What is the difference between flying in a small plane vs. a large plane?

Question

I'm pretty new to flying...I've only made two round-trip flights in my life...both were on Boeing 777's. I'm thinking of taking a trip, and the only non-stop flight I've found is on an Embraer RJ135. OMG....what a small plane!!!

I'm wondering about the difference in:

1) Turbulence

2) Taking off/landing experience

3) General movement of the plane

The other option is a flight with 1 stop that's on a Boeing 717. Obviously, I'd rather save the 3.5 hours, but does a 717 feel "safer"? Thanks for your help!

Answer 1

Turbulence:  It's not that noticeably different.  Or, at least, weather has a lot more to do with turbulence than aircraft size.

T.O./Landing experience:  Not really all that noticeable.  The 757 and 727 felt more "powerful" at takeoff than others, in my opinion.

General movement of the plane:  Bigger planes are often more "sluggish" to control.  Kind of like the difference between driving a car and a boat.

In general, on an RJ you may be a little less comfortable (but I'm 6'2"/183cm and do fine) and you won't have a TV.  Other than that, it's about the same.

Answer 2

bigger planes have bigger engines so the smaller the plane the fast you should arrive because they also hold less people

Answer 3

The RJ135 will definitely feel smaller and more cramped compared to the 777.  But The RJ135 is perfectly safe.  It is a jet and not a turboprop so that it can fly higher and above the clouds.  

The aircraft is relatively stable and the plane should be relatively quiet compared to a turboprop.  The engines are not as powerful as the 777 but they are good enough to get you to where you need to go and to keep the aircraft in the sky.

My opinion is if you can get a non-stop flight, go for it.  Too many things can happen if you have a connection; such as delays or mishandled baggage.