United Express ERJ-175 first class San Diego to Los Angeles

This particular flight up to Los Angeles was a bit on the bittersweet side for me. On one hand, it was the first time I’ve flown United Express to LAX since the EMB-120’s were retired earlier this year and I was very thankful for not having to endure the pain of flying on one of those little buzz-bombs.

On the other hand, those little buzz-bombs were neat aircraft and they were always fun to fly on due to how “raw” they felt. It was always a loud and bumpy experience, and it’s a shame that they are gone from the United Express fleet for good. But those new ERJ-175’s are very nice, and it is a much needed upgrade for a busy route such as SAN-LAX.

san diego flight departure boards — Checking the boards – yep, my flight up to LAX is on time this morning!

sunrise at san diego international airport — I had a bit of time to kill before the flight – so at least I got to walk around and watch the sun rise from different vantage points

sun rising san diego airport — I love the way the sun catches the surfaces inside the terminal here. Beautiful!

san diego terminal 2 west rotunda — More cool sunrise shots near the departure gate (43) for this flight

UA6321
San Diego, CA (SAN) – Los Angeles, CA (LAX)
Friday, September 18, 2015
Aircraft: ERJ-175
Seat: 3A (first class)

united express embraer 175 side view — United Express ERJ-175 side view illustration by Norebbo.com

san diego to los angeles route map — Our route to Los Angeles today: SAN4 (doesn’t get any simpler than that!)

United Express ERJ-175 san diego — United Express ERJ-175 parked at gate 43

Boarding any LAX flight from the main terminal at SAN is a weird (but nice) experience now that the commuter terminal is no longer in operation, so all in all this felt just like going through the procedure for a normal mainline flight. Check in at terminal 2 west, browse the shops, maybe get something to eat – options that weren’t so readily available in the old commuter terminal!

Another nice thing about the ERJ-175 is the fact that they have a real first class cabin. Not only that, but it’s a 1-2 layout, so the A seats are single seats with no neighbor. Very nice, and you can bet that SANspotter grabbed one of those things without hesitation. Keep in mind that these are real first class seats and not the normal (tiny) seats found in the back – so it’s definitely a true first class experience and it was quite comfortable actually.

First class seat 3A erj-175 united airlines — First class seat 3A

united express era-175 first class cabin — 1-2 layout up here in first class on these ERJ-175’s

first class cabin wide angle photo — slightly wider angle shot showing more of the first class cabin

united express erj-175 first class leg room — First class leg room was typical of what you would find on any domestic US flight

san diego airport erj-175 — All buttoned up and ready to go!

This mornings flight up to LAX was very predictable – there was a quick beverage and snack basket service, we never climbed past 15,000ft, and we had really nice views of the Southern California coast for nearly the entire duration of the flight.

san diego runway 27 — Here we go – off on another trip! Looking straight down runway 27 moments before take off.

take off from san diego airport — Lift off! This was my first time on an ERJ-175 and I was surprised how quiet it was on departure.

departure from san diego airport — Passing over Point Loma and Sunset Cliffs

erj-175 low altitude cruise — 15k feet above the Pacific Ocean

embraer erj-175 windows — Enjoying a few minutes of peaceful solitude before the decent into LAX

approaching los angeles — Starting to cross over LA before making the big right turn for LAX

runway 25L approach LAX — Just a few seconds before touching down on 25L

We touched down on runway 25L just a few minutes early, which didn’t really benefit me all that much – I was looking at a 4 hour layover before my flight to ICN so it wasn’t like I was trying to rush or anything. Regardeless, it was good to be back at LAX (my favorite airport) and make the long walk west to the Tom Bradley International Terminal for my connecting flight.

United Express ERJ-175 first class San Diego to Los Angeles

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Albert

SANspotter

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Albert

SANspotter

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