Iwas just about to make the same comment , comparing the numbers of each aircraft in Oz. Pax will whine no matter what aircraft turns up at the gate, especially in regional centres. In my experience pax seem to compare every aircraft to a 747 or 767, I have heard pax complain about 737's, the comment being "oh no not the small one again" . Metros do a brilliant job, they can carry max payload up to about 700nm (metro23), yes they can be noisy and no you cant stand upright, however over a 1 hour flight how many of you really need to get up and walk around, use the toilet etc etc (if you cant hold your bladder in that time something is wrong -metros were designed for short sectors up to an hour maybe an hour and a half, even though they can stretch this quite easily). The older metros , ie 2's and 3's, maybe be getting a bit ragged around the edges however the 23's which are only 10-15 years old still have alot left in em(young for australian aircraft).
JarJar
