The steep feeling in the CRJ's is somewhat of an illusion for the most part. It is the same initial climb as bigger Boeing jets but you notice it more because you are in a smaller plane. Also, prop planes don't climb at such an angle. While I don't know the specifics, there also could be a noise abatement issue specifying that planes climb at their maximum climb specs (similar to John Wayne airport in Orange County, CA).

The Key West runway is about at the operating edge for a CRJ 700 both in length and width and very unforgiving to error. The bottom line is that the plane needs the entire runway to stop so there is going to be some hard braking.

A hard landing isn't the bad thing that most people assume. When it is raining, pilots land a bit hard to prevent hydroplaning and force the wheel contact with the asphalt. When the winds are gusty, you can't glide in smooth. Plus, you only have one runway so fighting crosswinds is a factor.

A pilot's priority is to get it lined up and get the wheels on the ground, and get it stopped. Don't worry ... the planes are build to withsand all of this and more.

The "bumpy runway" effect was probably more a result of speed. It magnified the uneven spots in the runway. Remember, Key West airport was never designed for any any form of jet aircraft.

The CRJ's are very quiet. They are a real win-win and airlines are buying them to replace similar capacity prop planes as the prop's get retired. They are opening up non-stop longer range service to communities that have the demand but don't have an airport with 7000+ feet of runway.

I wouldn't think twice about flying in as far as saftey. If you want a real thrill, fly a full size jet into Burbank, CA where the approach is unusually steep because of noise abatement combined with a pretty short runway. Bringing a CRJ into Key West is child's play compared to that!

Now you all have me wanting to plan a winter getaway to Key West!