Want to spend a really, really, really long time in an Embraer ERJ-145 regional jet? United Airlines might just have an excellent offer for you coming up later this year. The carrier appears to be introducing non-stop service between their hub in Houston and Williston, North Dakota. That’s a 1330 mile trip which blocks at 3:38 on the timetable northbound and 3:36 southbound. And they’ll be operating it on an E45.
By comparison, EWR-OKC is 1325 miles, a smidgen shorter than the new service, though the westbound version of that flight blocks in at 3:41 most days. And United has up-gaged the EWR-OKC route to an E70 some days, though many of the flights are still on a E45.
Map generated by the Great Circle Mapper - copyright © Karl L. Swartz.
Also coming later this year is service between Houston and Bradley International Airport near Hartford, CT. That’s going to launch on 13 October and operate with an Embraer ERJ-175, a much more comfortable ride than the E45 “little brother” flying the slightly shorter route to North Dakota.
With both of these routes added Houston will have non-stop service to more than 40 states. So they’ve that going for them. Which is nice.
h/t teh Otter for pointing out the possibility that this was happening.
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We regional jets there. And there! And THERE!
Nice post. Those routes wouldn’t be so bad in a converted regional jet with a big couch and unlimited liquor but….sounds painful in normal configuration.
They could at least hand out pins or luggage tags as a reward 🙂
Not AS long, but equally painful are the several flights per day from MSP to IAH in the Embraer 145. The reason I decided to add ORD to my recent routing to LIM (MSP – ORD – IAH – LIM)…. E145 for 2.5 hours.. not thank you.
I live in Houston. Not surprised. United has been screwing us with tiny jets since the merger.
I may be going to Montreal for work later this year, and couldn’t believe the one direct flight from IAH was 4 hours and 5 minutes – on an ERJ 170. Coming back, on the same jet, it’s 4 hours and 25 minutes. Grand total: 3,180 miles on an ERJ.
I’ll pass. I’d rather connect and fly decent sized jets on two legs.
Mind-blowing that one of the largest cities in the country and one of the largest economies in the world gets stuck with tiny jets.
The E70/E75 is a completely different beast than the E45. Like night and day.
Also, someone pointed out to me that IAH-ACY is even longer at 1345.
Was just going to post that. ACY-IAH takes the cake, I believe. 1345 miles and blocked at 3:49 westbound in an E135/45. Crazy.
Thanks for the info; guess I don’t know much about ERJ’s.
ACY-IAH is a very new route – when I ran the numbers last summer, EWR-OKC was UA’s longest E45 route.
That said, I’d still take an E45 over a CR2 – thanks to seat 12A, which is pretty manageable for up to 2 hours.
The E75 BDL-IAH option is pretty awesome, especially when we’re stuck with mostly RJ to EWR and IAD and some RJ/mainline to ORD.