Originally Posted by
pinniped
(1) Not all RJ's are equal. The bigger Embraers (170-190) are actually more comfortable than a 737 in both coach and first. It's 1x2 in F, 2x2 in Y, with 18" wide seats in Y and, on most airlines, as good or better pitch than the regular coach mainline pitch. The bigger CRJ's (700-900) are okay as well...not quite as comfortable as an Embraer but not too bad either. I'm on these semi-often: I have a soft-sided bag that fits perfectly into the CRJ bins. The smaller ones (CR2, E145, etc.) aren't a whole lot of fun but survivable for 300-400 mile trips.
Who flies these bigger Ebraers in the US (and for the OP, out of Chicago)? AA flies CR7s out of Chicago, but so far anywhere I've gone on AA RJs it was only the small Embraers. (I think they have fewer CR7s at DFW than at ORD, but even through ORD I guess I've never gone to the right RJ cities to get a CR7.)
Originally Posted by
pinniped
(2) If you're forced to use an airline where you have no elite status,
the RJ is your friend. Why? It's a great equalizer - especially the small ones with no F cabin. Everybody's dropping their bags planeside, boarding order doesn't matter, nobody's in a middle seat, and everybody's getting off the plane within a minute or two of each other. When I have to fly DL (about three times a year), I purposely select RJ's and avoid the mainline jets whenever I can. The same reasons we hate (some) RJ's as elites are the exact reasons I like them on Delta.
Unless, of course, you can and want to buy E+ or equivalent, and that airline has E+ in mainline but not in RJ. Whether that's the case, of course, varies by airline (and may further vary by exact RJ type). I understand the UA has E+ on many of its RJs. I understand that the upcoming Main Cabin Elite on AA will only apply to mainline however. I'm not sure about DL Comfort Plus.
As a taller person, the only way I want to fly a small RJ (like E145) is in one of the 3 exit row seats. And even then, the
height of those seems too short for me. But I can only book exit row seats ahead of time if I have status!