Loganair has a strong presence at Norwich (NWI), and is the airport's only carrier to serve multiple destinations on a year-round basis. Two of these link East Anglia with cities in Loganair's Scottish homeland, namely Edinburgh and Aberdeen. Yesterday, I flew to the former on one of its Embraer ERJ145s, which turned out to be a very pleasant experience.

The flight in question

Loganair flies directly from Norwich to Edinburgh six days a week, with Saturday being the only day without a service. The bulk of these departures are afternoon or evening flights numbered as LM307, but Monday sees a much earlier start. LM301 has a scheduled departure time of 08:05, with arrival in Edinburgh (EDI) coming 70 minutes later at 09:15.

Owing to Norwich's comparatively isolated location in the east of England, flying is the only viable option on this route for time-sensitive passengers. While traveling to Edinburgh by rail requires just a single change in Peterborough, it typically takes between five-and-a-half and six-and-a-half hours. Let's see how my Loganair experience panned out.

Norwich Airport
Norwich has direct connections to Edinburgh six days a week. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

At the airport

My day got off to a pricey start, owing to a combination of factors. Firstly, the first bus from the city center to the airport on weekdays only arrives at 07:10. While Norwich is a small airport, this would have been cutting it too fine due to roadworks en route. As such, I had to take a taxi, although, in fairness, this was reasonably priced considering the early start.

Having reached the terminal at 06:15, my card took another hit as I had to pay the £10 ($13.79) Airport Development Fee. This is mandatory for departing passengers aged 16 and above. According to the airport, it helps "fund further development of the airport's infrastructure and passenger facilities and to maintain and develop the airport's route network."

Passengers can normally pay this fee online, but the website where this happens is having an upgrade. As such, the machines in the terminal are currently the only option.

Norwich Airport
Norwich's departure lounge is adjacent to its four gates. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

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A nice surprise

Loganair is a rarity in the UK in that it allows all passengers to bring checked baggage. Despite booking a ticket in the lowest 'Fly' tariff, I was entitled to 15 kg of hold luggage, meaning that, for the first time in goodness knows how long, I checked in in person.

As it happened, doing so reaped its rewards. I had initially paid £6 ($8.27) to select a place on the single-seat 'A' side of the Embraer ERJ145. However, upon checking in, I was kindly offered the chance to switch from 5A to extra legroom exit row seat 11A for no extra cost. Selecting this seat when booking typically costs £9 ($12.41), so this was a lovely surprise.

LM301 Map
We were ultimately in the air for just 52 minutes. Image: RadarBox.com

Getting onboard

Having promptly cleared security, Norwich's departure lounge was very quiet when I first arrived. However, it slowly began to fill up for the morning rush, if indeed you can call three flights in 85 minutes a rush. After our 08:05 departure, there was also Loganair flight LM11 to Aberdeen (08:35), and KLM Cityhopper flight KL1516 to Amsterdam (09:30).

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Boarding began as advertised at 07:35, with passengers from the rear five rows (14-18) of the 49-seat Embraer ERJ145 invited to board first. Following this, all remaining passengers were called to the gate. The lightly-loaded flight (I would estimate less than half-full) was ready to go five minutes before its scheduled departure time, and we pushed back at 08:00.

Following a short taxi to the eastern end of Norwich's 1,841-meter long runway 27, we made a spirited takeoff into the blue Norfolk skies at 08:09. Turning right after departure, we set a north-westerly course that was maintained for the majority of the flight.

Loganair Extra Legroom
The extra legroom of the ERJ145's exit row was a welcome treat. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

Onboard service

Having recently flown from England to Scotland on British Airways' London Heathrow-Glasgow route, I was interested to see how Loganair's onboard service would compare. On the whole, I found that the lightly-loaded nature of the flight was conducive to a more personal level of service, even if the refreshments served were similar to those on BA.

Much like the UK flag carrier, Loganair offers passengers a complimentary drink and snack. However, Scotland's airline offered more choice, with two snack options (shortbread and a caramel wafer) and three drinks (tea, coffee, and water) to choose from. I opted for water and a caramel wafer, which were served alongside a smart Loganair branded napkin.

Loganair Onboard Service
While LM301 was a short flight, there was more than enough time for a drink and snack to be served. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

The aircraft

Data from RadarBox.com shows that the Embraer ERJ145 has operated every iteration of Loganair flight LM301 since it began in July 2021. According to ch-aviation.com, Embraer has 13 examples of this rear-engined regional jet in its fleet, alongside three smaller ERJ135s. The example that I flew on yesterday bore the registration G-SAJJ.

Named Clan Logan, this 49-seater is specifically an example of the ERJ145EP. This shares the ERJ145ER's fuel capacity, but has a higher maximum takeoff weight of 20,990 kg. It is now 22.36 years old, having entered service with flybmi as G-RJXB in June 1999. Loganair acquired it in March 2019, by which time it had accrued 33,812.7 flight hours.

BMI Embraer ERJ145
G-SAJJ began life at British Midland Regional, later stylized as flybmi. Photo: Alan Wilson via Flickr

While, internally, there were a few cosmetic signs of G-SAJJ showing its age, it made for a comfortable aircraft. While I benefited from being placed in an exit row, my seat excelled in more than just legroom. It was thicker than the slender seats that have become common on modern planes, meaning that getting an older aircraft isn't always a bad thing.

An early arrival

After cruising northwest at 32,000 feet, we began our descent into Edinburgh near Newcastle. Our flight made a picturesque approach in the morning sun, passing over the island of Inchkeith in the Firth of Forth. With Edinburgh on our left as we approached the airport, my side of the plane had a beautiful view of Arthur's Seat and the city as a whole.

Loganair Embraer ERJ145
We arrived on stand in Edinburgh nine minutes early. Photo: Jake Hardiman | Simple Flying

Touchdown on Edinburgh's 2,556-meter long runway 24 took place at 09:01. After a quick five-minute taxi, during which a British Airways Airbus A321 arrived from London Heathrow, we arrived on stand nine minutes ahead of schedule at 09:06.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by my experience on Loganair's Embraer ERJ145. While the flight wasn't very busy, the aircraft's 2-1 configuration means that passengers in the A seats can still enjoy their own space regardless of the occupancy levels. The free hold luggage and refreshments, as well as, of course, the move to an exit row, were the icing on the cake of what was a punctual and friendly service that I wouldn't hesitate to use again.

What do you make of Loganair's Embraer ERJ145s? Have you ever flown on the Norwich-Edinburgh route? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!