Background and Booking
I needed a flight back from Rochester to the New York area, and Delta fit the price and schedule the best for me. I booked the Delta CRJ-900 in First Class as it was only $30 more than the Main Cabin. My primary motivation to upgrade was because the CRJ-900 operating the flight is in a 1-2 configuration in first class so I could sit alone. I’ve flown in First on the E175 numerous times, but I’ve never actually flown on the CRJ-900 in First, so I was interested to see how that would be.
I flew to Rochester on Delta as well but booked Main Cabin. I was surprised with an upgrade, as I don’t have status, on Delta on that flight to Comfort Plus. You can read about that flight experience here if you’d like.
Flight Details
Delta Connection 5343
Operated by Endeavor Air
Rochester (ROC) to New York (LGA)
Scheduled Duration: 1 hour and 22 minutes
Status: On Time (28 minutes early)
Cabin: First Class
Aircraft: CRJ-900
Seat: 2A
At the Airport & Boarding
Rochester Airport (ROC) is quite nice, and empty. There aren’t any airport lounges here, but there is plenty of nice seating in the terminal area which is helpful. When I arrived around 6:30 PM on Sunday, a lot of the food options were already closed but the newsstands were still open.
Boarding was scheduled 30 minutes before our departure time, thought they actually started 5 minutes early as I went to the bathroom and found our Zone 1 already started boarding haha. Thankfully, I was still able to get overhead space.
The Flight: Delta CRJ-900 First Class
Upon boarding, I was happy to see that the cabin was bright and it seems like it was refreshed recently. A small water bottle was waiting at my seat.
During the boarding process, the friendly flight attendant Annie took orders for pre-departure beverages which was nice. We had a Detroit-based crew, and the flight attendant who was doing announcements from the Main Cabin had such an official announcement voice that people thought it was automated lol. Impressive!
The boarding door closed about 15 minutes before our scheduled departure. We left the gate quite early, over 10 minutes before our scheduled departure time, and we were able to take off at our scheduled departure time. I was a bit worried because of the thunder and rain nearby, but everything was okay!
The Seat
The CRJ900 has 4 rows of first class in a 1-2 configuration. I grabbed seat 2A, since I was traveling alone and didn’t want to sit next to a stranger. AeroLopa states that on Delta CRJ-900 First Class the seat width is 19.6″ and it has a seat pitch of 37″.
While I liked my seat, the window was misaligned, so I either had to prop my head forward or backward to look out of the window.
I generally prefer the E175 for a regional jet as the overhead bins are larger, and the cabin ceiling is higher and more spacious too. I brought my smaller carry-on and had no issues fitting it in the overhead bin, though a good amount of passengers had to gate check/pink tag their bag due to lack of space and the small bins.
Snack/Beverage Service
About 15 minutes after takeoff the beverage service started, and then the flight attendant came out with a snack basket. The snack basket was quite good, with Pistachios, gummy bears, chips, and more. I love pistachios so I grabbed those and some gummy bears.
Before I could finish my ginger ale, it was already time for our descent into the New York City area. Such a quick flight! We touched down about 35 minutes before our scheduled arrival and got to the gate a little more than 5 minutes later.
Wi-Fi and Charging
WiFi was available for 30 minutes for $4.95, or the whole flight for $9.95. Messaging was free, and also WiFi was free for TMobile customers. I was able to connect for about 20 minutes or so as it activated about 20 minutes after we took off and then deactivated 20 minutes later.
The seat did have a power socket, but unfortunately, it was not working at my seat. The socket kept pushing out my plug, so there was something off with the hardware. A USB A port was also available.
The Verdict
Overall, I had a good flight onboard the Delta CRJ-900 First Class product. Love the single seats in First Class especially when traveling solo. I do still prefer the E175, but on the plus side the service was friendly and snacks and beverages were solid.
Have you flown on the Delta CRJ-900 First Class before? How was your experience? Comment below!
Cheers,
Ty
Have any questions? Comment below or email me at takeofftotravel@gmail.com. I’ve also started working with a travel agency, Fora Travel, and can assist in booking hotel stays or planning trips. You can also view all my other posts here! Thanks for stopping by!
