American versus Delta on New York-DC aboard E175 twinjets

Regional jet interiors can be boring. So boring, in fact, that the jets will occasionally shuffle between the major US airlines with only a bit of reupholstery and a new coat of paint.

On a recent roundtrip between New York and Washington D.C. area airports — with the outbound operated by Republic Airways as American Eagle and the return operated by SkyWest as Delta Connection, both using Embraer E175s — their similarities and indeed differences were on full display.

Rather unexpectedly, upgrades to first class cleared with both airlines, providing an apples-to-apples comparison between the hard and soft product offered on this very short hop.

No flight can depart New York LaGuardia without at least a little drama, and sure enough an oil spill on one of the terminal taxiways resulted in a few last minute gate changes and a rolling delay to my flight to Reagan National (DCA).

American’s iOS app, generally regarded as the weakest of the major US airline apps, delivered prompt gate change and delay notifications.

Despite its 16 years of service, Republic’s E175 appeared to be in tip-top condition.

But aside from the exterior paint job, the interior provided no clues that this was an aircraft operating as American.

I’m not sure if the bland and unbranded gray is American’s intention for the interior design or if the generic nature is a side effect of how regional jets are sometimes shifted between carriers, but it did not leave a lasting impression.

My seat in row 1 was also in good condition, and I love that I can increasingly count on regional jets to offer power outlets these days. This jet also featured a USB-A port in addition to AC power, though no USB-C port was available.

No pre-departure beverage was served, which has become a sticking point for frequent American passengers. That may be due to the slight chaos of pushing back late, or just the service as it was intended. It’s not a big deal for such a short flight, however.

Once in the air, the archaic but still functional Intelsat air-to-ground (ATG-1) inflight connectivity system powered up and, after laughing at the $13 flight pass, I connected using T-Mobile’s free offering. American does not offer a free messaging plan like its major competitors. It does still offer complimentary stored streaming video content, though that wouldn’t be very useful on a flight this short since the system only works above 10,000 feet.

After a quick cup of coffee and a dip in the first class snack basket we were already on the beautiful approach to DCA.

Despite our 30-minute late departure, we nearly blocked in early, but no ground crew was ready for us and the flight ultimately blocked in eight minutes late.

My return flight from Washington Dulles to New York JFK with Delta, as operated by Republic, did not go as planned.

After being alerted by iOS app Flighty that the assigned aircraft’s prior flights for the day had been canceled, I reached out to Delta to ask if the problem was mechanical to gauge whether or not I should change my plans. I was assured it was not a mechanical issue but found out the hard way that this statement was untrue when a two-hour delay posted just minutes before boarding.

Although the aircraft had been idling for 14 hours at Dulles, a mechanic only showed up to conduct a necessary hours-long inspection minutes before departure time. Republic knew this flight was going nowhere, but did not communicate the information until it was too late to change my plans.

Although the fantastic airport staff worked quickly to “steal” another aircraft, a stroke of bad luck saw that aircraft also taken out of service due to a bird strike.

Because Delta never officially canceled the flight, I had to speak with an airport agent to ensure I was sent a hotel voucher link. Had I been able to fully self-serve, it would have freed up agents for more complex issues. Once received, the process was simple and fast, however.

Delta’s iOS app also had trouble keeping up with my changing plans. Between multiple clearing upgrades and being ‘protected’ on alternate flights, the app simply didn’t know what to display. It had no idea what flight I was actually on, what boarding zone I was in, and eventually gave up displaying a boarding pass at all. The gate agent seemed to know this would happen when she protected me on another flight and proactively printed my boarding pass.

Starting fresh the next morning, a less than two-year-old E175 was the ride of the day.

Stepping onboard, it was immediately clear that this aircraft was operating for Delta. The bulkhead was adorned with Delta’s signature design, and even the flight attendant jumpseat bore the Delta widget. It may not seem like much, but these details really made it feel more like I was on a Delta flight. And yes, a pre-departure beverage was served.

This particular Delta Connection aircraft uses Intelsat’s upgraded but still ancient ATG-4 system. It supports a free messaging service which is ideal for such a short flight.

What Delta doesn’t offer anymore, however, is streaming video on its regional jets. The carrier unceremoniously cut that service about a year ago, even on its mainline Boeing 717 fleet. I kept my devices charged up using the AC power outlet. Unlike on American, no USB port was present.

After another quick snack basket offering and a cup of coffee, we blocked into the gate at New York JFK a few minutes early.

Both airlines showed strengths and weaknesses, though it was clear that Delta went a few extra steps to create an onboard experience more in line with its mainline operation.

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