Delta 717 problems?

[race#53]

[FONT=ARIAL,]I flew my first DL B712 this morning from ATL-LIT (N929AT) and we had a maintenance delay in our departure due to a 'minor maintenance delay.' Since this was only the 5th revenue flight of this plane in DL colors, I didn't think much of it.... however, that same ship is coming back to LIT and flying me LIT-ATL later today and it has now had another maintenance delay in Atlanta.

I spoke to the red-coat here in LIT and she said that their LIT-ATL flights are now almost all B712 and they've been having lots of maintenance issues with the plane, requiring B752s and A320s to come in make up the slack.

Since all of the planes flew for a long time in FL colors, it does seem odd that DL may be having these issues. Does anyone have insight to the troubles and their ultimate resolution?[/FONT]

 

[redflyer65]

Who didn't see that coming? I think the General has been all excited about taking 88 of these things.

Enjoy. And thanks for the help!

 

[dalad]

[FONT=ARIAL,]I flew my first DL B712 this morning from ATL-LIT (N929AT) and we had a maintenance delay in our departure due to a 'minor maintenance delay.' Since this was only the 5th revenue flight of this plane in DL colors, I didn't think much of it.... however, that same ship is coming back to LIT and flying me LIT-ATL later today and it has now had another maintenance delay in Atlanta.

I spoke to the red-coat here in LIT and she said that their LIT-ATL flights are now almost all B712 and they've been having lots of maintenance issues with the plane, requiring B752s and A320s to come in make up the slack.

Since all of the planes flew for a long time in FL colors, it does seem odd that DL may be having these issues. Does anyone have insight to the troubles and their ultimate resolution?[/FONT]

It's not all maintenance, part of it is the delivery rate is behind schedule. They are using 320's and 757's to fill the schedule that has been loaded into the system for a while.

 

[dalad]

Who didn't see that coming? I think the General has been all excited about taking 88 of these things.

Enjoy. And thanks for the help!

The airplane is doing just fine.

 

[freightdogfred]

Various minor glitches arise that some crews new to the plane are prob a little unnerved by, EAD messages when the EPR is shutoff, etc. It's by far the most reliable airplane I've been associated with, in 11 years I think I've only had 4-5 instances of something that could not be reset or deferred.

 

[Luv2BFlyin]

Yeah, leave it to a WN pilot to comment on an aircraft he has absolutely no knowledge of.

That's the airplane that made FL what it is and why GK and Co had to buy us. I can see why you'd think it was a POS.

Keep in mind, DL learned a valuable lesson when they sold an airplane they didn't want to the local competition. Unfortunately, learning from the past is not in human nature.

 

[canyonblue]

That's the airplane that made FL what it is and why GK and Co had to buy us.

He wanted to sell 88 airplane to Delta so he bought AirTran? Many believe that the 717 and the elimination of a competitor to both Delta and Southwest set up a scheme so huge it would make your head spin. It reminds me of Mr. X from JFK:

"Well that's the real question, isn't it? Why? The how and the who is just scenery for the public. Delta, Southwest, Atlanta, the 717's. Keeps 'em guessing like some kind of parlor game, prevents 'em from asking the most important question, why? Why was AirTran aquired? Who benefited? Who has the power to cover it up? Who?"

 

[freightdogfred]

He wanted to sell 88 airplane to Delta so he bought AirTran? Many believe that the 717 and the elimination of a competitor to both Delta and Southwest set up a scheme so huge it would make your head spin. It reminds me of Mr. X from JFK:

"Well that's the real question, isn't it? Why? The how and the who is just scenery for the public. Delta, Southwest, Atlanta, the 717's. Keeps 'em guessing like some kind of parlor game, prevents 'em from asking the most important question, why? Why was AirTran aquired? Who benefited? Who has the power to cover it up? Who?"

GK bought FL to get rid of a very able competitor. I personally believe he made a bad decision to get rid of the 717, as it seems to fit nicely on the WN routes that have lighter loads, like ORF and BDL. I've heard his decision was based on advice from WN MX poobahs who advised him the RR BR715 motors were unreliable, which initially were somewhat accurate. Only GK knows for sure Those problems have been corrected and FL ontime performance and completions used to be at the top. I think the happiest guy on this merg.er is Richard Anderson, he got a good deal on 88 airplanes and WN's drawdown in ATL has allowed for much higher yields in markets that FL no longer serves such as ATL-MEM, ATL-CLT, ATL-PNS to name a few

 

[StopNTSing]

Yeah, leave it to a WN pilot to comment on an aircraft he has absolutely no knowledge of.

That's the airplane that made FL what it is and why GK and Co had to buy us. I can see why you'd think it was a POS.

Keep in mind, DL learned a valuable lesson when they sold an airplane they didn't want to the local competition. Unfortunately, learning from the past is not in human nature.

If it was so awesome, why were so few built? If it was the airplane that made FL into what it was, why did they stop buying 'em and instead opt for...wait for it...737s!

Can we all just agree that smart people on both sides of the table hammered out this deal and that it is a win-win for SWA and Delta? "Fleet Commonality" is obviously not even in Delta's vocabulary, but it is a cornerstone of SWA's business model. Not introducing a second narrow-body fleet type is saving SWA huge sums of money. Finding a readily-available mainline aircraft to replace 50-seat RJ flying will save Delta huge sums of money. Everybody wins! :beer:

P.S. The ATL is still very much a work-in-progress for SWA. Wait another year or two to see it in it's final form (there will still be room for both airlines. BTW)

 

[redflyer65]

GK bought FL to get rid of a very able competitor. I personally believe he made a bad decision to get rid of the 717, as it seems to fit nicely on the WN routes that have lighter loads, like ORF and BDL. I've heard his decision was based on advice from WN MX poobahs who advised him the RR BR715 motors were unreliable, which initially were somewhat accurate. Only GK knows for sure Those problems have been corrected and FL ontime performance and completions used to be at the top. I think the happiest guy on this merg.er is Richard Anderson, he got a good deal on 88 airplanes and WN's drawdown in ATL has allowed for much higher yields in markets that FL no longer serves such as ATL-MEM, ATL-CLT, ATL-PNS to name a few

I think it was a great decision. A savings of over 300 million every year going forward. One fleet type, with one sim, one set of parts has served SW very well for 40 years.