American Airlines Gets New RECARO Seats On The Embraer E175

Louis is a military historian and the staff writer for History of War magazine, a leading military history monthly. He also has an interest in private and commercial aviation.

Embraer has today announced the delivery of the first Embraer E175 to American Airlines fitted with a new generation of RECARO seats. It is part of a new cabin experience, which Embraer hopes will push the E175 to supremacy in the North American regional aircraft market. The aircraft already controls approximately 80% of the market in its class of regional jets.

The manufacturer says that the seat combines "contemporary aesthetics with durable, human-centric ergonomics." The upgrade brings the jet's cabin environment and passenger experience closer to what Embraer offers with the Embraer E2 family, and positions the E175 as the benchmark regional jet. Simple Flying has contacted American Airlines for comment.

The RECARO Seats Are The Centerpiece Of A New Cabin Environment

The new E175 delivered to American Airlines is more modern than previous iterations of the aircraft because of the new cabin environment that Embraer has created. It is built around RECARO seating. The chair has a slimline profile and contemporary styling. It is designed to maximize personal space and knee room, which are hard to come by on a regional aircraft. Embraer says that the seat achieves this without undermining the seat's cushioning.

Arjan Meijer, President and CEO of Embraer Commercial Aviation, said:

"The E175 has built an unmatched reputation by continuously evolving to meet the needs of airlines and passengers. The introduction of our new RECARO seats demonstrates our commitment to investing in the platform and delivering enhancements that improve passenger experience while creating additional value for operators."

American Airlines Will Be The First US Carrier With RECARO Seats On An E175

The E175 is one of the world's most popular regional jets. Yet, no other US airline has an E175 with RECARO seats. This jet is destined to fly with American Eagle, which already flies 246 examples of the jet. The table below shows the current fleet that are under the umbrella of this airline brand. The brand encompasses the wholly owned affiliates Envoy Air, PSA Airlines, and Piedmont Airlines, as well as the third-party carriers Republic Airways and SkyWest Airlines. It uses Planespotters.net data:

On top of the new seats for E175 jets, American Eagle is also making efforts to bring its other aircraft up to date, including E170s, CRJ700s, CRJ900s, and the E175s it already owns, Air Data News reports. The regional carrier announced the plans in 2025, with cabin changes including power at the seats and high-speed Wi-Fi. American Eagle is yet to confirm whether any of these pre-existing aircraft will be retrofitted with RECARO seats.

There Are Many More E175 Jets To Come

It is assumed that future E175 aircraft to arrive in the American Eagle fleet will include the RECARO seats and cabin upgrades. American Eagle placed an order for 90 E175s in 2024, with additional options for 43 jets. Envoy has announced it will receive a further 33 E175 and Skywest wants to press a further 11 E175s into American Eagle service, both of which will occur in 2026 to 2027.

These orders and affiliates dedicating E175s to American Eagle is part of the brand's strategy to eliminate its single-class, 50-seat aircraft. The brand has ambitions to complete this strategy by the end of the decade.

American Eagle is also using its E175 as a pioneering aircraft that can launch new strategically significant routes. An example is the first-ever nonstop flights between Miami International Airport (MIA) and Barcelona Jose Antonio Anzoategui International Airport (BLA) in Venezuela, beginning January 15, 2027. These services will depart Miami at 10:15 AM and arrive in Barcelona at 2:52 PM, Simple Flying's Paul Hartley reports.