5 Reasons I Love Flying The Embraer E175

Totally agree I think it’s the best overall economy experience on a U.S. airline and conceding that I don’t expect good meals in first it’s the second best first class domestic experience behind the rare lay flat seats. I would also add that a smaller plane has benefits as well. Shorter boarding time that also means they start boarding later which gives me more time to get to the airport. Shorter time to retrieve your baggage at baggage claim even if you have the last bag delivered. Overall a convenient and comfortable way to travel. Can never understand why more people don’t sing it’s praises.

Fly them dozens of times a year in first class (did yesterday and will tomorrow) and always go for single seats. I agree with all of this. Plus the bathrooms are at least reasonable size unlike the CRJ-700 & -900.

Just last week I had a choice between a Delta CRJ-9 and an American 175 and I picked AA for this reason.

The legroom in first class isn’t great and actually I find the seats in the CRJ-900s on Delta mildy more comfortable because they’re softer, but the 175 is a great plane.

For a midwesterner who is always going to coasts, it’s a decent choice.

I find the windows too low relative to the seat and the seats have too little lumbar support. Apart from that, they're ok.

I like the plane too although the first class single seat windows are a bit misaligned. Great plane for upgrade chances if your a higher elite although in the case of AA upgrades are often sold at $54, which I take to get a single seat and no hoping for an upgrade drama.

And, when you have a tight connection, you wont be waiting 30 min to deplane because you are in the back of an A321 NEO.

That single FC seat is called the "throne" and I think its the best domestic first class seat out there.

Absolutely. I intentionally fly the E175 over the 737 on short-ish flights due to what you say, Ben. Not having a random neighbor next to me is generally worth the small upgrade fee. As another commenter just said, deplaning is super quick too.

Also the right two seats in the first aisle of first class are pretty awesome if traveling as a couple (even more leg room than 1A… plus two windows).

Also intentionally fly LCY when in London for a few reasons, of which is the E190s.

Also, I very rarely have to worry about getting my carry-on roller to fit in an overhead bin on the E175. Cant say that about any of the other regional jets.

Anything is better than the ERJ or CRJ which are as large as a tube of tooth paste.

Seat 1A on AA's E175 is one one my favorite seats in the sky. Nothing beats an aisle/window combo.

I 100% agree. Flew PHX to STL and back last spring on an E-175. Coach on the way over and FC on the way back. Both experiences were great. I am a nervous flyer and typically avoid any regional jet but this was our only choice. For a 3 hour flight it was great. Only "uncomfortable" moment was some unsettled weather on our PHX approach that required all including the flight crew to strap in for a few minutes (in my mind it seemed longer but wasn't in reality). Any jet that I can store my carry on in the over head and still have space under the seat, power and wifi (although old GoGo, few people were using it so worked well for me) and a bit of entertainment (AA streaming still better then any seat back IFE IMO) is a perfect for me. No more fears of flying them in the future. BTW the FC boxed lunch is quite tasty!

I couldn't agree more. I just flew on it from Austin to Reno on Sunday. 8A the first row main cabin. Crazy leg room and comfortable seat. The most comfortable 3 hour+ ride in MC. I will say I'm not a fan of 8B the aisle seat. Being at the "intersection" of FC and MC you get unlimited leg room however a high traffic area. Glad to hear they are upgrading WiFi.

The ERJ145 is actually quite comfortable on the single side or the exit row. The windows are also useable.

American keeps trying to offer me to fly across the country on one. CLT-TUL-LAX or similar.

I agree, these Embraer jets are one of my favorite planes to fly in. The only negative aspect is the very limited overhead baggage space. You can only fit standard carry-on bags laid flat because the bins are not tall enough. I am lucky to have status to be among the first to board, but the last people most likely will not find space for their carryons.

one issue: half the overhead bins are too small for hard hand luggage

I used to like this aircraft a lot more, on AA specifically, but Wi-Fi hasn't seemed to work very well in over a year. It's not even a matter of it being slow, but it's often inoperable. I know faster Wi-Fi is coming, but these days it's basically useless.

Agreed completely. The single row of First is a total dream. Boxes lunches on AEagle are usually much better than rewarmed mainline meals. Also chance of upgrade is way higher to First on AEagle flights. What’s not to like?

100% agree on every point. Plus, it's a thrill on take off because they have a very zippy feel to them.

Do you find the First Class seats on AA's E75s to be lacking back support and/or the recline function is always broken and slowly goes back? I've had some recent ones where I just felt I couldn't get any back support and sit up straight.

Amen, I prefer the Embraers even on a 4 hr flight from PDX to AUS.

Just curious, when booking a flight on American Eagle does anyone know or care which Eagle carrier is operating the flight? Does anyone notice a difference between say flying on Eagle SkyWest versus flying on Envoy?

Agree 100%. Love these planes.

I agree 100%. The Embraer E-Jets are the best flying experience in the market. It's a pity that scope clauses valid for the big American carriers don't allow the newer Embraer E-2 planes to join their fleets. They are even more comfortable, quiet and with extra-sized overhead bins. The evolution banned by stupid scope clauses!

Good article. I love flying American's Embraer 175 for the reason Ben says here -- i.e., a high percentage of first class to coach seats. Flying to/from DCA, ORD, CLT or Tampa on this product, I've had a high batting average of getting a complimentary upgrade.

Totally agree… you can always reserve a seat in premium economy, and I have never failed to be upgraded on an E175!

Great article as always.

Thank you Ben for this positive report on the EMB 175.

I came here to say this. I love the E175, but the wifi on American Eagle has been completely unusable in the past year. I spend entire flights trying to connect - and when I'm able to connect, the rest of the flight is spent trying to get my inbox to load. The wifi was never as fast as mainline, but it was always usable. I don't know what changed, but I now book away from the aircraft for business travel because I can't get any work done.

Totally agree....

I loved working on those planes back in my days. Small plane biy plane feeling. Most co.fortable seats on all single aisle planes. Only if they just had seatback screens it would be the perfect plane

Speaking of the CRJ-700, yes totally agree (been in both F and Y in them) but I was recently on a CRJ-900 (AA) for the first time, in F, and I felt like I would have been comfortable for significantly longer than the 30 minute flight I was on. The recline was crazy!! So for me that would be choice #2 behind the 170/175 series...I think I was on a JetBlue 190 once but I'm just of course so much more used to AA's fleet.

It is a joy to fly on the E-175. I have flown between ANC-SEA round trip. And from San Jose to Tucson. Would rather fly a E-175 than a 737 any day of the week.

The first time I flew, as a passenger on an Embraer jet, en route to Bali, Indonesia, I was most impressed by the fact that the plane was so quiet, much more so than any other aircraft in which I had flown. The seating was uber comfortable and the overall cabin environment was great.

American takes your carry on roller bag and checks it even though it will fit in the overhead!!!

I love the Embraer 175 as well. I took the PHL-LGA route. Because of LGA congestion, the pilot had to circle the NYC area a few times. What a treat it was to fly over Manhattan while waiting for an LGA gate to become available. Incomparable view, aisle/window seat, extremely short ride — perfect.

I have never had that happen on an Embraer 175. I always put my rollaboard in the overhead bin.

I agree E175 is comfortable, roomy, query. Yje 2-2 seats in the economy class are wide with good legroom. Much easier to load and unload
Passengers. The aisles are wide enough for a rolling bag, or carrying a briefcase. The 1-2 first class seats look great, though I have yet to ride in them. From a passenger point of view the E175 feels like a big jet. I clearly prefer the E175 to a 737 or A320 for all the reasons above. Entertainment systems are better on the mainliners, but that is an airline limitation rather than an airplane system