^^^

I actually PREFER the small planes. Get on a 737, and they cram you in like sardines in a Spam can.

The seats on a Dash-8 turboprop (I took the EWR-IAD shuttle semi-regularly which was a Dash-8 about 50% of the time) are actually more comfy than tourist class on most larger planes. Even better, an ERJ-135/145 doesn't have much headroom, but you get one seat on the left side of the aisle. If you get the "A" seat, no chance of a lard-butt stank-arse seatmate, and you can stretch your feet into the aisle when the drinks cart isn't passing. The only "small" jets I don't like are the Canadairs, which seem to have an odd curve to the cabin that limits shoulder room with a window seat.

Checked luggage? What's that? A laptop bag (aka murse aka personal item) and a frameless ALICE pack fit the requirements for carry-on, and have generally fit enough "stuff" for even a month-long trip to Europe -- including my cousin's wedding in London

The only time I checked a bag in the last few years was when I was flying cross-country to renovate a rental condo and had a large duffel bag full of power tools that weighed exactly 49.5 lb.