Regional Jets: What They Are and Where They Fly

What Are Regional Jets?

Regional jets (RJs) are small commercial aircraft designed to connect smaller cities to major hubs, or to serve thin routes between secondary cities where demand is insufficient to justify a full narrowbody. They typically carry 50 to 100 passengers (with some modern examples reaching 130+), fly routes under 1,500 miles, and operate with far lower fuel burn and operating costs per flight than narrowbodies — though higher costs per seat.

The term "regional jet" entered common use in the 1990s when Bombardier's Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) series and Embraer's ERJ 145 family demonstrated that jet-powered aircraft could economically replace turboprops on short routes, offering passengers better speed, lower noise, and improved comfort. Before the regional jet era, many such routes were served by turboprop aircraft like the ATR 42, Dash 8, or Saab 340 — propeller aircraft that were slower and perceived as less prestigious.

Today's regional jet landscape is dominated by two main families: Bombardier's CRJ series (CRJ 200, 700, 900, and 1000) and Embraer's E-Jet family (E170, E175, E190, E195, and their E2 derivatives). The Mitsubishi SpaceJet (formerly MRJ) program has struggled to reach certification, leaving the market effectively to these two manufacturers plus the ATR turboprop family for the smallest segment.

Major Regional Jets

Understanding the aircraft populating the regional jet category helps make sense of what you're actually flying on when you board a "regional" flight.

Bombardier CRJ 200: The original CRJ design, carrying 50 passengers in a 2+2 configuration. Now approaching the end of service life, still common in the US Midwest and southern US. The cabin is famously narrow — overhead bins are small, and aisle space is limited. Many passengers must stow carry-on luggage in the hold due to size restrictions.

Bombardier CRJ 700: Stretched to 70 seats (2+2, 20 rows). Wider cabin than the CRJ 200 with improved overhead bins. Common at US regional carriers like SkyWest, Mesa, and Endeavor Air operating as United Express, American Eagle, and Delta Connection respectively.

Bombardier CRJ 900: Further stretched to 76–90 seats, with a slightly wider fuselage section and improved cabin. The most common CRJ variant in current US service. Often described as the regional jet most passengers in the US midwest and mountain west encounter.

Embraer E175: The most popular regional jet in North America, carrying 76 seats in a 2+2 configuration with a notably wider cabin than the CRJ. The E175's fuselage diameter of 9.5 feet gives it real overhead bins (roller bags fit), proper legroom, and a noticeably more comfortable feel than the CRJ. US carriers and their regional partners operate hundreds of E175s under scope clause agreements (see below).

Embraer E195-E2: The latest generation, carrying up to 146 seats with the option of a 2+2 or 2+3 configuration. At 146 seats it overlaps with the lower end of narrowbody capacity, though it maintains regional jet economics on shorter stages. Breakthrough Airlines in Canada and Azul in Brazil are notable operators.

Regional Airline Operations

Regional airlines operate differently from major carriers, and the distinction matters when something goes wrong with your flight.

In the United States, most regional airlines operate under capacity purchase agreements (CPAs) or pro-rate agreements with major carriers. Under a CPA, the major carrier pays the regional a fixed fee per flight to operate routes under the major's brand — United Express, American Eagle, Delta Connection — and takes all the revenue risk. The regional is guaranteed revenue regardless of load factor. Under pro-rate agreements, the regional receives a share of ticket revenue and bears more risk.

The practical implication is that the airline operating your Delta Connection CRJ flight is likely SkyWest Airlines (the world's largest regional airline by fleet), Endeavor Air (Delta-owned), or Republic Airways — not Delta itself. Their crews wear Delta uniforms and fly Delta-branded aircraft, but they are employed by a separate company under different labor agreements. This matters if your flight is canceled: you are protected by Delta's policies because you booked on Delta, but the operational decisions are made by the regional.

Outside the US, regional operations are structured differently. In Europe, many regional flights are operated directly by subsidiaries of major carriers (Lufthansa CityLine, British Airways CityFlyer) or by independent regionals under franchise agreements (Loganair, Flybe before its collapse). Australia's regional market is served primarily by subsidiaries of Qantas (QantasLink) and Virgin Australia (Regional Express).

Scope Clauses

The most commercially significant — and least publicly understood — constraint on regional jet operations in the United States is the scope clause. Scope clauses are provisions in major airline pilot union contracts that limit the number of regional jets allowed to operate on behalf of the major, typically by aircraft size and seat count.

At most major US carriers, scope clauses historically limited regional jets to 76 seats and 86,000 pounds maximum takeoff weight (MTOW). This is why the Embraer E175 at exactly 76 seats has been so commercially successful in the US — it is the largest aircraft that fits within the typical scope clause limit. Airlines and their regional partners have long wanted to operate 90-seat E175-E2s or even E195-E2s, but scope clauses prevent it.

Scope clauses exist because mainline pilots (who earn significantly more than regional pilots) want to protect jobs: a large regional fleet could theoretically substitute for mainline narrowbody flying at lower cost. The scope clause prevents the major from outsourcing its entire domestic operation to lower-paid regional crews.

Negotiations over scope clauses are a recurring feature of US airline pilot contract negotiations. In 2023–2025, several majors negotiated with pilots to relax scope restrictions, allowing some larger regional jets, in exchange for other concessions. Any relaxation of scope clauses would enable a significant shift to larger, more efficient regional jets and reduce the share of CRJ-sized aircraft on US domestic routes.

Regional vs Mainline: The Passenger Perspective

For passengers, the regional vs mainline distinction primarily manifests as differences in cabin comfort, reliability, and service. Regional jets are almost universally less comfortable than narrowbody mainline aircraft — but there are important nuances.

The CRJ 200 at 50 seats is widely regarded as the least comfortable commercial jet commonly flown in North America. Its 17.3-inch seat width (2+2, with a narrow aisle), minimal overhead bin space (roller bags cannot be carried on), limited legroom (31 inches on many operators), and narrow aisle (barely shoulder-width) make it challenging for tall passengers or anyone with moderate luggage. Gate-checked bags are common. The aircraft's turboprop-era fuselage cross-section is genuinely narrow by modern standards.

The Embraer E175 is meaningfully better — often described as more comfortable than a domestic US narrowbody because the 2+2 seating means every passenger has a window or aisle seat. No middle seat exists. Overhead bins are genuine roller-bag capable. United Airlines has invested significantly in E175 interiors branded as "United Express Premium" (different from the scope clause aircraft it operates for hire) with competitive seat pitch.

Mainline narrowbodies (737, A320) on the same route as a regional jet generally offer: real overhead bins, more legroom options (economy plus, exit rows), proper meal service on longer routes, and more reliable Wi-Fi. For routes where both options exist, most experienced travelers prefer the mainline aircraft. But on many regional routes, no mainline option exists — the regional jet is the only way to fly nonstop.

Passenger Experience Tips

If you're flying a regional jet, several strategies improve the experience:

Check the aircraft type before booking. Google Flights, Kayak, and most airline booking engines display aircraft type. If you see "CRJ-200" or "ERJ-145," expect a very tight cabin. "E175" or "E190" is significantly better.

Gate-check your carry-on early. On CRJ aircraft, carry-ons over 22 inches rarely fit in overhead bins. Airlines gate-check these bags to the hold at no charge, and they're returned planeside at your destination — but this adds time on arrival. Know in advance and be prepared.

Book an aisle or window seat. On 2+2 regional aircraft there are no middle seats, so both aisle and window are acceptable. On E190s configured 2+3, the middle seat in the 3-seat rows is more constrained.

Recognize turbulence differences. Smaller, lighter aircraft at lower cruising altitudes (regional jets often cruise at FL350–FL410) encounter more turbulence than larger widebodies. This is a normal feature of the aircraft type, not a safety issue.

Regional Jet Economics

Regional jets are not cheap to operate on a per-seat basis. A CRJ 900 carrying 76 passengers costs considerably more per seat-mile to operate than a 737 MAX 8 carrying 178 passengers, because the fixed costs of operating a commercial jet (crew, landing fees, maintenance, depreciation) don't scale proportionally with seat count.

However, on low-density routes (e.g., Birmingham, Alabama to Chicago O'Hare), a 737 would require filling 178 seats — an impossible load factor on a thin route. A CRJ 900 filling 65 of 76 seats is economically viable where a 737 half-empty would lose money. The regional jet earns its keep by making routes viable that mainline narrowbodies cannot serve profitably.

The economics have shifted since the 2000s. Rising fuel prices hurt smaller aircraft more (lower fuel efficiency per seat). Rising pilot wages — driven by a well-publicized pilot shortage in the US market, partly caused by the ATP-CTP training requirement introduced after the Colgan Air crash in 2009 — have made regional operations more expensive. Several US regional carriers have exited the market or consolidated, reducing the depth of the regional network.

Future of Regional Jets

The regional jet market faces structural pressure from multiple directions. The Bombardier CRJ program was sold to Mitsubishi in 2020 and has ceased new production; existing CRJ fleets are aging and will require replacement. Embraer's E-Jet E2 family (E175-E2, E190-E2, E195-E2) is the primary next-generation option, though E175-E2 adoption in the US has been blocked by scope clauses (it exceeds the 86,000 pound MTOW limit).

Several startups are developing electric and hybrid-electric aircraft targeting the regional market. Heart Aerospace (Sweden) is developing a 30-seat electric regional aircraft. Eviation's Alice is a 9-seat electric commuter aircraft. Rolls-Royce and Tecnam's APUS concept targets 9-seat electric commuter operations. None of these are yet commercially certified, and range limitations (electric aircraft cannot yet match jet range) constrain them to very short routes initially.

The most likely near-term trajectory: gradual replacement of aging CRJ 200 fleets with E175s (where scope allows) or ATR turboprops (for the shortest routes), modest scope clause relaxation allowing some E175-E2 or E195-E2 introduction, and continued concentration in the US regional market as smaller operators struggle with pilot recruitment costs.