The Bombardier CRJ200 is infamous for being an unpleasant plane to fly on. The jets are cramped with only one lavatory, and there’s no Wi-Fi or onboard entertainment. Furthermore, the CRJ200’s overhead bins are small, and there are only 50 economy seats with no first class. This is also true of the Embraer ERJ-145, but the Embraer’s three-abreast layout means that economy passengers can snatch solo seats by the windows. Furthermore, the CRJ200’s windows are notorious for being extremely low.
The CRJ200 fills a niche that’s otherwise only served by the ERJ-145 (which is of a similar age and out of production), meaning that it’s hard to replace it. United Airlines, however, isn’t looking to retire its fleet of CRJ200s, but rather to upgrade them. The carrier has recently announced a series of upgrades to make flying aboard this jet more pleasant, and will be rebranding the planes as the CRJ450. Whereas the CRJ200 is perhaps the least favored plane in any airline’s fleet, United promises that the CRJ450 will be similar to flying on a private jet.
The New United Airlines CRJ450
As part of a major event that included the reveal of the carrier’s new Boeing 787-9 with its ‘Elevated’ cabins, as well as the interiors on the Airbus A321neo Coastliner and A321XLR, United Airlines announced the Bombardier CRJ450. The CRJ450 isn’t a new plane: rather, it’s a retrofit for existing CRJ200 aircraft, and the biggest change from the CRJ200 is its new configuration. Whereas the CRJ200 comes with 50 seats, all in economy, United’s CRJ450 will come with just 41 seats: seven in United First, 16 in Economy Plus, and 18 in economy.
The seats themselves won’t offer anything special, but they’ll be reupholstered with new seat covers that match the carrier’s latest interior design standards, first launched on the Elevated 787. More notably, the CRJ450 will include overhead bins that can fit roll-aboard bags on their side, while the United First cabin won’t feature any overhead bins. Instead, passengers will have access to a closet located at the front of the cabin, which will feature space for seven large bags.
While the CRJ450 won’t solve the window height issue, it will come with Starlink Wi-Fi, which is widely considered to be the fastest Wi-Fi service in the airline industry, and will be complimentary to MileagePlus members. United expects to begin operating the CRJ450 in the fall of 2026 and will base these planes out of Chicago O’Hare International Airport as well as Denver International Airport. The CRJ450 will be operated by SkyWest Airlines, and United expects to have 50 CRJ450s flying by 2028.
Fitting The CRJ450 Into United’s Operation
United Express is the regional sub-brand for United Airlines. Currently, there are 428 aircraft in the United Express fleet, which includes 30 CRJ200s operated by SkyWest Airlines. SkyWest is the only confirmed operator for the CRJ450, and it’s been announced that there will be at least 50 CRJ450s delivered throughout 2028. Given this information, it means that United will also have to source second-hand CRJ200s from other operators for the conversions.
While United Airlines has only 30 CRJ200s, the carrier also operates 59 CommutAir-operated Embraer ERJ-145s, which are configured in a similar 50-seat all-economy layout and are of a similar age as the CRJ200s. It’s unclear how United will address the challenges associated with these planes, as they will now offer the least premium onboard experience of any United aircraft and will be the only single-class planes in its fleet once the CRJ450 conversions are done.
Currently, the United Express fleet includes 172 50-seat aircraft, of which 83 are two-class Bombardier CRJ550s operated by GoJet Airlines and SkyWest. The carrier is actively removing 69-seat Embraer E170s and Bombardier CRJ700s (which are to be converted into CRJ550s), and it also currently operates 246 Embraer E175s. 153 of these feature the standard 76-seat configuration. Meanwhile, the remaining 93 E175s are configured with only 70 seats, as United Express can only have 153 76-seat aircraft.
Where Can You Fly On United Express’ CRJ550s From Newark?
The premium regional jet is deployed on shorter routes from Newark.
The Benefits Of The Bombardier CRJ450
The CRJ450 offers a significantly improved onboard experience compared to the Bombardier CRJ200, which will boost United’s image. Customers in smaller communities will then be incentivized to choose United over other carriers. When speaking with reporters at the carrier’s Elevate event in Los Angeles on March 24, United Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer Andrew Nocella stated that
“You’re going to realize that an aircraft today that is not our customers’ favorite (…) for all the reasons you’d know (…) is suddenly going to be transformed into a private jet experience, and be an amazing flight from smaller communities.”
However, while the CRJ450 is being advertised as an upgrade for small communities, the benefits are more for United’s network as a whole. With this, United will have even more dual-class regional aircraft, with the 50-seat ERJ-145s being the only single-class aircraft left. United has already been working to replace single-class regional jets with the CRJ550, which has 50 seats in a two-class layout. However, it’s likely that the carrier is having difficulty with sourcing more planes for CRJ550 conversion, which is driving the CRJ450 program.
The CRJ200 already has a higher cost-per-seat than almost any other aircraft in United’s fleet, and by going from 50 to 41 seats, the issue will only be worse for the CRJ450. However, with seven United First seats and 16 Economy Plus seats, the CRJ450 will earn more revenue per seat than the CRJ200, which makes the program more appealing. The timing also lines up with a general increase in premium demand within the US, and United is investing heavily in premium products across its fleet.
Similarities To The Bombardier CRJ550
The Bombardier CRJ550 is similar to the CRJ450 in that it is a conversion of an existing type (in this case, the Bombardier CRJ700). While the CRJ450’s configuration still falls within the same 50-seat category as the CRJ200, the CRJ550 program is a conversion of a 70-seat aircraft into a 50-seat aircraft. This necessitated a lower maximum takeoff weight, since scope clauses dictate capacity and weight, which meant that the CRJ550 needed to be certified as a separate variant. The CRJ450, with fewer modifications, might not require the same.
The CRJ550 has an extremely premium layout consisting of ten United First seats, 20 Economy Plus seats, and 20 economy seats. To make use of the available floor space, the aircraft also has large closets and a snack bar. It has largely solved United’s issues with its 50-seater jets, as the CRJ200 and ERJ-145 are old types with no direct replacement that are disliked by passengers and earn little revenue due to their all-economy layout. The CR550, on the other hand, is popular with passengers.
United Express Regional Jets (Per aeroLOPA) | United First | Economy Plus | Economy | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Bombardier CRJ200 | N/A | N/A | 50 | 50 |
Bombardier CRJ450 | Seven | 16 | 18 | 41 |
Bombardier CRJ550 | 10 | 20 | 20 | 50 |
Bombardier CRJ700 | Six | 16 | 48 | 70 |
Embraer ERJ-145 | N/A | Six | 44 | 50 |
Embraer E170 | Six | 16 | 48 | 70 |
Embraer E175 (V1) | 12 | 32 | 26 | 70 |
Embraer E175 (V2) | 12 | 16 | 48 | 76 |
United has experienced great success with the CRJ550 since it began operating the type in 2019, and it has since deployed it in its most competitive hubs to ensure that as many of its flights offer premium seating options. However, since all CRJ550s are converted from CRJ700s, the supply is becoming more limited for United. The CRJ450 essentially offers all of the same benefits as the CRJ550, and this will allow United to further shrink the number of single-class regional jets in its fleet.
Where Can You Fly On United Express’ CRJ200s From Houston?
The aircraft is deployed on nearly 20 routes from the Texas hub this month.
What Are United’s Competitors Doing?
United Airlines has consistently been targeting 
Delta Air Lines as a benchmark since the COVID-19 pandemic, as Delta has been tremendously successful in branding itself as the US’s number one premium airline. In the regional space, however, Delta isn’t growing its regional jet fleet like United. The only 50-seat aircraft under the Delta Connection brand are 14 CRJ550s operated by SkyWest, which are flown at-risk on Essential Air Service routes.
Delta’s scope clauses permit the carrier to operate many more 76-seat regional jets than United, as the Atlanta-based carrier operates the Airbus A220 and Boeing 717, which are small narrowbodies that permit Delta Connection to add 76-seat jets. United Airlines, on the other hand, does not operate any small narrowbodies and is therefore more restricted on its 76-seat fleet.
Airline | Narrowbody Aircraft Types Operated |
|---|---|
American Airlines | Airbus A320 (A319-100, A320-200, A321-200, A321neo, A321XLR) Boeing 737 (737-800, 737 MAX 8) |
Delta Air Lines | Airbus A220 (A220-100, A220-300) Airbus A320 (A319-100, A320-200, A321-200, A321neo) Boeing 717 (717-200) Boeing 737 (737-800, 737-900ER) Boeing 757 (757-200, 757-300) |
United Airlines | Airbus A320 (A319-100, A320-200, A321neo) Boeing 737 (737-700, 737-800, 737-900, 737-900ER, 737 MAX 8, 737 MAX 9) Boeing 757 (757-200, 757-300) |
American Airlines has the least restrictive scope clauses out of the three legacy carriers, and its regional fleet is therefore the largest, at over 500 aircraft. It operates a large fleet of 67 Embraer ERJ-145s, as well as large fleets of Embraer E170s, E175s, Bombardier CRJ700s, and CRJ900s, with larger fleets of E170s and CRJ700s than its competitors. By 2030, American plans to retire all ERJ-145s, which will primarily be replaced by E175s. In addition, American is actively acquiring used CRJ900s.
