Delta, American, and United CRJ200 Regional Jet Comparison

As a frequent flyer, there’s one question I’ve struggled with when it comes to regional flying: Who has the worst CRJ200?

Is it Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, or United Airlines? Each of these airlines rely on CRJ200s Regional Jets to make short, thin routes profitable. And, on that account, the CRJ200 Regional Jet seems to work. By virtually any other measure, though, the CRJ200 is terrible, making Delta, American, and United experiences less pleasant.

Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, and United Airlines all operate CRJ200 Regional Jet aircraft through their regional partners (Delta Connection, American Eagle, and United Express).

Over the last couple of months, I’ve traveled onboard CRJ200s belonging to each airline. Spoiler Alert: It was TERRIBLE! In this video, I’ll share my experiences on each airline so that you can decide which one you think is the worst.

Was it the:

Delta CRJ200
American CRJ200
United CRJ200 (United CL65)

I’ve also included some interesting facts about the history and current status of the CRJ200.

Be sure to leave a comment to let me know which one you think is the worst!

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Music:
Knocking – Cushy
Obey – Cushy
Spaceships – Cushy

[jsmith]

I agree that CRJs are not the most pleasant things in which to ride around. I am not a very tall guy either, and I feel quite cramped in the back of them. The flight deck is not bad though, I spend a year and a half flying them for Air Wisconsin. What bothers me the most about them is the 50 seat RJ is not used for the purpose for which it was originally designed. When they were first introduced the idea was to replace turboprops on the so-called "feeder routes" between smaller communities and the hubs. Flights of 30-60 minutes were the original target market for RJs. When they were first introduced, most passengers loved them because they had been so used to showing up at airports like Ithaca, New York and having to ride a Saab340 to Philadelphia. Now they were getting jets. But airlines soon realized they could use them on longer and longer routes. That is why we now commonly see RJs flying two and three hour sectors on routes that two decades ago were flown by 737s, 727s, DC-9s or the early A320s. If your expectation has been a Saab 340 or EMB-120 and you end up with an RJ, you are pleasantly surprised. If your expectation is a 737 or A320 and you get an RJ, you are severely disappointed.

[BryantWhite]

Lucky for me Im an aviation enthusiast. Any flights that I get a window seat I’m happy with. Rough landings, bad weather, and delays just add to the experience. Another hour delay? More time to watch the planes takeoff, thanks you very much.

[garyodle]

I was a flight dispatcher for an airline that flew the CRJ200. When we got them we thought they were great because they replaced our Saab 340 turboprops and we thought they were a huge improvement. Compared to the Saab, they were. Where we lost our enthusiasm was when we no longer compared them to the Saab 340 but to every other regional jet out there. The ERJ-145 had 2-1 seating and was more comfortable. The ERJ-175 was like a "real" airliner and was better in every way. The CRJ700 and CRJ900 had more spacious cabins. As we got farther and farther away from our Saab 340 experience the worse the CRJ200 looked.

[that_one_villa]

Swiss001 said, the CRJ is a Crappy Regional Jet

[haaheocarpenter]

Lol, still more comfortable than a Cessna 150

[AirmenIan]

You should try 5 hours on a packed C-130 if you want to know what pain is haha.

[deltastransportadventures]

Do Delta vs American and United who has the best A320 family

[pusher]

I work for Skywest, and we seem to be the kings of this aircraft!😐

Yes, the windows are crazy low. What were they thinking. Are Canadians shorter?

[RanBelGaming]

Like if stroopwafel snacks on United are delicious

[bellcc]

Very nice video! I flew on two Delta CRJ-200s, first flight being from MSP-XNA, then XNA-LGA. The first plane was horrible. Some of the seats were ripped, it smelled funny, and my window was scratched to the point where you could barely get a video out of it. Even the flight attendants were kind of snobby. Then on the way back, it was one of the nicest flights I've been on. Staff were nice, and the windows were clean. It seems like some planes are cared for very differently.

[brego]

I much prefer the Embraer aircraft. Even though they are small, they feel like a bigger plane for sure.

[Ensign_Cthulhu]

Do you think perhaps that your first-class experience has given you a distorted perspective on small feeder jets?

[ralphmtsu]

I love the CRJ. It is a small efficient plane that gets the job done. I love only 50 seats. Makes for easy embarkation and debarkation especially if you select the seat near the door. It is the perfect plane for the short one hour flight from Panama City to Atlanta. On and off in a mere few minutes. The CRJ was the better option. Now, Delta flies MD88s from ECP to ATL. Boarding and exiting is now five times as long. I miss the CRJ.

[moeelbanna]

United: 3rd place
Delta: 2nd place
American: 1st place

[ianjohnnewcombe]

Hey Jeb - thanks for the good review. I totally agree with you on the shortcomings of the CRJ200 and I think you summarized those shortcomings very well.
I am a loyal Delta Medallion flyer, so I can only speak to the Delta experience. One of my BIG beefs is that for reasons that are clear only to an executive who has NEVER flown on a CRJ200, Delta designates the first row for Comfort+ - really BAD idea! First what frequent flyer wants a bulkhead seat, second there is no extra room or amenities (everyone on the plane gets me beverage and food options) and third the overhead above these seats is filled with the safety equipment, so if you do want to put anything in an overhead, you have to go back to row 3.
I have learned the hard way to be sure to uncheck the "upgrade to Comfort+" option when booking my flight, but from time to time I forget and get "downgraded to Comfort+". This then requires a call to Delta reservations to get them to override the change and sometimes they are not able to do this.
In general I think Delta has good customer service and policies and I am a happy multi-million miler medallion flyer - but this is one that makes no sense!
@DeltaAirlines - stop the madness!

[owenhaesler]

You should compare Spirit Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and Allegiant. That'd be an interesting video!

[brendankempin]

Better that the same seat width on a 777 for 10 hours. At least the limited range of the CRJ200 limits your misery. 3-4-3 seating on 777s is inhumane.

[stevee]

Jeb,
Skywest Crj 200, are the same no matter the name on the side, did you notice the cabins the same, they are.

Thanks again for the the update.

[amvcedric]

*Who else gets excited when they find out they have a flight and then watches airplane videos?*

[SlyTigerX]

Bring back the Dash 8 let me ignore the discomfort on my regional flights by watching the big windmills on the side