SkyWest does block all seats in row 1 in CRJ200s for assignment to passengers needing special assistance (wheelchairs, etc.). These seats are released for general assignment at 24 hours before departure, as has been noted in other posts.

Happy Travels! :)

The issue is with the CRJ (single class), not the CR-7 (first class). I've always been able to get Row 1 on a CR-7 in advance.

Just wanted to add my Two Cents. For some reason SBN-ORD all flights block row 3 bulkhead left side and row 7 left side. I believe it is due to saving these for disabled passengers.

I wish I would of known this before I am always bummed out not to get the left hand side which has some great room to sprawl out on in any crj-700 not just the 19 minute flight I enjoy so dearly.

Weird, because on the Skywest CR7s, it always seems like the right side bulkhead is blocked and the left side (with all the leg room in 3B) is available.

A 2nd possible reason is that a CRJ, without E+, tends to fill up seatmaps more from front to back (People prefer the front!) I've worked flights that are 50% full, and the seatmap is exactly the front 50% occupied, the back completely empty.

What is the 1st thing the SW does onboard? She/he makes people distribute to the middle and rear for balance. Anyone with simple geometry/elementary school physics knows that the more away from the CoG (fulcrum,) the greater the impact on the balance for any given mass. Not filling the 1st row has great impact on the balance on a system that is at times, imbalanced.