United Airlines has revealed the first 15 routes its new Bombardier CRJ-550 aircraft will be operating on. Initially, the CRJ-550 action is centered out of United’s Chicago O’Hare hub, but the airline promises to roll out new routes in the coming weeks from both Newark and Washington Dulles. United’s CRJ-550 flights in and out of Chicago will begin October 27, 2019.

So where’s the CRJ-550 flying to?

According to astatement provided by United Airlines, the initial routes will primarily serve Midwest and Great Lakes cities with the occasional foray east. The first 15 routes are;

• Chicago (ORD) - Allentown (ABE) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates two daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Bentonville (XNA) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates three daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Cedar Rapids (CID) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates three daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Cincinnati (CVG) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates up to seven daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Columbus (CMH) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates up to seven daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Des Moines (DSM) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates five daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Grand Rapids (GRR) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates five daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Greensboro (GSO0 - Chicago (ORD)  on which United operates four daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD0 - Harrisburg (MDT) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates two daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Indianapolis (IND) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates up to eight daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Madison (MSN) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates up to seven daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Oklahoma City (OKC) - Chicago (ORD)  on which United operates three daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Richmond (RIC) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates three daily direct services.
• Chicago (ORD) - St Louis (STL) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates up to eight daily direct flights.
• Chicago (ORD) - Tulsa (TUL) - Chicago (ORD) on which United operates four daily direct flights.

WhilstUnited Airlinesadvises tickets for CRJ-550 services will be on sale from tomorrow, Saturday, October 13, 2019, for flights beginning on Sunday, October 27, 2019, not all flights on all days on these routes may immediately be operated by the CRJ-500 from October 27.

United and the CRJ-550

United isbuying 54 of the CRJ-550s from Bombardier.The new jets are based on the CRJ-700 aircraft already seen scooting around in United’s livery. But besides being new, United reckons the CRJ-550s will be a big upgrade for everybody.

They’ll seat 50 passengers, including 10 in first class. The first-class cabin will have a 1-2 layout plus one rear row of a single orphan seat (4A). The main cabin will have 10 rows in a 2-2 layout. United says their CRJ-550s will have more legroom than any other comparable sized aircraft in the United States, ample space for carry-on luggage, WiFi connectivity, and a self serve refreshment bar that will have “a wide assortment of snacks and beverages”.

The thinking behind buying the CRJ-550

In addition to providing a superior inflight product in comparison to most of United’s existing regional aircraft, the CRJ-550 will help United overcome some logistical hurdles and competitive disadvantages.Under current agreements with its pilots, United has only been able to operate a fixed number of larger first-class cabin equipped regional jets.

The CRJ-550 falls under the larger regional jet threshold and United can exploit that loophole and offer more services on skinny regional routes that it was otherwise under servicing.

By being able to feed more regional passengers through its big hubs like O’Hare, United can thenfunnel more of them directly onto other United services. Competitors such as Delta Air Lines have historically had an advantage in doing this. By rolling out the CRJ-550s, United Airlines hopes to erode that advantage.

We’ll be interested in the feedback from the first United CRJ-550 flights.