Review: Royal Jordanian E175 Economy Class Amman – Aqaba

• January 5, 2023
• Royal Jordanian 300
• Amman(AMM) – Aqaba (AQJ)
• Departure: 1436(AMM)
• Arrival: 1513(AQJ)
• Duration: 0:37
• Aircraft: Embraer E175LR
• Registration: JY-EMD
• Seat: 7D (Economy Class)

It was only a day in Amman but we received amazing Jordanian hospitality. On the second day, we continued our trip to Aqaba with Royal Jordanian. This was my first flight with the Jordanian flagship carrier.

Furthermore, Sam Chui joined the trip to Aqaba and onwards together with us which made this trip more exciting. He flew Royal Jordanian from Dubai and met with us in Amman city in the morning. Together we had a quick breakfast and went to the airport.

Royal Jordanian AMM-AQJ Domestic Check-In

After an hour’s drive south of the city, we reached Queen Alia International Airport. As the flight to Aqaba is domestic, we navigated from one end of the airport to the other end to reach the domestic check-in counter.

Jordan has very strict security measures due to terror threats everywhere and even going to the check-in counters requires security screenings prior.

Our flight to Aqaba departed at 2:30 PM so we checked in as soon as possible to explore the airport. However, the security checkpoint to enter the airside did not open until one hour before departure. The reason? There was basically nothing in the airside. No lounges or stores but a waiting area.

Royal Jordanian is a member of the Oneworld alliance but the domestic flight does not have separate lines for Oneworld elites the check in. Only priority baggage tag service was offered.

Royal Jordanian AMM-AQJ Boarding

Clearing the security screening, boarding began 30 minutes before departure. The domestic flights are parked at remote stands opposite the main terminal so we had to take a short bus ride to reach the aircraft.

As you can see from the below picture of the waiting hall on the airside, there is nothing but seats and a boarding gate.

Royal Jordanian E175 Economy Class Cabin

Royal Jordanian currently has only two Embraer E175 aircraft in its fleet with an average of 15 years. it is quite an old aircraft but actively flies on both domestic and international routes.

The E175 is configured into two cabins: Crown(Business) and Economy class. There are a total of 72 seats: 12 in business and 60 in the economy with 1-2 and 2-2 layouts respectively.

Our flight to Aqaba was operated by 15-year-old aircraft registered as JY-EMD. So at first, I thought the cabin will be really old but as I got on board, the airline kept the cabin all up to date without any big signs of aging.

Royal Jordanian E175 Economy Class Seats

The Embraer E175LR is a single-aisle aircraft that offers passengers on short flights a great level of service and comfort. The 60 seats on board offer 31 inches (76cm) of pitch and 18 inches (46cm) of width. The bulkhead seats in row 7 which we were seated had much wider legroom for rest.

The economy class seats start from rows 7 to 21 and it offers comfortable backrests with enough reclining angles. Our seat in row 7 does not have separate floor storage but the overhead bins offered spaces to fit our belongings.

For the bulkhead seat, the tray table is located under the right armrest. It is a foldable tray table but as all armrest tray tables are, it was unstable compared to the ones attached to the backrest.

Each row has an overhead panel with reading lights, air conditioning vents as well as a call bell, all clustered in a circular space.

While the weather in Jordan was cold outside, with the direct sunlight, the cabin environment was warmer so the air vents are a plus to getting some cold air.

Royal Jordanians still offer magazines on every seat which I found interesting as the trend nowadays is more to removing paper magazines on board.

Overhead storage spaces are quite small but they could pretty much stow every standard-sized carry-on baggage. My cabin-sized Rimowa was able to fit without an issue however be aware that the Plus size Rimowa can have an issue stowing.

Royal Jordanian AMM-AQJ Economy Class Dining

Being a full-service carrier, the airline even offered a snack box on this 30 minutes route. And what I am impressed about it was there were three options to choose from.

I chose the cheese option which comes with two cheese buns and milk. The two other options were vegetable and fruit options. All had great taste and were good snacks to consume for the short flight.

Royal Jordanian E175 Economy Class In-Flight Entertainments

The E175 does not have personal or shared in-flight entertainment systems on board. Given that the airline mostly operates these aircraft on short-haul routes (at most 3 hours), physical IFEs are not really required.

Instead, Royal Jordanian has expanded its “SkyConnect” wireless in-flight entertainment (W-IFE) service to its Embraer E175 and E195 aircraft. Initially, these W-IFE services are available on its A319 and A320 fleets but now with Embraers flying to a mix of long- and short-haul destinations, the CEO has decided to implement them on smaller aircraft as well.

While the aircraft has wireless entertainment connectivity, there are no separate USB chargers or power sockets on board. So it is best to carry a power bank just to prevent your devices from running out of battery.

Royal Jordanian E175 Economy Class Lavatory

There is only one lavatory aft of the economy class cabin. The lavatory offers basic toiletries such as hand soap and a sanitizing hand gel.

Summary

We flew on Royal Jordanian’s Embraer E175 from Amman to Aqaba to visit the Wadi Rum Nature Reserve.

It was my first time flying Royal Jordanian and my overall experience on board was amazing. I did not expect to receive something to eat even though the flight was very short and the cabin crews managed the service time very well.

This would really want me to try out Royal Jordanian’s long-haul routes and its B787 aircraft in the future. It is definitely an interesting airline to fly.