United Express Newark - Washington

Flight 1

UA4405

Bombardier CRJ550 N519GJ

07A Economy Plus

Newark (EWR) - Washington (DCA)

12/11/2021 09:44 - 10:30 | 0h46

Flight 2

UA4516

Bombardier CRJ550 N519GJ

03D United First

Washington (DCA) - Newark (EWR)

12/11/2021 12:04 - 12:47 | 0h43

seat map CRJ550

Back in 2019 United teamed up with Bombardier to create a regional jet with more storage space in the cabin to reduce bags being transported in the holds and eliminate the waiting time. The CRJ550 is basically a CRJ700 but with just 50 seats (10/20/20) and 3 luggage closets to fit all carry-on bags. Through GoJet they made it happen and today they have around 38 planes with more coming up. With the first flight in 2019 options to fly were limited and with the restrictions in place from 2020 till november 2021 it was impossible for me to fly this plane but today it finally happened. With a very extensive schedule between Newark and Washington Reagan it was an easy choice to take one of the hourly flights between two capitals.

Check-in and boarding

On this gray and rainy day I booked the 09:30 service on this cute little plane, with the online check-in done through the United App I immediately went to the boarding gates to be past security as it can be busy during the morning rush. This flight left from the A terminal which is one of the satellite terminals United shares with Jetblue. With many CRJ's parked around it was not that packed as each plane only holds max 50 passengers but it more had a feeling of being at a train station as most flights were commuting one for people going to work or home traveling light with just a backpack or trolley. What I really like about the A gates is that it doesn't feel like an airport (apart from the planes of course) as you just have some coffee shops and news stands selling the essentials, no duty free or fancy restaurants but just grab'n go stands. Another cool feature are the United branded waiting area's which is in the same style as the on board hard product. Around 09:00 the gate agent made a general boarding call with the expected boarding time and introducing herself which in Europe is non existent. Around 09 the boarding in groups started and with just 10 passengers it would go quick. Boarding was through the jetway (which was handy as the rain was pouring down all morning) and once at the door I was greeted by the friendly flight attendant Johanna (if you're reading this let me know how to correctly write your name). As soon as you enter the plane you first have a self service bar for United First customers followed by 4 1/2 rows of seats in a 1-2 configuration and one row with just one seat. Then you have 3 closets for carry-on luggage followed by 5 rows of Economy Plus and regular Economy divided in purple and blue seats.

As soon as all 10 were on board the door was closed and the standard speeches began with introduction, flight time and the most important of all : the safety demo which she performed a second time in front of the economy cabin as the position of closets limit the view if you're on the right side of the plane. Around 09:44 the plane took off from runway 22R for a short, bumpy 45m flight to DC. The captain promised he would get above the clouds asap and kept his word as the plane climbed out as a rocket above the rain clouds. Shortly after take off the seatbelt stayed on as turbulence would be present all the way until a couple of minutes before arrival.

Inflight Service and seat comfort

On this short flight no inflight service was provided but this was already the case before covid as I took the same routing a couple of years ago on the E175. Great thing they refreshed the interior but while the seats look comfortable, they're not the greatest for longer flights in term of hardness of the padding. But for 45 minutes I don't complain as it was ok. When you're in Economy Plus, make sure to have a seat at row 7 which offers great leg room and 2 windows which is ideal if you like looking outside or like me have a GoPro mounted on one keeping the other free. Soon the plane approached the DC area where luckily no rain was present and an early arrival made up the little delay out of Newark. After a little wait at the gate area the plane taxied in and I could leave the plane for a short break before heading straight back to Newark.

Transit at the airport

Washington Reagan National is a nice cute airport but can be crowded at the same time during rush hour. However this time there were only a handful of people in the terminal as travel still isn't at it's level as before. While waiting to board the plane again the information board at the gate tells you what 's going on, from arrival to cleaning to boarding time. Soon boarding commenced and this time I was in group 1 as I was booked in United First to be able to compare both products (seatwise).

Boarding

Love the slogan, and it's really what United stands for in my own experiences.

At each occupied seat an 'all-in-one' snack bag was waiting and I really loved the personal

note inside which was that extra personal touch.

Information about the inflight connectivity, there's wifi but sadly no power plugs. Which could be a problem for longer flights if you have some work to do on your personal device.

The loads on the way back were al little higher with almost half of the plane filled up (21 to be exact) The plane left on time but was then guided to the holding area as due to the bad weather in Newark we had to hold 20 minutes on the ground which wouldn't influence the arrival time as it was a short flight time. Around 12:04 the plane took off from runway 1 with a spectacular view on Washington city during limb out.

Inflight Service and seat comfort

The United First cabin comes in a 1-2 layout in 4 1/2 rows as row 4 is a solo seat, no power sockets are installed but there is inflight WIFI for the whole plane and using the United Entertainment app is free of charge so you can already watch a wide variety of movies. Shortly after take off drinks were served (orders were taken on the ground to limit the contact and ease the service). I didn't use the self service bar as the flight time was way too short and I think it's more useful on longer flights as in that case the flight attendant will be busy serving the 40 passengers sitting in economy class. After the drinks a pass around with sweet or savoury snacks followed. No china or glassware but all disposable cups which didn't bother me at all to be honest. As the way back to Newark was as fast as the way out the descent soon was started for an on time arrival.

Bottom line

I was really looking forward to fly this plane and it didn't disappoint me at al, sure it has some pro's and con's but so does every aircraft/airline. Biggest improvement of this plane is having a lot of storage space for carry-on luggage to maximise the passenger comfort not having to wait for delivery at aircraft pieces. If I have to come up with disappointment that could have been the power sockets as today the day it's something we rely on with our devices on the go. Especially if you have a longer flight and want to use the online entertainment system. Big shout out to the friendly GoJet crew who made my flight the wait more than worth since the launch, they truly showed the meaning of the friendly skies regardless if you're flying economy or first. Hope to fly with you guys next year again.