I certainly don't deny that the 9 is a fuel hog, however, it is good to have the ability to fly a 100 seat airplane (with no lease payment) in a market that only supports 100 seats. No sense driving 142 seats and an extra flight attendant there when only 80-90 seats are getting paid for. Yes they need to be replaced with a more fuel efficient 100 seater, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I hope that we are all smart enough to prevent them being replaced by a regional affiliate.