Shame about the RJ's but to be honest I'm glad as I was getting worried about having to stay on the 146/RJ for another 5 years and now they have to look at replacing it.
I have enjoyed the many years spent on the 146 but I have to admit it is getting a bit long in the tooth. It's a lovely A/C to fly though and I am sure I'll look back in a few years time and think 'I really miss the old girl' !
As for the Dash 400 - well I haven't flown it but I'm sure it does the job it was designed for well. I'm not sure there's any truth in this stuff about it 'saving the company' though, my humble opinion is that it was born at the right moment - just before the change to low cost and the boom.
An A/C is just an A/C.
It's no good blaming an A/C for this and that and praising it for saving the day etc. - it all depends on how that A/C is used. The CRJ was not a 'BAD A/C' it was just asked to do a job it wasn't designed to do - and when it all went wrong it got the blame - what a load of crap. (I wasn't on the CRJ either by the way)
This 146 V's Dash 400 is unfortunate as we are all batting for the same team but I can't help thinking that it has all come about because of the difference in salary increases over the last couple of years between the Dash and 146 pilots (146 pilots 5% and Dash around 30%). If we had all stuck together and looked after each other the hand bags would have stayed put but unfortunately one group decided they deserved a huge increase and stuck two fingers up to the other group by voting yes to the unfair wage proposal, - the result -- More people on the 146 voting with their feet (as well as the usual amount from the Dash) and I'll feeling between the fleets.
Hopefully this is now water under the bridge.
As for the 146 replacement - well the Embraer 195 seems to fit our needs well. I don't think the Management of FlyBe are interested in getting 737's/Airbus's for the simple reason that it puts them in direct competition with the larger Low-Cost in both routes and pilot wage etc, so a 110 seater that know one else fly's is perfect.