JSX Embraer 145 review: Livin’ the Oligarch life

Remember when we all used to hate on the Embraer 145? Granted, it was pretty easy to do given how nearly every airline that operated it treated them as the rented mules of their fleet. They crammed in as many seats as possible, skimped on the legroom, and didn’t provide all that much space for carry-on bags.

Then along comes JSX (aka JetSuiteX). They ripped out half the seats. They increased the legroom. Space for carry-on bags somehow got worse, but no matter.

They showed us that flying on a E145 can be teetering on the edge of luxurious. Stress-free too! Just as long as you don’t mind checking your carry-on bag of course. That’s a little stressful.

XE621
Carlsbad, CA (CLD) – Las Vegas, NV (LAS)
Monday, August 17, 2026
Aircraft: Embraer 145
Registration: N949JX
Duration: 48 minutes
Seat: 5C

JSX Embraer 145 side view illustration by NorebboStock.com

XE621 flight track — Our route from Carlsbad to Las Vegas this afternoon as XE621

My full review of the JSX E145 experience from Carlsbad to Las Vegas

Yeah. Carlsbad! For those of you who may not know, the McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad is San Diego’s other commercial airport. It’s located about 45 minutes north of SAN, and offers a limited number of daily flights to a handful of regional destinations. For now anyway. The NIMBY’s are trying their best to shut it all down.

JSX operates out of the Carlsbad Jet Center at CLD. It’s about a 10 minute walk from the main terminal, and just a 5 minute walk from the long term parking lot.

Entrance to be Carlsbad Jet Center at the Carlsbad Airport in San Diego — Welcome to the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport! All because JSX refuses to fly out of the main terminal here.

Scott Leazenby walking into the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — Whatever. I’ll go anywhere for the opportunity to judge and critique every little detail of an airline who refuses to fly out of the main terminal of every airport it operates out of.

JSX building at the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — *“The building is a little boxy. And the JSX logo should be at least 6 inches larger.”*

Main entrance to the JSX building at Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport featuring red and white JSX logos and banners — Dang it. The main entrance looks kinda good actually. Who says it’s easy to be a critic?

Checking in

I arrived approximately 30 minutes prior to departure. Only one of the two check-in desks was open, but no matter. Even with a group of people ahead of me, I was checked in (boarding pass in hand) within five minutes.

JSX check-in desk Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — The check-in desk, with what appears to be a conversation about miscalculating what an Embraer 145 is capable of. That’s a lot of stuff for a short hop to Vegas!

JSX lounge area with complementary drinks and snacks in the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport

JSX lounge with tables and chairs in the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport

It’s worth noting that the waiting area / lounge at the JSX Terminal here at Carlsbad is pretty nice. Free snacks and drinks are available, with plenty of seating on two levels.

Upstairs waiting area JSX lounge at the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — I chose to be antisocial (and judge-y) in the upstairs waiting area. *“Yeah, the seat is comfortable and all, but why does it have to be so dang hard to get a drink up here?”*

Free snacks and drinks in the JSX waiting lounge at the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — *“Oh. I see.”* Turns out I was sitting right next to this self-serve drink and snack bar and I didn’t even realize it. This critiquing stuff is hard!

The boarding process

Things have changed since my last JSX flight. They now have scanners for both carry on bags and passengers, which everyone has to go through prior to boarding the aircraft. It’s just like the regular TSA experience now. But smaller.

JSX Carlsbad to Las Vegas boarding pass — The amount of damage I can do to a paper boarding pass in less than 20 minutes is astounding. I’ve got a bony butt, OK?

They boarded all passengers at once by the way. There’s no priority boarding (or pre-boarding for that matter). No special snowflakes allowed.

Walking through the hanger on my way out to the plane at the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport

JSX Embraer 145 at the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport

JSX Embraer 145 forward boarding door — X marks the spot! If only everything in life was as clearly labeled as this forward boarding door.

JSX E145 seat and cabin overview

There are 30 seats arranged in a spacious 1-1 configuration on the JSX E145. It looks and feels more luxurious than what you saw in my JSX E135 review (which featured a more condensed 1-2 seating configuration).

JSX Embraer 145 interior cabin — JSX Embraer 145? Or the upper deck of Korean Air 747-8 business class? The lack of overhead bins opens up the interior of an E145 in ways I didn’t even know was possible.

For maximum privacy and space, choose a seat on the right-hand side of the aircraft (the C seats). You’ll be guaranteed a side table next to your seat featuring two insulated cupholders. The seats on the left-hand side of the aircraft (the A seats) do not have this side table. Womp womp.

Seat 5C with side table JSX Embraer 145 — My seat, complete with a side table and a cute little dog who I just know is gonna be my best friend in less than five minutes.

JSX Embraer 145 seat comparison (seats with a side table and the seats without a side table) — Here’s the thing about booking a ticket on the JSX E145: there are consequences to selecting a seat on the left-hand side of the aircraft. *“No cup holder for you!”*

JSX Embraer 145 seat width showing side table with dual insulated cupholders — Not just one cup holder, but *two* cup holders. Wait a sec. I wonder if I’m expected to share the one on the left with the person across the aisle?

JSX Embraer 145 legroom and under seat storage space — Legroom (and under seat storage space) is excellent in these seats. The fact that there’s a happy little pup licking my elbow as I’m taking this picture makes all that space even better.

JSX Embraer 145 seatbacks with headrests and woodgrain tray tables — Don’t you know? Wood veneer (harvested from trees indigenous to the lush forests of Las Vegas) cancels out the lack of video screens.

JSX Embraer 145 armrest with seat recline button

JSX Embraer 145 electrical outlet in the side panel next to my seat

There are full-size 110 V electrical outlets at every seat. No USB ports however. Come prepared.

Scott Leazenby sitting in seat 5C JSX Embraer 145 — Rolling up my sleeves in frustration as I realize how difficult it actually is to judge and critique an airline who refuses to fly out of the main terminal of every airport it operates out of.

The departure from Carlsbad

We powered off the gate exactly on time at 1:15 PM. The taxi out to the threshold of runway 24 was a bit slow however. Air traffic congestion around LAS required us to delay our departure by 10 minutes.

JSX ramp worker at the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — He looks awfully calm for a guy who’s about to be skewered by the pointy wingtip of an Embraer 145, doesn’t he?

JSX Embraer 145 passengers — We’re all pretty calm and relaxed in here as well. I guess I kind of forgot how chill the JSX experience is.

JSX Embraer 145 a taxi past the Carlsbad Jet Center at the McClellan-Palomar Airport

Looking at small aircraft from the window of a JSX E145 while taxing out to the runway at the McClellan-Palomar Airport

JSX E145 turning onto runway 24 at the McClellan-Palomar Airport — Here we go (about to piss off the NIMBY’s in 3…2…1…)

We were in the air and on our way 8 minutes late at 1:33 PM. I was pretty much glued to the window the entire time considering that this is the first time that I have flown out of Carlsbad. Pretty neat stuff!

View of Carlsbad just moments after taking off from runway 24 at the McClellan-Palomar Airport in a JSX Embraer 145 — The opposition to commercial flights at Palomar Airport has been so strong that that I’m surprised we made it out of here without being hit by anti-aircraft fire. Or another lawsuit. Nice view though, eh?

JSX Embraer 145 wing tip — We weren’t completely defenseless against attacks however (at least the non-legal kind). These pointy teeth along the leading edge of the wing makes the Embraer 145 a very capable fighter jet.

In-flight entertainment

Bad news: in-flight entertainment in the form of movies and TV shows on the JSX E145 does not exist.

Good news: Starlink Wi-Fi is available and free for all passengers. It was extremely easy to connect to and super fast as well. No complaints.

Connecting to the free starlink Wi-Fi in the JSX E145 — Free Starlink Wi-Fi engaged! There wasn’t enough time to download the entire Internet on the short hop over to Vegas unfortunately.

Snacks and drinks

The snack and drink situation hasn’t changed all that much since the last time that I flew JSX. Everything is free (including the alcohol), but there isn’t much of a selection if I’m being honest.

JSX in flight menu cover (with 10th anniversary markings) — The cover of the in-flight menu. And the realization that JSX has been a thing for 10 whole years. Has it really been that long?

Everyone gets a small snack and a drink. I suppose you could get more than one if you ask nicely (and promise to be good), but I didn’t try.

JSX in flight menu showing snacks and drinks — The disappointment of opening the 3 page menu only to realize that two of those pages are dedicated to things *other* than food and drink. What a tease!

JSX in flight menu showing free alcohol options — At least the alcohol is free. Good luck trying it all on a 50 minute hop over to Vegas. And I mean that literally of course, as I think it’d be pretty fun to watch someone give it a try.

Reading the in-flight menu in a JSX E145 — The fact that this is the *fourth* photo in a row of the in-flight menu tells you that…I was having difficulty trying to make a decision.

JSX E145 free snack (little bag of cashews) — Decision made. For the main course, I went with chopped cashews garnished with olive oil and sea salt.

JSX E145 free drink with a cup of ice — Grove pineapple juice (100% juice from concentrate with added ingredients) was my beverage of choice. *“A fine choice it is, sir*.” (A direct quote from one of the many voices in my head).

Enjoying a beverage in the JSX E145 — Ice cold pineapple juice AND freshly licked elbows? This could be my best flight of the year actually.

JSX E145 woodgrain tray table — BTW, yes, there are tray tables in the seats. The side table next to me (with those two insulated cupholders) rendered this null and void unfortunately.

Scott Leazenby eating a snack in JSX E145 seat 5C — Doing my best to render those cashews null and void as well. They were quite tasty!

Seat recline and comfort

Even though I didn’t recline my seat all that much, I can confirm that the amount of recline available is impressive. The woman in front of me slammed her seat all the way back immediately after takeoff, putting her headrest (and hair) in my face for the entire duration of the flight.

JSX E145 seat recline — This is what it looks like to be on the receiving end of 100% seat recline (and the untamed locks of the passenger sitting in front of you) on the JSX E145.

Crossing my legs in seat 5C on the JSX E145 while the passenger in front of me is fully reclined — At least I was able to cross my legs as I fantasized about having hair like that of my own.

The seats aren’t all that comfortable if I’m being honest. This didn’t feel any better (or worse) than what I experienced on the American Eagle E145.

Scott Leazenby adjusting the overhead air vent in seat 5C on a JSX E145 — **Pro tip:** when the hair gets too far out of control, just blow it away with the powerful overhead air vents. Embraer thought of everything!

The descent and arrival into Las Vegas

Getting rocked by strong turbulence during descent into LAS isn’t anything new to me. My Allegiant A320 Legroom Plus experience ended this way, and you know what? I didn’t feel as if I wanted to experience turbulence like that ever again. Unfortunately, this approach was a butt-clencher all the way in.

Flying over the Nevada desert on approach into Las Vegas — *“Hey this is perfect! Let’s build a city here!”* I honestly have no idea what our forefathers were thinking.

It’s getting serious. We haven’t even passed through 10,000 feet yet and the locks have already been tamed.

Flying over the suburbs of Las Vegas on descent into LAS

Looking out the window of a JSX E145 while on approach into Las Vegas

Looking out the window of a JSX E145 while touching down on runway 08R at LAS — Welcome to Las Vegas! Just a little bit more to the right and we could’ve mowed down that entire row of palm trees with the teeth on our wing I reckon.

We touched down on runway 08R one minute late at 2:21 PM. Not bad considering our late departure from Carlsbad (and all the bumps on the way in).

Turning off runway 26R at LAS — Always look twice (in both directions) before crossing the street, y’all.

Concourse C (the Southwest Airlines terminal) at the Las Vegas airport — Taxiing past Concourse C. Or, as we hoity-toity JSX passengers like to refer to it as, the “normie” concourse.

View of the casinos at the Las Vegas strip while taxing at the las Vegas airport

The Netjets building at LAS with a JSX E135 parked next to it

JSX ramp worker the private FBO terminal at LAS — Pulling up to our parking spot at the private terminal, Or, as normie Concourse C passengers like to refer it as, the “Oligarch Terminal.” If they only knew of the struggles we face on a daily basis.

Sitting and waiting for the seatbelt sign to turn off in a JSX E145 after arriving at LAS — *“Ladies and gentlemen, we appreciate your patience as we wait for ramp personnel to offload checked luggage and to have it ready for you as you depart the aircraft”*. Oligarch life.

Walking up the aisle while deplaning a JSX E145

Walking down the air stairs while deplaning a JSX E145 at LAS

The nose and front landing gear of a JSX Embraer 145 parked on the ramp at LAS — Razor Sharp wing teeth *and* a pointy nosecone? The Embraer 145 is a lot more stabby than most people think!

Pros and cons of flying on the JSX E145

Yep, this was my best JetSuiteX experience yet. Granted, this is only the second time that I’ve ever done it, but I’ll tell you what: the Embraer 145 was so much better than the E135.

Pros

Having a side table next to my seat (as opposed to just an empty seat) felt incredibly spacious.
Free Starlink Wi-Fi!
Legroom is excellent. Just about as good as what you’ll experience in domestic first class on any US airline.

Cons

There are no overhead bins on the E145, so the only space that you’ll have for your carry-on bag is under the seat in front of you. You’ll have to check it if it doesn’t fit.
There are no USB charging ports.

2 Comments

Joseph says:

September 16, 2026 at 2:37 pm

u been on the 135 and 145 so all u need it the atr and LOVE the reviews. When are u gonna take ur next flight?

1. Scott Leazenby (SANspotter) says:
  
  September 16, 2026 at 3:02 pm
  
  Yup, I gotta figure out how to get on the ATR somehow. I think they have all new interiors coming as well, so I guess it just means I’m going to have to do everything again at some point. That’s the life of an airline reviewer I suppose.
  
  I’m heading out on another trip next week!

JSX Embraer 145 review: Livin’ the Oligarch life