Boeing Plans to End Production of 717 Jet

[Desperadoe]

CHICAGO (AP) -- Boeing Co. will end production of the 717 jet, its smallest passenger plane, next year, and plans to charge $615 million against earnings before taxes related to that and the loss of a $23 billion deal to supply refueling tankers to the U.S. Air Force.

The big Chicago-based airplane manufacturer said Friday the charge will work out to 48 cents a share for the fourth-quarter and full-year 2004 results, scheduled to be released on Feb. 2, 2005.

Boeing shares were down 20 cents at $50.43 in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange.

The company will take a charge amounting to about $340 million, or 27 cents per share, before taxes due to the end of the production of the 717 sometime in 2006.<snip>

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Boeing-717.html

[Coastie for Truth]

1. The 717 is the old DC-9

...obsoleted by the 737 and the new breed of "Metro Jets" (the 48-72 passenger jets).

[Richardo]

2. I wonder if AirTran was the only airline that bought 717s...

The only one I ever flew in was an AirTran.

[markdd]

3. Worst. Airliner. Ever.

God, I hate DC-9/MD-80/717's.:puke: Good riddance. Boeing 717's were flown by a number of airlines. I think American and Northwest flew them also.

[DemoTex]

4. I flew captain on the MD-80 (so I have a DC-9 type rating).

My opinion of the MD-80 was clouded by almost 10,000 hours in the Boeing 737-200 and 737-300/400 aircraft. The 717, by the way, was a BINO (Boeing in name only). It started out as the MD-95. My motto remains:

If it's not a Boeing, I'm not going!

[Rainscents]

6. Boeing will...

go out of business when China start making commercial airplanes... I hate to see this happen, but I'm afraid GOP will not stop it either.

I'm not sure people are aware, one of the top Bush administration owns part of the airbus and I think this is why, GOP is not helping Boeing out or get involve with dispute with Airbus.

[donheld]

5. American inherited the 717

when they bought out TWA. I don't think American held on to them long

[American Renaissance]

10. they went to Air Tran,

AA unloaded the 717 because of very high lease rates and the Fokker 100 more or less made it redundant.

But later... both AA and US Air would phase out their Fokker 100's in crash-course fleet rationalization efforts, and this flooded the market with fairly young Fokker 100 aircraft, which in some cases were bought instead of the 717, especially in Europe.

You can get a ten year old Fokker 100 with a fresh C check and AD retrofit for about $4 million dollars, that is bat-shit crazy. And while Fokker is no more, support is still available for them.

[Kellanved]

7. yes, but

a significant portion of them was made in Berlin. :grr:


;-)

[bossfish]

8. Weren't they making those in Long Beach?

Damn...I feel bad for a lot of my neighbors.

[American Renaissance]

9. most will be okay,

most of 717 line has enough seniority that they will be transfered to the C-17 line. The brutal cuts have already been made.

Come 2006, the DC-9 family will have been in production for 42 years, only the 737 will beat it. Not a bad accomplishment.

[Redstone]

11. Not in the same class, but

The worst (civilian) airplane I've ever flown in was the Fairchild Metro - even worse than the Shorts Skyvan. Had to get carried off one after a hard landing in Cincinnati once.

My vote for BEST widebody is unfortunately the one that didn't last long in the market, the L-1011. What a smooth ride. What power.

Redstone

[markdd]

12. Rode the L-1011 to Korea a couple of times

It was like being stuck inside an aerosol can for 9-11 hours. Not a bad ride in total, just that constant PSSSSSSSSST sound and a -40 degree breeze just at the top of my socks.