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How the Boeing jet no one wanted became the plane airlines scour the planet for (BA, DAL)
The Boeing 717-200 went out of production in 2006. Only 156 of the planes have been built. A decade later, the airlines that operate the 717 want more of them. (www.yahoo.com) More...
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Wow, this Boeing 717 posting has really attracted many comments. Thank you George Werderich for that elaborate and complete summary of the situation. That puts the entire Boeing 717 discussion in a better perspective. This is a great website, just a pity that some readers post slanderous comment like "How about doing a better job of editing" or "you need to go back to school" or use some foul language sometimes. Fortunately the website manager responds by removing foul language or non-aircraft related comments that I report. Just a request to be more tolerant towards non USA citizens as we don't all have the same command of the English language (like myself in South Africa, where English is not our home language). Our spell checker uses the UK version where the spelling sometimes varies, and grammar mistakes are not always corrected.
Aloha Hawaiian's 717's!
Aloha Hawaiian's 717's!
now the boeing company has two aircraft that it could sell if they reopened the production lines: 757 and 717. Both are useful now and for the forseeable future, so what's the problem, other than cannibalization of the remainder of boeing's production lines?
My wife and I flew in a Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 between Kahului, Maui to Honolulu in 2009. We experienced it as a smooth and comfortable flight although it only lasted about 30 minutes. We also wondered why this nice aircraft went out of production.
I, too, fly Hawaiian's 717 on the interisland flights, usually HNL-LIH-HNL, its a very comfortable plane, with lots of window- aisle combinations. Mahalo Hawaiian!
What are the basic visual differences between B-717 and DC-9 (for spotting purposes)?
All of the Delta 717 aircraft that were acquired from Southwest were Aircraft that belonged to Midwest Airlines out of Milwaukee. Sadly Northwest Airlines owned 49% of Midwest, when the Merger of Delta with Northwest occurred it was determined to shut down Midwest. The sad part when the Midwest Pilots asked to be included in some way, even getting interviews with Delta they were rebuffed. When Republic Airways took over some of the Midwest routes, Midwest Pilots were offered jobs on the bottom of the Republic (not the Republic that became part of Northwest in the 1980s) list.
The reason they were not given there hire dates at Midwest was that they had no equipment i.e. Aircraft. So they had no right to any seniority claim. So those Midwest Pilots who were still with the company at the end who had the most seniority were not offered a chance at employment where their aircraft went. I.e. Air Tran, Southwest or Delta. This is where their entire fleet ended up. Wonderful thing this industry. If you were a Midwest Pilot and stayed with the company to the end, you pretty well at that time got the short end of the stick. If you got furloughed earlier you got a job with another carrier that would end up with the Midwest Aircraft. You jumped the seniority list. The 717 is a fine aircraft as well as all the DC9 series aircraft were. They outlasted the competition they were built to compete with , 727, by many years it by the way was also a fine aircraft.
Comments about the 757, it is truly a pilots aircraft, over powered fun to fly in a wonderful cockpit. While I was flying them, I was told it was our most economic nominal and profitable aircraft when operated at its optimum load. It was used heavily on all nightt red eye flights that were low yield. I am surprised that so many are now being sent to their deaths in the bone yards. It has been commented how uncomfortable planes are, well when you jam seats together wit 17 inches of leg room nothing is going to be comfortable. Remember once upon a time there were only 100 seats on 707s.