Best Seats on Embraer E175

Overview of the Embraer E175 Cabin

The Embraer E175 is a regional jet seating 76–88 passengers in a two-class or single-class configuration. It belongs to the E-Jet family (alongside the E170, E190, and E195) and is particularly common in the United States, where mainline carriers such as United, Delta, and American operate it through regional partners (SkyWest, Envoy, Mesa, Republic). It also flies widely in Europe (Helvetic, Lufthansa CityLine) and Latin America.

The E175's most distinctive feature is its 2-2 economy layout — two seats on each side of a single aisle. Compared to the cramped 2-3 or 3-3 layouts of mainline narrow-bodies, this means every passenger on an E175 is either a window or an aisle seat. There are no true middle seats. This is the single most important reason frequent travelers in the US prefer the E175 for short-haul regional flying.

The 1-2 vs 2-2 Layout

Some US regional configurations place a 1-2 first class at the front of the aircraft (one seat on the left, two seats on the right), giving four rows of premium seating with 15–17 seats total and 37–38 inches of pitch. Economy then runs 2-2 all the way to the rear. In pure single-class configurations for ultra-low-cost or charter operators, the cabin runs 2-2 throughout with 76–80 seats.

• First class row 1: The single seat on the left (seat 1A) is a solo window-aisle hybrid with no neighbor. Ideal for solo travelers who want maximum privacy and the first off the aircraft.
• First class rows 2–4: The right side (seats B and C) allows couples or colleagues to sit together with lie-flat-adjacent comfort at 37-inch pitch. Seat 2A on the left gives direct aisle access.

Economy Best Picks

With no middle seats in the E175 economy cabin, the primary considerations shift from "avoid the middle seat" to legroom, noise, and distance from the lavatories.

• Exit row (typically row 12 or 13): The overwing exit row provides 34–36 inches of pitch versus the standard 30–31 inches. On a 90-minute regional flight, this can make the difference between a comfortable and a cramped experience.
• Rows 8–10 (middle of cabin): Centered over the wing for the smoothest ride. The E175 has a relatively small wing area relative to its fuselage, so turbulence is felt more noticeably than on widebody jets — sitting above or near the wing minimizes this.
• Row 5 (first economy row behind first class bulkhead): Good legroom from the bulkhead wall, easy lavatory access to the forward lavatory. One disadvantage: the tray table is stored in the armrest, and overhead bin space directly in front is allocated to first class overflow.
• Avoid rows 19–22 (last three rows): The aft lavatories are used by the entire economy cabin, creating consistent foot traffic past these rows. Seats in the last row do not recline and are adjacent to the aft galley.

Window Seats on the E175

The E175's windows are positioned at a comfortable height for seated passengers and are larger than those on CRJ-700/900 regional jets. Window seats on the E175 (seats A and D in economy, seat A in first class) are genuinely pleasant because the 2-2 layout means a window seat passenger never needs to climb over a sleeping neighbor.

The best window seat rows for views are rows 8–11, where the wing leading edge provides a clear forward view during approach. Rows 13–16 (behind the overwing exit) offer an unobstructed view of the ground during descent that is blocked on rows 8–12 by the wing structure.

US Carrier Variations

United's E175 operated by SkyWest is the most frequently praised in terms of cabin quality, offering 30-inch-pitch economy seats that are above average for a regional jet, plus in-seat power at exit rows on newer aircraft.