United Airlines saw great success with the introduction of the CRJ550, adding a more premium experience on its regional fleet. The company now aims to repeat that passenger experience win with the conversion of its CRJ200s to the CRJ450, a new cabin layout that will add first class seats and inflight internet service to the planes.
We are hoping this aircraft can be a game-changer in the smallest of communities we fly by offering premium service and connecting those small communities through our global network with a consistent experience. – Andrew Nocella, United Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer
The CRJ450 will drop from the current 50 seats on board to 41, including seven first class and 34 economy class seats, including some Economy Plus. This represents an 18% drop in capacity on the smaller jets, similar to the CRJ550 conversion. It also opens up the opportunity to bring first class seats into more markets, just like the CRJ550s. And, as a two-class aircraft, United will add the CRJ450s to its Starlink deployment plan.
Much like the CRJ550, the CRJ450 will include a closet on board for stowing bags. This will be critical for first class passengers, as the overhead bins will be removed from the front of the aircraft to provide a more open and premium feel. The aircraft will also see the economy class bins replaced with a larger design that can accommodate full size carry-on bags. Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella suggests the redesigned plane will have capacity for about 33 bags, roughly 75% load factor, with the updated layout.
Read more: Coastliner, A321XLR to Boost United’s Premium Offerings
The aircraft will be operated by SkyWest under a contract that extends into the 2030s. They are expected to primarily serve routes from United’s Chicago and Denver hubs, similar to the current schedule. A small number of routes from Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco also see the CRJ200 today.
United plans to convert the full fleet of CRJ200s to the CRJ450 design as part of this program, stretching to more than 70 aircraft. The ERJ145s will not be modified and, for now, will remain in the fleet as the carrier’s only single-cabin plane, with 50 seats on board (and no inflight Wi-Fi service).
Bringing premium seats to more and smaller markets no doubt is compelling for United. But the CRJs operate with a relatively high trip cost. Removing seats exacerbates that challenge. But United also has scant few options for replacing the aircraft today. The only new-production option for regional jets would be more E175s. Bringing those online runs into pilot union “scope clause” limits, so United must continue to be creative about its regional fleet choices.
Read more: Delta Confirms Mini-Suite Retrofit for A330ceo Fleet
And the carrier certainly wants more premium traffic flowing through its network. After all, those are the fares that drive profits, and which are more likely to weather the occasional fuel price spike.
The reduced capacity layout of a larger frame is not a new concept in the airline industry. Bombardier previously produced the CRJ705 for Air Canada, based on the CRJ900 frame. Much like the CRJ550 layout the seating capacity is reduced to comply with pilot scope clause rules that preclude the operation of larger regional jets by non-mainline crew. Similarly, the Embraer ERJ-140 was a 44 seat version of the ERJ-145 (50-seater) produced specifically for American Airlines. And, of course, the more recent launch of the CRJ550 for United, converting a CRJ700 to a 50-seat layout.
The CRJ450 launch is just half of the story this week. United Airlines also announced new cabin layouts for its A321neo “Coastliner” and A321XLR types, with both set to join the fleet later this year.
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