Unless you explicitly want a non-retina screen (and given the still-sad state of retina support in third party software), you may very well want a non-retina screen), the 13" MacBook Pro with Retina will always be the better machine. This is usually the case, however, it is a bit more so with this Early 2015 (Broadwell) generation, given that now the 13" rMBP has Force-Touch AND faster RAM than its MacBook Air counterpart.
Also, let's be real here, opting to not go the 13" rMBP route because you're not a pro user is like opting for a double bacon cheeseburger over deep fried chicken because it is healthier. Neither machine really has the muscle for intense work, however, one very clearly provides more mileage over the other.