Hi guys,
I can only give my views as a cabin crew/pax perspective. I work on the Q400, but have positioned on both the Q300 and ATR-72.
I love the Q400, but I'm going to try and give an un-biased view! I find that the Q300 is much quieter than the Q400, but find the ATR-72 noise levels higher still, I guess that this is due to the fact that the -72 I have flown in did not have any kind of noise attenuation system. The Q400 though has a very different feel to the Q300 in that it feels like a more 'going places' aircraft rather than the 'short hop' feel of the earlier Dash/ATR models. I guess this is down to the powerful engines and resultant higher cruise speed. It also has better cabin service facilities like a full-size rear galley and fwd galley facilities allowing for a proper 2-crew cabin service operation. The rear pax door and built-in steps also makes boarding/disembarking much quicker. The cabin is also very modern looking and has several nice touches.
I do think though that the ATR has a better undercarriage for smoother landings but I've heard the wider wheelbase of the dash undercarriage makes for more stable crosswind conditions. Bumpy landings in the Q400 are commonplace!!
I personally think also that the Dash has nicer lines, although I did say I'm slightly biased!
There are probably many great points about the ATR of which I have no knowledge, so would welcome any other views about the ATR from a cabin point of view, I'm not interested in a slagging match!
Happy flying, whether it be Dashing or ATR'ing!
p.s. I believe DHC once landed a DHC-7 in a stadium then took off again, I'm sure I have a picture somewhere. Bear with me...