AA Regional First-Class
Regional First Class Flight DCA to CHS
The first thing you are probably asking yourself is why is someone reviewing a Regional flight even if it is first class. The answer is simple: I am not doing any international travel right now so the next best thing is to write a review on domestic travel to stay sharp. This will also give me a chance to compare American Airline’s domestic first-class with Delta first class I will be flying next month.
This flight was AA 4849 Departing out of Washington DC and Arriving in Charleston, SC. This flight was on a regional jet operated by Republic Airways onboard an ERJ-175. American has numerous ERJ 175’s and I prefer them over the CRJ line due to the lack of overhead space on the CRJ. The ERJ has 12 first-class seats. The seat has 37 inches of pitch and 19.9 inches of width. This is great for someone who is 6’4 and 230 lbs. The main cabin is over 7 inches shorter in pitch and over an inch and a half narrower.
Are these regional flights in first class exciting? No. Are they as much fun to review as a lie-flat business seat on a long-haul international trip? Also No. Do most people fly regionally in the United States? Yes. Does a regional first-class seat beat an economy seat? Every single flight!
The ground experience at DCA was typical. I was connecting in DCA and had about 40 min. Several restaurants were still closed due to the pandemic. The airport was pretty crowded for a Sunday. We boarded on time which is not always the norm for DCA. Upon boarding the flight attendant was friendly and greeted everyone as they stepped on the plane. There was plenty of overhead space for my carry-on. The flight boarded without incident and they closed the main door on time. We then had to wait for congestion behind us to clear. If you have flown out of DCA before you will know that this is a very busy small airport and when many planes are trying to depart around the same time there becomes a lack of push back room quickly.
Once the traffic jam cleared we were pushed back from the gate and taxi to the runway. After a smooth take-off and a beautiful view of the Potomac, it was time to relax and watch a tv series for the next 90 min.
About 45 min after taking off the flight attendant came around for the beverage service. Alcohol is still available for first-class passengers on American, but I passed on this trip and had a sprite and some cinnamon rice cake bites. Over the last two or so years, airlines have started to move away from salty and sweet snacks to more healthy varieties. I am not always a fan of the selection due to a strong sweet tooth, but I make do.
As we made out approach to Charleston from the north we had a beautiful view of the Cooper River and the Ravenel bridge in the distance. We had a smooth landing and taxi to the gate. All in all, it was an uneventful flight which is what you want on these regional flights. Regional flights are about getting from point A to point B and do not offer any significant luxury, but the extra seat room and service make sitting up front a little more enjoyable.