We’ve been a fan of the Embraer 190 regional jets since long before we had the pleasure of flying on them. Recently we decided to take a few regional jet trips with Embraer products, so see how the experience rated.
We hopped a US Airways Express flight on an Embraer 145, and then a Jetblue Embraer 190 flight. Let’s try a rundown…
- ERJ-145 – 31″ Seat Pitch, Seat Width 17.3″ with a 2 and 1 configuration – 50 seats
- ERJ-190 – 32-33″ Seat Pitch, Seat Width 18″ with a 2 and 2 coonfiguration – 100 seats
It doesn’t seem like much, but the increased pitch of the ERJ-190 makes the difference between feeling cramped and feeling…at least comfortable. There is no rule that says because there are less seats on an aircraft…it must feel cramped. The above statistics do not speak to the feel of aircraft.
With the tendency of airlines to cram in as many seats as possible, increasing fuel costs, and the failure of passengers to pay more for more legroom in coach…cost-savings have been accomplished by reducing the size of aircraft. The aircraft manufacturers have tried to offer increased efficiency and comfort in their aircrafts as an option…one airlines will often not take.
Fortunately…especially on the newer and smaller aircraft…less seats, and thus less fuel usage can often balance out the operating costs, as Jetblue recently pointed out.