Touring the Bombardier CSeries Jet, Now Flying with Swiss

Jul 13, 2016

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When it comes to small aircraft, Boeing’s 737 MAX is the star of the show at Farnborough. But Bombardier’s CSeries is absolutely not to be overlooked.

The brand new airliner is already flying throughout Europe on Swiss, and it’s expected to arrive in North America (via Delta and Air Canada) within the next few years.

Cockpit

Up front, you’ll find a state-of-the-art cockpit.

The aircraft is operated by a cockpit crew of two pilots, with between three and five flight attendants working in the rear.

All-Economy Cabin

One aircraft has been delivered so far — A CS100 to Swiss, with an all-economy 3-2 configuration (including intra-Europe business class) totaling 125 seats.

Seats are 18 inches wide with at least 30 inches of pitch (you’ll have quite a bit more in bulkhead and exit rows). The aisles are larger as well, making it possible to pass by a flight attendant cart to get to the lavatory, for example.

The port side of the aircraft has two seats per row, while the starboard side has three.

The 3-2 configuration is ideal for traveling as a couple, but you’ll be better off on this side of the plane either way, since it’ll be much easier to get in or out of the window seat during a flight.

Speaking of the windows, they’re much larger than those you’ll find on the 737.

And they’re considerably larger than the windows you’ll find on the A320.

While airlines may choose to add seat-back entertainment, it wasn’t available on this plane.

Amenities

Each seat has dedicated air vents and overhead reading lights.

The luggage bins are quite large, making it possible to store four carry-on bags vertically.

There’s a lavatory just behind the cockpit, and a second at the far rear of the plane.

There are also two galleys — one up front and a second (pictured below) at the rear.

Bottom Line

As airlines struggle to find pilots to operate regional jets, they’re instead looking to beef up their fleets of slightly larger planes, presenting an excellent opportunity for Bombardier to market its new CSeries jet.

While I have yet to fly on the CS100, I was very impressed during my tour. It’s a very slick plane, overall, and a huge step up from just about any regional jet.

Delta has placed an order for 75 CS100 jets, while Air Canada plans to purchase 45 of the larger CS300 model, so you’ll have plenty of opportunities to fly this fantastic new plane throughout North America within the next few years.

See below for more from Farnborough 2016:

This post has been amended with the correct seat width — seats are 18 inches wide, not 17.3.

Zach Honig is Editor-at-Large at TPG, with contributions ranging from articles digging deep on loyalty programs and credit cards to delivery flight coverage to drone photography and much more.

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