Silver Airways 66

Good day Phlight Followers and welcome back. On today's review, I will be describing my experience on Silver Airways flight 66 from Fort Lauderdale up to Orlando.

Check-in:

Silver Airways operates out of Terminal 1 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL). Once inside the terminal, check-in counters are situated to the left of security screening, in between United Airlines and bahamasair counters. I was initially a bit concerned noticing the length of passenger queues, but quickly realized only two people were lined up for Silver Airways. After providing my ID, the ticketing agent looked up my information and printed my boarding pass.

Security:

I am privileged enough to have a membership with CLEAR through one of my credit cards, which made security quite simple. Honestly, each time I am escorted by one of the CLEAR agents to the very front of the TSA pre-check lines, I feel a bit rude.

Terminal 1, Air-side:

After passing security, a handful of restaurants, shops, and a couple of bathrooms occupy the main promenade of Terminal 1. This part of the terminal offers some nice views overlooking the apron in between the two halves of this 18 gate terminal; B1-B9 to the right and C1-C9 to the left. Southwest operates out of the B gates, while United, Frontier, and Silver Airways operate out of C gates. Each wing of Terminal 1 (B & C) house a number of additional restaurants and shops, so don't worry if the restaurants immediately after security do not look appetizing.

C gates:

Each time I have flown into or out of FLL, it has been a zoo. As I have never flown out of E, F, G, or H gates, I can only hope those terminals have a bit more elbow room. The C gates of Terminal 1 have seen better days. The windows looked as if they had been accumulating dirt, grime, bird poop, palm fronds, dead bugs, and whatever else floats around in the South Florida air for years. As an avgeek, air-side windows are something I look forward to at different airports, so this was a bit of a drag. Silver Airways was boarding a flight to the Bahamas out of the same gate my flight was using, which resulted in a slight delay for my scheduled flight. I ended up walking the terminal end-to-end a few times to pass the time. 

As briefly mentioned earlier, the notable difference between boarding aircraft parked directly at a gate and those parked off the main apron is ground boarding. For avgeeks, this is certainly a highlight of any flight, regardless of the aircraft or location. It is not an everyday experience to observe modern passenger aircraft airside with no glass windows or other distractions interfering, let alone the increased jet fuel aroma. Luckily, today wasn't as hot or humid as south Florida can be, so I enjoyed being able to stand on the tarmac and watch aircraft depart and taxi by for the 10 minute wait before I boarded.

Like the gate agents, boarding was a bit hectic as passengers tried to situate themselves, although this process really isn't straightforward on any flight. Adding to that chaos, there seemed to be an increase in passengers not sitting in their assigned seats. This minor indiscretion is a pet peeve of mine. To those guilty of this act, please just find your assigned seat and wait until the doors are sealed before playing musical chairs throughout the cabin. Eventually, all were onboard and accounted for. A quick announcement from the lead FA ensured us that the rising heat from 63 more bodies inside of the cabin would be alleviated once we took off. Perhaps as a gesture of good faith, or simply compassion, she handed out small water bottles to the rear cabin where I was seated. Maybe I missed it, but I don't recall seeing passengers in rows 1-15 receiving any water. 

Once I situated myself, it was time to explore my surroundings. The seats themselves were fairly comfortable in terms of support. Leg room was quite restricted. Even though this flight is scheduled for only 45 minutes, they would be a stoic three quarters of an hour. For reference, I am six feet four inches. When documenting leg room, I always sit with my lower back and butt firmly against the lumbar section of the seat to ensure some degree of consistency between flights and prevent any bias. Below the hardened surface of the chest-level seatback is usually where you will find a pocket that holds the safety card and airsickness bag. On these seats, there is a pocket, but rather than snapping back into place by a spring-like or elastic mechanism found on other seats, the pockets on Silver Airways ATR 72s are closed by Velcro. I didn't bother opening this pocket though, so I really can't guarantee it is a pocket. Regardless of this oddity, a tray table is provided. As one may expect, the table is on the smaller side due to size constraints of the aircraft, but this table is suitable for holding a drink and a snack. Had I been forced to open up my laptop and get work done, my lengthy arms probably wouldn't allow for using this tray table to set my computer on.

The cabin is in a 2-2 layout from front to back with no first or premium class offered. The overhead bins and interior colors match that of most airlines, with the exception of the pink velcro covers atop each seat. As it was hot inside of the cabin, I had the personal air vent opened for the entirety of the flight. Not once did air blow out of this vent that I would consider cooled.

Am I imagining the air flow from these vents used to be much stronger in older aircraft?

One of the common complaints many people have with respect to turboprop planes is the noise. I realized we were mid-flight and I hadn't experienced any obnoxiously loud nosies coming from the engine or throughout the cabin. To get some quantifiable data on the actual noise levels, I made use of the decibel meter on my Apple Watch. At a modest 70 decibels (similar to a washing machine), this was well within the range of noise levels observed on other, more prevalent aircraft like the Boeing 737 or Airbus A320 families. Perhaps other passenger impressions are more focussed on noise levels outside of turboprops.

Air Quality:

Basic stats:

I made use of my Atmo Tube Pro on this flight to see if there would be any difference in terms of pollutants, temperature, and humidity during this flight compared to jet engine aircraft. My internal body thermometer was pretty accurate when assessing the change in cabin temperature. Dropping a modest 1-2 degrees (°C), I would consider this a somewhat irrelevant decrease in temperature when it comes to cabin comfort, especially knowing that we started above 30°C. I found it somewhat interesting that the humidity level only dropped to around 25%, which is a much more comfortable environment than one you would find in a jet. However, I am not well-versed in cabin air quality metrics to definitively state that turboprop cabins are kept at a more comfortable humidity. Had we continued to maintain a cruising altitude of 18,000 feet, I would expect the humidity would continue to decline and reach similar levels found on other aircraft at similar altitudes.

In-depth air analyses:

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs):
One other feature of the Atmo Tube Pro is its ability to measure airborne pollutants. One category of these pollutants is referred to as VOCs, which some people encounter more often than others depending on their occupation. By definition, VOCs are organic chemical compounds whose composition makes it possible for them to evaporate under normal indoor atmospheric conditions of temperatures and pressure. VOCs are somewhat unavoidable today as they are found in a number of different household products and encompass a number of different chemical classes; aerosol sprays (terpenes, ketones, and aromatic hydrocarbons), cleansers and disinfectants (aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbons, organochlorides, and esters), as well as more industrial products such as paint or wood preservatives (aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, alcohols, and aldehydes). Because of the variation in volatitily of VOCs (determined by their chemical composition), they are traditionally measured in parts per million (PPM), where a value closer to 0 would indicate less VOCs. The Atmo Tube Pro can measure down to the thousandths PPM (≥0.000) and classifies VOCs into five categories based on the PPM detected. While waiting to board outside the aircraft, VOCs reached a peak of 0.425 PPM with a background fluctuating between 0.253 - 0.300 PPM. Once we were airborne, VOCs fluctuated throughout the flight between 0.342-0.439 PPM. This PPM range corresponds with a moderate air quality score and falls within the second lowest range of the Atmo Tube Pro (0.3-1.0).

Particulate matter (PM):
The Atmo Tube Pro can measure particulates in the air on a micron scale. What this means, is that the device can measure the number of coarse dust particles in the air with a diameter less than or equal to 10 microns all the way down to inhalable PM less than 1 micron in diameter. To put this into perspective, human hair is approximately 300 microns in width. Thus, the Atmo Tube Pro can effectively measure air contaminants 3,000 times thinner than the width of your hair. During this flight on Silver Airways, the air quality based on PM around my seat was good for the entirety of the journey. Not once did the Atmo Tube Pro pick up enough particles, in any size category, that bumped the score from good to moderate. We consistently stayed below 10 ppm; the US EPA cutoff for "Good" air ranges from 0-54 micrograms of 10 ppm PM per meter cubed. It wasn't until we began our descent that that PM began to increase. I haven't put enough time into considering why the observed increase in PM occurred as we began our descent. Either way, the PM remained within the "Good" range for the entirety of the flight.

Compared to ultra-low-cost carriers, Silver Airways does not charge pax extra for a personal item that fits under the passenger seat or one carry-on item that fits in the overhead compartment. If you plan to travel lightly for a vacation or work trip using Silver Airways, I encourage you to check out their website for more information about acceptable sizes of personal items and carry-ons (Silver Airways baggage policy). Note that the overhead bins on the ATR are slightly smaller than those on other regional aircraft, so make sure your carry-on fits within the specified dimensions. If it doesn't, it will be checked at the gate for free.

Regarding traditional forms of checked luggage, the airline has standard weight and size restrictions: each bag can weigh a maximum of 50 pounds (23 kg) and have a maximum outside dimension of 62 inches (157 cm). Fees for checking bags vary by route, but expect to pay between $30-39 for the first bag and $40-44 for a second bag when booking online ahead of time.

When I purchased my ticket for $86.50, I thought it was a good deal. However, I have since discovered that you can score the same ticket for $49. Would this fare make sense for someone who commutes regularly between the two cities? It depends on your specific circumstances. Both flying and driving require preparation before departure. For flying, this might include checking in, going through security, and boarding the plane. For driving, this might include checking traffic and weather conditions, and ensuring the vehicle is in good condition. If you drove from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando, the journey could take about three hours and add over 200 miles to your car's odometer. However, the three hours in the car doesn't account for fueling up, traffic, or miscellaneous stops along the way. Knowing the flight only takes 45-60 minutes in the air makes it an appealing alternative. Keep in mind that getting yourself to the origin airport with enough time before the scheduled departure and finding a ride or shuttle from the destination's airport to your hotel or meeting may end up taking the same amount of time as driving yourself.

Summary

At $0.48/mile, this was a reasonably priced flight. The flight was uneventful and the sole purpose in purchasing the fare was accomplished; passengers arrived at their final destination unharmed and on time. Will I fly with Silver in the future? There's no reason I would say no at the moment. However, if I were given the option between a favorite legacy carrier and Silver Airways for the same route at the same price, I'd opt for the legacy carrier. 

Silver Airways currently has a couple of things going for them that you won't find on a more traditional carrier, which would make the justification to fly American, Delta, or United that much harder if tickets were similarly priced. 

• Boarding occurs on the tarmac, which makes any avgeeks day.

• No other airline in the USA operates ATRs configured for passenger service. Flying on smaller aircraft can also end up feeling slightly more exclusive when the pax load is low.

Small improvements can be made to make the decision to fly Silver more convincing, even if that means slightly raising fares. Some passengers find the exclusivity and uniqueness associated with flying smaller aircraft and airlines more important when deciding who to fly with next.

• It is understandable that in-flight snack or beverage services cannot reasonably or safely happen on such short flights; this is especially true in the US south and Caribbean where subtropical weather systems are more frequent and can toss a smaller plane around more noticeably. Silver Airways might want to consider placing one small bottle of water at each seat prior to pax boarding, especially on warm and humid days. 

• My second recommendation stems from a "complaint" I admit is entirely trivial, and I understand the consistency and redundancy benefits of doing so. With that being said, hire a new voice actor to read the pre- and post-flight scripts. Today's popular AI assistants have more emotion and tone fluctuations than the woman who read the Silver Airways scripts.

• Like snack or beverage service, in-flight entertainment and Wi-Fi are not necessary on a short flight either. For avgeeks, a seat at the window is often more than enough entertainment to make a one hour flight fly by. However, where did all of the in-flight airline published magazines go in the last decade? It would be very unique and informative if Silver Airways produced a small magazine (maybe the size of five brochures or 20 pages in total) documenting their history and future plans. 

Overall, nothing from this flight with Silver Airways would prevent me from rebooking a similar flight in the future. From the time each turboprop spooled up to the final taxi and parking in Orlando, my flight was acceptably average. The staff on the ground were all professional and courteous, and the flight crew was welcoming as they safely brought us north from Fort Lauderdale to Orlando. 

Thanks for reading.

As always, C'ya.