Originally Posted by
av8tordude
The few B717 that DL will be acquiring is not enough to put a dent to reduce regional airline flying. Also, I could be wrong, but DL will be leasing the B717. Its easy to make a boat load of money when you don't have to make lease payments.
Also, an argument can be made in regards the ONE flight you took, but I don't think it adds an relevance to the OP's original question. In trying to stick to the original question, my posts were meant to offer an outside view of the U.S. airline industry as I see it living as an expat.
The few?? Delta is acquiring 88 B717s. Combine that with the 50 MD90s acquired over the past few years and growth from 737-900ERs and there is plenty of lift to replace a size able amount of regional flying. As a matter of fact, once all the 50 seaters are gone, there will be fewer regional domestic seats available then mainline domestic seats.
Also, SWA is essentially paying DL to take the B717 off their hands. They were acquired for substantially less then the cost of a new CRJ900/EMB175. They'll be paid for in a short seven years.