An unusual bird in the Boeing flock is the Boeing 717. It looks nothing like the other aircraft designed by the US manufacturer and that is because it was conceived by former competitor McDonnell Douglas as a Douglas DC-9-30 replacement.
Renamed the Boeing 717-200 after Boeing absorbed McDonnell Douglas in 1997, it first flew from Long Beach on 2 September 1998. Powered by two Rolls-Royce BR715 turbofans, it has a range of 2,648 to 3,815km and entered service on 12 October 1999 with AirTran Airways.
Boeing 717 Video
Following on from the last video on the Lockheed L-1649 Starliner, this time we stay in the USA for a look at the Boeing 717. The video is produced by Skyships Eng and runs for just under ten minutes.
With its five abreast cabin, quiet engines and fuel efficiency, the aircraft fit in well with the airlines who acquired it. They included carriers like TWA, Midwest Airlines, Volotea, and MexicanaClick among others. For some real sights and sounds of the plane, the video below shows it in action on the Greek island of Skiathos.
That’s quite up close and personal! One claim to fame for the former McDonnell Douglas jet is that it has never been involved in a fatal accident, which is a great thing indeed.
Overall Thoughts
Just 156 Boeing 717s were produced between 1998 and 2006 and today just three airlines utilise the aircraft. You can find them in service on inter-island routes operated by Hawaiian Airlines, in Australia with QantasLink and flying for Delta Air Lines in the USA.
I’ve been lucky enough to fly on the Boeing 717 with Jetstar in Australia, which became the very first flight review I ever wrote. I also flew on the plane in business class with QantasLink on a flight from Sydney to Canberra and immediately after from Canberra to Melbourne. It’s quite a comfortable ride!
Have you ever flown on board a Boeing 717 before and what was that like? What did you think of the videos? Thank you for reading and if you have any comments or questions, please leave them below.
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Featured image by formulaone via Wikimedia Commons.
Oh yeah! The 717. Flew it on TWA, Delta and AirTran. Even though it’s more similar in size to the DC-9-50, to me it feels more like the DC-9-30 from a performance aspect. The -30 was a real pocket rocket (and also my all time favorite plane) and the 717 does it’s predecessor justice. My last flights on one were Delta, MSP-BIL (Billings, MT)-MSP a couple of years ago. A memorable trip for a couple of reasons: First off was the evil witch woman that was my seatmate on the 2 seat side MSP-BIL. Although she spilled over into my space due to her ample girth, she was overly concerned about my knee going half an inch into “her” space and told me exactly where my space ended as if I were a 3 year old. I told her in response to try and spill her flab into the aisle, rather than my window seat. It was a chilly flight after that.
On the return, I exited security in MSP for a brief smoke and on my way back through security my pants, which were elastic waist to avoid the whole taking-off-your-belt issue, also had elastic cuffs right below the knee. Summer and all! Anyway, the cuffs below the knee showed up as a dark blob on the body scanner so they took me over for a pat down. The TSA agent that patted my down was VERY thorough, brushing “Richard and The Twins” not once but twice and of course a quick grope of my keister, none of which were anywhere near the spot below my knees that warranted the cop-a-feel moment. At least the groper was kind of cute in a too-young-for-me way, so there’s that.
Nothing to do with the 717 itself but just thought I would share that for no good reason. My flights to and from MSP-STL were A319’s and uneventful.
I never had the opportunity to fly on a DC-9, so the Boeing 717 is definitely the next best thing. Loving the story of the evil witch woman – I can imagine she was unimpressed by that, but very amusing!!
Come to think of it, I haven’t had a pat down in a long, long time. But I suppose that’s partly as I haven’t flown for what seems like forever. Maybe you got someone new, because I have never had that thorough a going over… by a TSA agent at any rate!
Haha – great read, thanks for all that! I’ll take any stories, they don’t always have to be about the aircraft.
Just flew on one from Milwaukee to Detroit
1 week ago on a Delta Connection flight. Sat in the row right by the engine. Not too loud and the plane was comfortable, unlike the Canadair 900 i flew later in the day…
They’re certainly much more comfortable than any of the Canadair planes, that’s for sure!
Remember it? I see this plane several times a day since i live here in Hawaii, you can get away from them! They’re good planes though, as someone how usually travels in a pair, love the 2 side. It’s been about your only choice for inter-island if you don’t want a single engine Cessna. That is UNTIL now, Southwest flies 737’s inter island, but still no where near as many flights per day as Hawaiian. But Southwest is usually cheaper. Before Southwest gave competition you’d think the Hawaiian 717’s were made of gold. Hawaiian would charge upwards of 300-400 bucks for RT OGG to HNL for ONE PERSON, that’s literally a 20 minute flight. Southwest WGA fares I can get RT for two people for $130 so luckily it’s forced Hawaiian to come down on price too.
Of course, Hawaii is festooned with the aircraft. “Before Southwest gave competition you’d think the Hawaiian 727’s were made of gold.” – that made me laugh! It does go to show how important competition is on the routes. I am heading to Hawaii next year, so I’ve seen some of the airfares and just how many flights Hawaiian operate inter-island. It’s a very full schedule each day. Glad the prices have come down – no way I would pay $300 to $400 return for a 40 minutes flight each way. That’s highway robbery! Thanks for the comment, enjoyed that take!
I like the plane. It’s quiet near the front. It may be rugged, not flimsy. It’s nice that Delta flies it, not their Delta Connection partners.
I read that the plane serves Hawaiian well and that 737 has difficulty flying a lot of consecutive short cycles in one day.
It’s very quiet up front, very true. Yes, you’re right, apparently there is an issue with engine temperatures not having enough time to cool down between the short flights Hawaiian operate, which is no issue for the engine on the 717. I’ll be interested to see what they end up doing to replace it when the time comes. I am off to Hawaii next year and I am hoping to take an inter-island flight to get on one of theirs. Should be fun!
Just flew one from ATL on Delta. It often serves as the only Delta “mainline” aircraft to serve smaller cities (which are otherwise served by regional jets via Delta Connection). I agree it’s a nice, quiet and comfortable ride.
Glad to hear it, I’ve always enjoyed my flights on them. I hear Delta is retiring the Boeing 717s gradually between now and 2025, which was announced last year. I imagine the Airbus A220s will largely replace them. It’s a fantastic aircraft as well. Thanks for the comment!