ATR 72-600 vs Dash 8 Q400

The ATR 72-600 and De Havilland Dash 8 Q400 are the two 70-plus-seat turboprops of the last two decades, and they embody a straightforward trade: the ATR is cheaper to fly, the Q400 is faster. The ATR 72-600, in production since 2011 as the current version of a 1989 design, seats 70 to 78, cruises at about 275 knots on two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127M engines of 2,750 shaft horsepower, and is the best-selling regional turboprop in the world, with more than a thousand ATR 72s delivered. The Q400, built in Toronto from 2000 to 2022, seats 78 to 90, cruises at around 360 knots on PW150A engines of 5,071 shp, and was designed to match regional-jet block times on sectors of up to about 500 miles.

Speed costs fuel. The Q400's bigger engines burn roughly a third more than the ATR's, so the ATR 72 has lower trip costs and usually lower costs per seat on short routes, which is why it dominates in Europe, Asia and the islands, where sectors are an hour or less. The Q400 made its case on longer regional routes, at Horizon Air, Porter, Flybe, Qantaslink and WestJet Encore, where its speed let one aircraft fly an extra rotation a day. Its production ended when De Havilland Canada paused the line in 2022; ATR continues to build and has added a short-field ATR 42-600S and freighter versions.

Passenger experience

Both are 2-2 turboprops with narrow seats about 17 inches wide and small overhead bins, but the Q400 has a longer, slightly higher cabin and an active noise and vibration suppression system that keeps it quieter than most turboprops; the ATR 72-600's new cabin has larger bins and improved lining, but it remains the noisier of the two near the propellers. The ATR boards through the rear door, so the front rows are furthest from the noise and the last to deplane; the Q400 boards at the front like a jet. For the best seat on an ATR, pick a window behind the wing; on a Q400, forward of the propellers in the first few rows. Both fly low through weather, so expect more bumps than on a jet.

Which to choose

Airlines chose by route length: an hour or less favoured the ATR, longer favoured the Q400. With the Q400 no longer in production, the ATR 72-600 has the market to itself, and airlines retiring Q400s are increasingly replacing them with ATRs or small jets. For passengers the Q400 is the quieter, faster ride; the ATR is the one you are more likely to be on.