First Look: Inside United’s CRJ-550 Regional Jet

United’s new CRJ-550 enters regular passenger service on Sunday, and AirlineGeeks was invited to take a look at the airplane before its inaugural run. The reconfigured CRJ-700 is a stark departure from the regional jets of the past with comfortable seating and passenger-friendly amenities.

United touts the 550 as, “the world’s only 50-seat regional aircraft to offer true first-class seating and other premium amenities.”

Stepping onboard United’s CRJ-550 (Photo: Dylan Oakes)

Boarding the CRJ-550 passengers can immediately tell, this isn’t your standard regional jet. Passengers are greeted by a spacious entryway and the first-class walk-up bar. It has the feel of an international wide-body, not a regional feeder plane.

First class on United’s CRJ-550 (Photo: Dylan Oakes)

The aircraft is set up in a premium heavy two-class configuration consisting of 10 first class seats featuring a whopping 42” pitch. 20 Economy Plus and 20 Economy seats with 34-36” pitch and 30” pitch respectively. The first row of economy plus has virtually unlimited legroom.

The plane sports room for every customer to bring on a roller bag that can be stored in floor level lockers as well as a walk-up drink and snack station for passengers seated up front. Alcoholic drinks will continue to have to be served by a flight attendant.

Extra luggage storage on the CRJ-550 (Photo: Dylan Oakes)

First class passengers will also be treated to premium snacks found on mainline flights like a fruit and cheese plate. Drinks up front will be served in the Polaris glassware to polish off the premium experience.

Snack bar on United’s CRJ-550 (Photo: Dylan Oakes)

The jet will feature Wi-Fi as well as streaming entertainment. Power outlets will be added at each seat at a later date, according to United.

The CRJ-550 enters regularly scheduled service this Sunday from Chicago O’Hare to fifteen destinations and will begin flying out of United’s Newark and Washington Dulles hubs in the coming weeks.

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AirlineGeeks.com was founded in February 2013 as a one-person blog in Washington D.C. Since then, we’ve grown to have 25+ active team members scattered across the globe. We are all here for the same reason: we love deep-diving into the fascinating realm of the airline industry.

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