Royal Jordanian Business Class E190-E2 Review: A Surprising Downgrade

Royal Jordanian is a oneworld airline, which means Alaska Atmos members, American AAdvantage holders, and other alliance travelers regularly look to it for award bookings into the Middle East. On paper, Amman connects the network efficiently. On the E190-E2 operated to Frankfurt, the business class product is a significant regression from what the carrier previously offered on this route — worth understanding before redeeming miles.

Why This Route and Aircraft Matter

Royal Jordanian has been introducing the Embraer E190-E2 on European routes as part of a fleet reconfiguration. The AMM-FRA route, reviewed here, ran the E190-E2 in a 12-seat business cabin configuration on a 4.5-hour flight. The redemption rate was 75,000 American AAdvantage miles plus $80.40 in fees — a reasonable award cost that makes the product evaluation relevant for alliance travelers who might otherwise assume a business class is a business class.

The Embraer E190-E2’s 12-seat cabin uses a staggered 2-2 configuration, with window seats positioned between the aisle seats rather than aligned with them. The result is an unusual arrangement that gives window seat passengers an awkward, diagonal relationship to both the window and the aisle — described by the reviewer as the strangest business class seating experienced. Privacy is limited and access to the window seat requires maneuvering past the aisle seat position.

What Makes It Different (and Not Favorably)

The E190-E2 cabin replaces what was previously a more traditional configuration on this route. The staggered seating design may be intended to add pseudo-staggered lie-flat capability, but at regional jet pitch and width, it achieves neither a comfortable flatbed for overnight flights nor an upright seat with meaningful personal space for a 4.5-hour daytime sector.

Service was characterized as indifferent, with the first drink service arriving approximately one hour after departure on a sub-5-hour flight. A single flight attendant covered the 12-seat business cabin. Meal quality was reasonable — Laurent Perrier champagne, a four-option menu with calorie counts, seafood tartlets and a beef brisket main — but delivery was on single trays rather than coursed service, and the promised dessert arrived incomplete.

Complimentary Viasat Wi-Fi is a genuine positive: fast, multi-device, and effective throughout the flight. The streaming entertainment library (movies, TV, audio) is accessed on provided tablets rather than seat-back screens. Earlier Royal Jordanian business class reviews on the 787 operated a meaningfully different and superior product.

The Catch / Who It’s For

The E190-E2 business class is most defensible for travelers who are redeeming miles that would otherwise expire or who have a strong schedule preference for this specific flight. The Wi-Fi and food quality make it livable. The seating arrangement and service pace make it hard to recommend over alternatives with more competitive business class products at comparable award costs — particularly on a route where Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Lufthansa operate through competing Middle East hubs.

Alliance travelers routing through Amman on award tickets should specifically confirm which aircraft operates their segment before booking. Royal Jordanian’s 787 product is a meaningfully different experience.

Source: One Mile at a Time

Content created with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy.