The first 100-seater regional jets, the Embraer 190, began service in the US Tuesday with jetBlue's first flights with the type -- an inauguration that came a day after the type's 50-seat sister saw another setback with the bankruptcy of CRJ operator Independence Air.
JetBlue's long-awaited 190s made their first flights out of Boston on one of eight daily services between Logan and New York's JFK with, the carrier says, every seat filled. The entry of the crowd-pleasers on the highly competitive Northeast Corridor will be a test of the type against larger airliners used in shuttle service between the two cities, though jetBlue says it expects many of passengers on 190 routes to transfer at its JFK hub to flights on its jetBlue A320 longer distance routes. The Embraer can achieve routes of up to 2,100 nautical miles; the Airbus, cross-country nonstops.
The 190 is widely seen as a game changer, perhaps as much as so as the entry of wide-bodies was. The airline, which gave out free tickets for future flights to 190 randomly selected New Yorkers who happened to be wearing blue, will take six more of the 190s this year and 19 more next year
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