Where can you fly on United Express' CRJ550s from Newark?

United Airlines is known for its massive mainline fleet. The carrier boasts over 1,000 mainline jets that are deployed across its robust network from its hubs.

Aircraft like the Boeing 737 , Airbus A321neo , and Boeing 787 play a critical role in connecting passengers to destinations not just across the United States, but also around the world.

In addition to having a diverse and massive mainline fleet, United contracts some short-haul flying (usually in smaller markets) to regional carriers that operate flights under United's brand name.

Presented as United Express, these services play a crucial role in United's network by connecting passengers from smaller markets with United hubs to bolster connectivity. According to United, these regional subsidiaries include:

• Commute Air
• GoJet Airlines
• Mesa Airlines
• Republic Airways
• SkyWest Airlines

While all of these carriers play a crucial role in United's network, some are larger than others. For example, SkyWest Airlines, which operates regional flights for American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Alaska Airlines as well, is one of the largest narrowbody aircraft operators in the world.

The regional airline has a fleet of almost 500 jets, according to SkyWest. It is also one of the few airlines that operate the CRJ550 .

Along with SkyWest, GoJet Airlines also operates the CRJ550. This regional aircraft was designed to bring an enhanced level of comfort to the passenger experience on short-haul flights.

United Airlines flies its CRJ550 from several hubs, including its Newark Liberty International Airport base. From the New York City airport, United deploys the CRJ550 on a variety of shorter routes across the Northeast United States and even internationally.

The CRJ550 is changing regional flying

Despite the different name, the CRJ550 is not a new aircraft. The model is incredibly similar to the CRJ700 , which typically seats around 70 passengers and is often used to connect very small markets with hubs for major carriers. The CRJ550 is a variant of the CRJ700 that seats only 50 passengers in a more premium configuration.

Despite the retrofits to update the aircraft, United and its partners do still operate the CRJ700 in select markets. Its regional subsidiaries also operate other regional jets as well.

From Brazilian aircraft manufacturer Embraer , United's partners operate both the ERJ 145 (which seats 50 passengers), the E170 (70 passengers), and the E175 (also 70 passengers).

Meanwhile, in addition to the CRJ550 and CRJ700, United's partners also operate the CRJ900 (76 passengers) and the smaller CRJ200 (50 passengers).

The CRJ200 and CRJ550 seat the same number of passengers, but the latter does so in a more premium-heavy configuration, giving some customers a more spacious experience.

Interestingly, aircraft with 50 seats or fewer (like the CRJ550) are exempt from scope clauses signed by US airlines. These agreements limit the amount of flying that can be done with regional jets to ensure that too much flying is not contracted to lower-cost subsidiaries.

However, this agreement does not apply to jets with such a low capacity. As airlines convert their CRJ700s to CRJ550s, they can reap the benefit of not limiting how many flights these aircraft operate.

Unlike the CRJ200, the CRJ550 seats passengers in a premium layout. The aircraft was designed with business travelers in mind, providing them with enhanced comfort on short-haul routes through first-class seating. Only two US carriers deploy this aircraft type: United Airlines and Delta Air Lines.

This makes sense, given both carriers' focus on having a premium offering for passengers. These airlines have the following configurations for their aircraft:

With only 50 seats, the aircraft has the capacity to enter a lot of markets profitably, though these destinations must have enough business travel demand to justify its domestic first-class cabin.

Given Newark's proximity to New York City, one of the biggest business centers in the United States, it makes sense that United operates an impressive number of CRJ550 flights from its Newark hub. Using data from Cirium, an aviation data analytics provider, it's apparent that the CRJ550 flies to many important Northeastern markets for United from Newark.

Where United flies its CRJ550s from Newark

Newark is one of the busiest airports for the CRJ550, and this March, the aircraft will be deployed in several markets with impressive frequency.

All United flights from Newark will be operated by GoJet, and will fly under the United Express brand. GoJet operates over 60 CRJ550s for the Chicago-based airline, making it an important operator in United's regional strategy-especially in Newark. The top five markets for the CRJ550 this month are as follows:

It is important to note the table only counts outbound frequencies, and does not include return trips to Newark. The most frequent route on this list is to Reagan National Airport in Washington, DC.

The New York to Washington market is huge, and full of higher-paying business travelers heading to the nation's capital. As United positions itself as the airline of choice for business travel, it makes sense the airline offers such a competitive frequency in the market.

The remaining four markets in the top five are all southbound, heading to Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. However, Washington, DC remains the top market by far. The next busiest routes are as follows:

Interestingly, the last route on the above list is to a major Delta hub. Detroit is an important city for the carrier, and Delta inherited it from Northwest following their merger in October 2008. The route is likely a competitive one, especially when considering that ultra-low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines also flies the route.

The CRJ550 is not the only aircraft United uses between the two cities, according to Flightradar24. The carrier also flies its 737 and E170 aircraft, both of which offer more capacity compared to the CRJ550.

Meanwhile, Spirit deploys its Airbus A320 aircraft on the route, which seat 182 passengers- a very dense configuration. Meanwhile, Delta operates its 717 aircraft in this market. These jets seat up to 110 passengers.

In addition to these top ten markets, United flies its CRJ550 to more destinations across the region. These are typically smaller markets, but like in the case of Detroit, United will occasionally fly these regional jets to major hubs. United's remaining Newark CRJ550 routes are as follows:

• Cincinnati, OH
• Pittsburgh, PA
• Buffalo, NY
• Syracuse, NY
• Washington Dulles, VA
• Ottawa, ON
• Burlington, VT
• Rochester, NY
• Albany, NY
• Portland, ME
• Norfolk, VA
• Cleveland, OH
• Indianapolis, IN
• Columbus, OH
• Asheville, NC
• Savannah, GA

United's Newark strategy is challenging

United has a lot of regional jets traveling in and out of Newark Airport each day, as the airport is United's main New York gateway. However, given the airport's congestion, United has expressed interest in upgauging aircraft where it can.

This could mean that the CRJ550's popularity with short-haul flying from Newark could eventually end, as the 50-seat aircraft are inefficient when considering slot restrictions.

Newark Airport is prone to congestion and delays given its smaller size, dated layout, and very busy schedule, primarily due to United Airlines. As a result, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) limits how many flights can be operated into the airport by requiring airlines serving Newark to own a slot (a pair of take-off and landing rights).

By limiting how many slots are available for airlines, it helps mitigate congestion and traffic-related delays.

However, slots pose a challenge for carriers, especially United. Because of Newark's status as a United hub, the airline needs to build a busy and robust schedule from the airport to bolster connectivity for passengers.

With a limited number of slots, growth through the addition of new flights is very difficult if United cannot acquire the landing rights.

Thus, to grow, United has to upguage the aircraft it flies into Newark. This means, where possible, the carrier might replace lower-capacity jets with larger ones. This allows the carrier to serve more passengers with the same number of flights.

While the CRJ550 is not the smallest regional jet in the United Express fleet, its low capacity might make it susceptible to upgauging. Though the airline maintains a robust Newark CRJ550 schedule today, as it looks to grow Newark passenger volumes, it might continue to deploy larger jets on regional routes.

Meanwhile, other hubs in the United network, like Denver International Airport , are less restricted in terms of growth. This makes them an attractive market for the CRJ550.