Originally Posted by
Cogf16
They are 90 seat tubes but only have 76 seats (contractual) but I think you know that. Also they are configured with FC seats, a must for marketing. I'm confident those jets will never have 90 seats in them.
The first gen CRJ900 was a CRJ700 stretch which did not perform all that well. 76 seats was a "sweet spot" for that airframe's potential.
The Next Gen 900 is a smaller 1000 and has much better performance. It could carry more and the Company wanted > or = to 82 seats in it.
One sign of the difference is the two wingtips (FWIW). The Next Gen has the steeply raked over tips which add to span, while the first gen had the more upright design.