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Air Canada Jazz Bombardier Q300 (DH3) Seat and Trip Review

SeatLink Chief Travel Officer (Dan)
Published Flown Updated

Flight from Kamloops (YKA) to Vancouver (YVR) on a Bombardier Q300 (Dh4).

The good: 1B has no bulkhead in front of it; 1D and 1F have excellent legroom if nobody is seated in 13D or 13F (see “The ugly” below re: row 13). The bad: Window seats have less legroom than aisle seats; same limited visibility issue for window seats as on the Q400. No seats recline on this aircraft. The ugly: Row 13 is actually rear-facing in front of row 1, just behind the lavatory with shared leg space with seats 1D and 1F; 1D and 1F share leg space with row 13.

At the airport:

Kamloops is your standard small-town airport complete with an amenity-free airside waiting area and a single restaurant landside. The relatively low volume of flights and small planes serving the airport means quick checkin even for non-elites, and security rarely sees a line of more than a few people. Don’t expect a Maple Leaf lounge or anything like it here!

Boarding:

Classic regional boarding - elites first, then all rows, then final call. Totally boarding time lasted less than 12 minutes, with a gate check cart right outside the aircraft for larger carryon luggage that won’t fit in the cramped overhead bins of Bombardier’s turboprops.

The Plane:

Air Canada Jazz runs 28 of these Q300 aircraft (21 Q400), which get the job done but aren’t the most modern planes. The hard product is adequate, showing age and an expected level of wear, but nothing particularly dirty or concerning.

The Seat(s):

1C, 3D, 13D. 1B is the winner as on the Q400. I also recommend searching for two empty seats so that you have extra room once you lift up the middle arm rest. Rows 4-12 have an obscured view and see more noise and vibration than other rows because of their close proximity to the engines. If you have a window seat, you’ll enjoy excellent views of the mountains on both sides of the aircraft in Western Canada.

The Service:

Air Canada tends to have pleasant and efficient service. As my second time on this route, I’ve had both super friendly and cold but courteous service. Either way, if there are empty seats they let people move around to get some extra space before doing final counts. Expect full beverage service, minus alcohol on short flights; the Krispy Kernels pretzels are exceptionally buttery.