For our last leg back to Dallas, we had a quick hop up from Houston on a United Express E175. We had to race to make our connection thanks to a delayed inbound flight from New Orleans. This was one of those flights that is so boring I thought about not writing it up but, it closed out our first trip of 2024 so here we are.
Booking
This flight was the second and final leg of our trip back to Dallas after the Sugar Bowl. We misconnected due to the initial delay and went standby on this flight before getting confirmed while boarding in New Orleans.
Our routing MSY-IAH-DFW in Economy cost 17,000 MileagePlus miles plus $5.60 in taxes and fees. While it wasn’t the best use of miles, it certainly beat the cash prices leaving New Orleans after the game.
Pre-Flight
Our flight arrived into Gate C34 and we had 17 minutes to make the 19 minute (according to the United app) walk over to Gate B6. We raced off the plane, or moved as fast as a pregnant lady can, and headed for the Skyway tram.
As we waited on the train I got a text from United stating, “Take a deep breath – we’re holding your next flight for a few extra minutes.” It looked like United’s Connection Saver was helping us out today! Still moving at a brisk, but slower pace, we cruised towards the low B-Gates.
Boarding
Terminal B in Houston serves most of the United Express Flights. The high B gates feature a traditional jet bridge setup while the low B gates involve ground boarding from three different piers. All passengers wait in a large holding area until their flights are ready to board. It was no surprise that boarding was well underway by the time we made it and the agent was doing last call for DFW.
The initial checkpoint was only to access the lower level pier and we still had to walk a couple of minutes to the actual gate. The pier is very sterile and feels more like a high school gym rather than a major airline hub.
The gate agent was waving at us to come quickly and a group of about 5 of us all made our way quickly to the podium, a quick scan of our BPs and we headed out on the tarmac.
Mesa Airlines DBA United Express
UA 6080
IAH-DFW (Houston-Bush Intercontinental – Dallas/Ft. Worth International)
Seat: 23D (Economy)
EMB-175 (N87337)
Scheduled: 6:10p-7:36p
Actual: 6:12p-7:24p
With no jet bridge, we boarded via ramp. This gave me a great view of the Embraer 175 that would be shuttling us up to Dallas.
Seat
Since we were originally on standby, we had to take what was available. At least the E175 has no middle seats so we were guaranteed a window or aisle. Mrs. ATX took my Economy Plus seat, 8A, and I headed back to 23B, a standard economy seat. I didn’t get any great shots of the cabin as the plane was already full.
Legroom was on the tight side but at this point I was just happy we’d be getting home tonight. The seatback pocket was small and made of mesh. It wouldn’t hold much and, with the tight legroom, I wouldn’t have used it anyway.
After the boarding door closed, I moved across the aisle as 23C and D were both unoccupied. This allowed me to stretch out a bit.
The seat was identical to my assigned 23B and had a literature pocket and tray table located in the seatback. No seatback IFE on these regional jets but streaming entertainment and WiFi were available.
Departure
Some weather rolled in to the Houston area just as we were preparing to depart and we ended up pushing back a couple minutes behind schedule. From there, we had a 15 minute taxi out to our departure runway.
After waiting our turn, we headed down the runway and shot into the night sky for our quick flight over to DFW.
In-Flight
Due to reports of turbulence, the Captain asked that the flight attendants remain seated for the duration of the flight. With no service and no views out of the window due to clouds, I just streamed a TV show on my phone and soon we were descending into Dallas/Ft. Worth.
Arrival
45 minutes after take off, our flight touched down at a wet and rainy Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport.
We landed on the remote runway, 17L, and had a 15 minute taxi over to our arrival gate, E6. With no checked bags, we deplaned and headed straight to the curb where Mrs. ATX’s brother was waiting to pick us up.
Summary
Thanks for coming along on this quick hop from Houston to Dallas in United Express E175 Economy. The weather meant no service on this short flight but, we were just happy to be onboard. There are pros and cons to flying on a regional jet vs. mainline and while the lack of middle seats is a plus, no seatback IFE, tight seats, and small overhead bins detract from the experience.
