Delta Airlines Bombardier CRJ-900 (CR9) Seat Map

Picking your seat on Delta's CRJ-900

Two things shape every decision on this little twin-jet: there are no middle seats anywhere (first is 1-2, everything behind it is 2-2), and the cabin is short enough that where you sit front-to-back matters more than left-or-right. So the real question is how far forward you can get, and whether you want to be alone.

First Class (rows 1–4)

The move up here is the A column. On the left side of First, the A column is a single seat with both a window and direct aisle access, the quietest, most private seat on the jet — no seatmate, no climbing over anyone. A solo seat like 2A or 3A gives you that privacy without any asterisks.

Row 1 is the trade-off row. 1A carries extra legroom and nothing reclines into you, but there's no underseat stowage, so your bag goes up top for taxi. The right-side pair 1C and 1D sit close to the forward lavatory and rate poorly for it — skip them if you're sensitive to traffic and door noise. At the back of the cabin, 4A, 4C and 4D back up to a curtain rather than a solid bulkhead, so you may feel movement and light from behind. If that bothers you, sit in rows 2 or 3.

Comfort+ (rows 5–9)

Row 5 is the pick of this mini-cabin: all four seats (5A, 5B, 5C, 5D) have genuine extra legroom. The only catch is a curtain or partition right in front, which some people find fidgety, but the stretch-out room is worth it. Rows 6 through 9 are standard Comfort+ with the same 34-inch pitch and in-seat power. Be aware the wing starts creeping into your view around row 9 — the overwing stretch runs through here , so if the window is the point, sit further forward in this block.

Main Cabin (rows 10–19)

This is where knowing the map pays off. Skip past row 10 and 11: row 10 sits over the wing with a compromised window, and row 11 is the row that gets punished by the exit behind it — 11A through 11D do not recline at all, and you get no extra legroom to compensate. It's the worst combination in the cabin.

The exit rows themselves are 12 and 13, and they are not equal. Row 12 gives you real legroom but the seats won't recline, so you're upright the whole flight. Row 13 is the one I'd fight for: same generous legroom, the seat ahead can't recline into you, and row 13 itself does recline. 13B and 13C are the cleanest picks — full-size everything. 13A and 13D have the same legroom but sit over the wing and may have a firm cushion and a missing armrest, so choose those knowing the quirks. Note that all the exit-row seats lose underseat stowage for takeoff and landing.

The back of the bus is the part to avoid. The Delta Connection CRJ-900s carry missing or misaligned windows , and the aft rows stack noise on top of it. Rows 18 and 19 sit near the rear lavatory and catch engine and wing noise — 18B, 18C and 19B are the low-raters, with 18A, 18D and 19A close behind. The last row also butts up against the lav and closet, so recline is limited and foot traffic is constant. And don't go hunting for 19C or 19D — those seats are blocked and won't show as bookable; the last row is effectively A and B only.

Quick logic

If you want to arrive fresh and don't mind paying, a solo A seat up front wins. Free extra legroom that still reclines lives at 13B and 13C. And the seats to steer around are the non-reclining row 11, the upright exit seats in row 12, and the noisy lav-adjacent 18s and 19s at the very back.