Across the US, single-class 50-seater regional aircraft are on the way out.
None of the major US airlines have orders these types anymore while United and American have
continued to draw down those jets in more premium markets. Delta, meanwhile, has set
an end date for all CRJ200 operations in just over two years. Here’s a look at what’s to come.
With the 50-seater regional jet in decline, we can see that the planes are ending services for one
big reason: These jets are generally undesired by passengers due to their lack of premium product.
The difference is pretty jarring for a customer connecting off a United Polaris or American
Flagship Business product down to a CRJ200 or ERJ145 for their connection out of New York.
For the big three US airlines, none of these jets offer a premium cabin. The most a passenger can
expect are a few extra-legroom economy seats for sale. Considering this, the move to larger
jets would offer more capacity and space for more premium cabins- which, of course,
means more revenue-generating premium customers. Looking at how these aircraft featured in US
fleets at the start of 2021, we can see that American had 8 Embraer ERJ140s and 114 ERJ145s.
Meanwhile, Delta had 45 CRJ200s and United had 133 CRJ200s and 168 ERJ145s.
American and Delta have made sizable reductions in their 50-seater fleet,
with Delta planning to end all CRJ200 flying by the end of 2023. At that point, the carrier
will have no all-economy 50-seater jets flying in the United States, assuming those plans go ahead.
United is also planning a massive move away from the 50-seaters.
By 2026, as part of the airline’s plan to increase gauge across the country and unlock the power of
its hubs, it will retire over 200 all-economy 50-seater regional jets. So what’s next?
The big three have all turned to larger regional aircraft in recent years. This includes the
Embraer E170 and E175 and, to some extent, the former Bombardier CRJ family, including the
CRJ900. On many routes, especially those flying out of New York or Washington D.C., the E175 or
CRJ900 will be vastly preferred by most customers. Thinking about smaller destinations in the US,
like Rochester (Minnesota), Grand Forks (North Dakota), Cody (Wyoming),
the all-economy 50-seaters will live on, with both American and United. However,
it’s more of repositioning with a reduction in the number of jets, which will continue to fly
to small destinations where a mainline jet would not work and where premium demand may be lacking.
Routes served by Delta’s CRJ200 might be dropped or might instead see a larger Embraer E-jet
or CRJ aircraft with a first class cabin. United customers may still find themselves
on 50-seater aircraft out of key markets like Newark. However, it will be on the airline’s
upgraded CRJ550 regional jet. These are still 50-seaters. However, they have a very premium
footprint with a dedicated first class cabin and room for carry-on baggage for every customer.
By and large, more customers who formerly flew on a CRJ200 or ERJ145 may find themselves on a
larger regional jet. Some lucky customers may even find their regional service upgraded to
mainline operations, featuring larger aircraft. It should be noted that in the US, airlines can’t
fly an unlimited number of the larger ERJ175s or CRJ900s. Scope clauses with pilots govern how many
of these planes can fly under the regional brand. So, unless there is a wide scale of renegotiation,
airlines will have to put some mainline capacity on routes formerly flown by regional jets.
Perhaps we could see Delta taking the Airbus A220 and putting them into service on former E175 or
CRJ900 routes, thereby freeing up the planes to cover the lost capacity from the 50-seater
aircraft. A similar story could play out at United and American with small jets like the Airbus A319.
At the end of the day, all-economy 50-seaters are on their way out.
This will be a net positive for passengers- especially those wanting higher levels of service.
Therefore, its worth keeping an eye out to see exactly how
airlines replace those small jets and continue to serve their destinations.
Are you glad to see 50-seaters on their way out? Let us know in the comments!