embraer RJ140, a narrow-bodied, 50-seat twin jet, of which there more than 100 of these "Brazilian sky taxis" in the UA Express jet fleet.

Class: One only, Economy.

Seat: 9A: B is the aisle while C and D are within reach, so not a lot of room.

On time: Newark International's runway rush hour kept moving and we left only 10 minutes late. We made up time, and allowing for the one-hour time zone change , arrived 10 minutes early at Louisville International to find no ground handlers and no gate open.

However we could see the rows of bourbon warehouses that awaited us, so who cares. We disembarked 20 minutes later to be offered hot coffee.

Food and drink: Pretzels and soda.

Toilets: Surprisingly roomy considering the size of the RJ140, certainly bigger than the average 737 or A320. Perhaps the Brazilians are large people.

Fellow passengers: mainly Kentuckians returning home for the holidays .

Baggage: UA charged a $25/bag overweight fee, something that didn't happen on other regional flights. We should have carried it to the aircraft, as many regular passengers just dropped their bags there. These "cabin excess" bags were stowed, and on arrival placed back in the skybridge for pick up. No check-in, no charge!

Airport experience: Louisville International is surprisingly large, with many empty gates ( perhaps there's a staff shortage ) and lounges. Drop-off and pick-up is at the front door and parking about 60m away. However the rows of B747 and DC10 freighters were explained by Louisville being a freight hub and warehousing centre for many US brands, including the biggest. Also near the terminal was a line-up of Kentucky Air National Guard C130s, the local squadron having more aircraft parked than the RNZAF owns. So while Louisville has limited passenger traffic, heavy freight movements are almost continuous.

Experience: The flight was the start of a Bourbon tour and we were about to enjoy a very special hotel. At the end we flew from Louisville to Chicago, again on a UA Express RJ140, on time, no fuss and this time no excess baggage fees.

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