American Airlines To Upgrade Regional Planes With New Seats and Perks

American Airlines’ short-haul regional jets are about to get an upgrade and be a lot more comfortable.

For the many of us who have had to fly American Airlines from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte to make a connecting flight to our destination, this is welcome news!

The Dallas-based carrier is refreshing its fleet of regional planes, with the first reimagined aircraft rolling out this fall.

As part of the refresh, American will debut newly upgraded seats and perks on its new Bombardier CRJ900 and Embraer 175 aircraft, which operate shorter flights. The carrier also says it plans to retrofit all of its CRJ700, CRJ900, E170, and E175 aircraft operated by its regional subsidiary airlines with the new designs.

The changes to the regional aircraft cabins are meant to bring them more in line to the interiors on the airline’s mainline planes. Passengers can expect to see updated seat coverings, power outlets at every seat, and fast in-flight Wi-Fi.

“Our customers value staying connected in the air, even on a relatively short flight,” said Heather Garboden, American’s chief customer officer. “We’ve been working diligently to ensure our regional fleet offers the best and most reliable high-speed connectivity, especially as we look ahead to free Wi-Fi in 2026.”

The carrier plans to introduce fleet-wide complimentary Wi-Fi for its loyalty program members beginning in January.

In addition to American undertaking an upgrade of its regional jets, the airline will also introduce a new midday snack basket on its regional routes, a dining service previously available only on its mainline flights.

The new interiors will roll out in phases over the next few years, with the first aircraft debuting before the end of 2025. Additionally, American says it’s working with Embraer to design larger overhead bins for its regional planes. That change will be rolled out over the next few years as well.

This article originally appeared in TravelPulse.

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