I do really like the CRJ-550 as it fixes a lot of the issues with the CRJ-200. Newer, first class and economy plus seats, and WiFi. It burns about 8% more fuel than a CRJ-200, but fuel is cheap, and just a few % revenue premium for having first class and economy plus seats more than make up for it. I’m surprised United hasn’t replaced all the CRJ-200’s with CRJ-550’s.

I do see the CRJ-200 going away in the next few years, but I definitely do not see 50 seat RJ’s going away.

The 550 is a nice 50 seat product. The company has been pretty consistent in their opposition to a new NB fleet type, but we do have max deliveries and assorted used Airbus planes on the way to provide additional lift when demand recovers. If United would convert all of the 700’s, with the increased lift provided by aircraft deliveries we could possibly retire the 200’s and 145’s and be left with a nice product. UAX would have the 550 and the 175’s, while UAL would have to add some pilots to the list. The people currently flying the 50 seaters wouldn’t like that plan though since the number of jobs eliminated would far exceed those created.

I just rode on one for the first time, it is ten million times better than the typical fifty seat disgraceful experience that gets foisted on the traveling public.

Come on Joe ... you have been told a billion times not to exaggerate.

Jeeze.

My bad, I should have said 9.8 million. I'll try harder in the future.

Boeing is desperate for sales and need to repair their image and that of the max. I wonder if we could get some dirt cheap max 7’s and use that lift to retire the CRJ-200 and E-145. Starting in 2023, the smallest plane in Delta’s fleet will have 70 seats. Are we going to put a bunch of worn out 50 seaters up against that and expect to win? My bet is that we don’t change a thing and Kirby comes to us in a couple of years demanding more big rj’s to remain competitive when Delta is spanking us again.

Didn't UAL (via Oscar and Scott) directly and publicly state the 50-seaters are going away as a result of Covid earlier this year with the exception of the 'new' 550s?

They made a couple of blanket statements that they would most likely be a thing of the past, but have never said anything definitive, or recently. Delta has announced when their 50 seaters will be gone as well as the 717 and 767. United did reduce the 145 fleet when they shut down ExpressJet, but there are still a bunch of tired 50 seaters out there with no announced plan to change that.

I haven't been on a 550 yet but am looking forward to trying it at some point.

I don't know how old you are. I'm 55, and I remember riding on commuter flights in the late 1970s in airplanes like the Twin Otter and Beech 99. Those were replaced by the Metroliner, Beech 1900, and the Jetstream. (I flew the J32 Jetstreams in my first airline job) Then came the Saab 340, Brasilia, Dash 8 and we had a flight attendant! I even got to ride on a couple of four-engine Dash-7s, operated by Rio Airways, as a teenager! The introduction of the CRJ-200 and E145 was a huge step forward, at the time, to actually be flying a jet. But it's time for them to join the Twin Otters and Metroliners to make way for their successors.