Summary
- American Airlines switched to a smaller aircraft on its Los Angeles-Vancouver route temporarily.
- The Embraer E175 aircraft has 76 seats, providing less capacity compared to the Airbus A319.
- The regional aircraft is set to operate the route until May.
Dallas/Fort Worth-based American Airlines recently changed its equipment operating flights between its Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) hub and Vancouver International Airport (YVR). The move is likely influenced by decreased demand following the busy holiday travel season.
American is one of two US airlines operating the route, along with facing competition from three Canadian carriers. As of this month, the legacy carrier is the only airline to deploy a regional jet on the route, but it appears to be a temporary measure.
Switching from the Airbus A319, American has been utilizing the Embraer E175 between LAX and YVR as of February 15th, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. The flights are operated by SkyWest Airlines, which flies under the American Eagle regional brand. Before switching to the E175, American put the route on a month-long hiatus, which began on January 8th.
The E175s accommodate a total of 76 passengers in a two-class format. 12 first-class seats offer a pitch of 37 inches and a width of 19.9 inches. In the main cabin, 20 seats are designated as Main Cabin Extra seats, offering more legroom with a pitch of 34 inches. The remaining 44 seats have a pitch of 30 inches, while all seats in the main cabin have a width of between 18.2 and 19.3 inches, depending on where they are located.
Photo: vesperstock | Shutterstock
The planes are also equipped with WiFi, allowing passengers to surf the web or stream inflight entertainment through American’s inflight entertainment on personal devices. The aircraft, however, do not have USB or AC power ports.
Downgrade in capacity
With daily frequencies in both directions on the E175, American offers a total of 1,064 seats per week. 30 flights are scheduled this month, offering 2,280 total seats and more than 2.4 million available seat miles (ASMs), according to Cirium.
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Although the aircraft will support most of the route’s operation, the Embraer E175 is still scheduled between the two cities.
The equipment change represents a downgrade in capacity, considering the larger mainline A319 accommodates 128 passengers, but this is likely to cater to decreased demand. In the first seven days of the year before the route’s hiatus, American offered 896 seats in each direction on the A319, making up nearly 1,800 seats during the week.
Only temporary
This is the second time the airline used the E175 as a temporary substitute since introducing the route in April 2022. A similar move occurred last year following the holiday season, according to flight data. It will operate the route daily through March and April before the A319 will return to the scene and take over the majority of the flights in May.
As of this week, the aircraft is scheduled to operate 52 of the 62 frequencies in the month, beginning May 6th, while the E175 will operate 10 flights from May 1st to the 5th. With the A319 returning, American will boost its capacity by more than 3,000 seats compared to the previous month.
Photo: cpparrothead | Shutterstock
The airline faces competition from United Airlines, Air Canada, Flair Airlines, and WestJet on the route. All operating mainline aircraft, United has the Boeing 737-800 scheduled this week, while WestJet will operate the 737-700. Flair will deploy the 737 MAX 8, and Air Canada will see a mix of the MAX 8 and A321 – the largest aircraft to operate the route.
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