SWA culture!

[Ty Webb]

A airplane that your Director of Mx calls - junk. An Airplane that would have bankrupted Tranny if they didn't buy "insurance" from RR, cus the engines suck. A plane where they are robbing parts off of spare ones parked in the desert, to keep the tranny ones flying? This airplane?

SWAFO, you really do crack me up. Have you really been in this business long enough to think you deserve my seat, yet you don't even seem to have a nodding understanding with how airplane are ordered, or power by the hour agreements, or countless other things? :erm:

Check out the DX reliability rate for the 717 against other comparable aircraft. I doubt you'll find any difference.

The engines may be hand grenades, but they are leased hand grenades. . . . and the aircraft dispatch very reliably right up to the point where they s the b. . . .

 

[T3700]

A airplane that your Director of Mx calls - junk. An Airplane that would have bankrupted Tranny if they didn't buy "insurance" from RR, cus the engines suck. A plane where they are robbing parts off of spare ones parked in the desert, to keep the tranny ones flying? This airplane?

Press Release Source: Hawaiian Airlines On Thursday June 30, 2011, 4:35 pm EDT
HONOLULU, June 30, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Hawaiian Airlines today announced that it has leased three additional Boeing 717-200 aircraft in response to increasing consumer demand.
With these aircraft joining the fleet, Hawaiian will be able to expand its interisland service between Honolulu and Kahului, Lihue, Hilo, and Kona during peak travel periods, and further improve its industry-leading operational reliability.

Along with acquiring the three additional aircraft, Hawaiian announced that it has purchased its existing fleet of 15 leased Boeing 717-200 aircraft in a refinancing transaction that reduces its fleet costs over the long term.

"With our increasing service to Hawaii from Asia, demand for our interisland flights during peak hours of the day and during popular travel periods has never been higher. Adding these aircraft will give us the ability to serve more customers during these periods," said Mark Dunkerley, Hawaiian's president and chief executive officer. "At the same time, we are restructuring the ownership of our existing fleet to reduce our aircraft costs. With other costs rising quickly, this will help us keep fares affordable."

Hawaiian expects to take delivery of the three additional aircraft in September, October and November.

Starting in October, Hawaiian will add approximately 20 flights per day between Honolulu and its other airports in Hawaii. The company expects to hire an additional 40-50 pilots, flight attendants and ground staff to support the increased flight operations.

Hawaiian has purchased the aircraft it previously operated under long term leases from Boeing Capital Corporation (BCC) with financing provided by BCC and entered into multi-year leases with BCC for the three additional 717s. Terms of the transactions were not released.

"The 717 has proven itself as an able partner to Hawaiian's interisland mission. Hawaiian's decision to expand its fleet and move from operator to owner is a further vote for the world's best 100-seat airliner by an experienced and valued customer," said Jordan Weltman, Boeing Capital vice president for the Americas region.

The Boeing 717-200 is the world's best 100-passenger jetliner designed specifically for short-haul, high frequency operations. The twinjet features an advanced cockpit and avionics comparable to a Boeing 777, as well as a "big airplane" passenger feel with wide, five-abreast seating and large overhead storage bins. It is the quietest 100-seat airplane now operating, and among the most reliable with a fleet-wide average 99.4 percent reliability.

Hawaiian's 717s seat up to 123 passengers – eight in First Class and 115 in Coach.

 

[Lear70]

A airplane that your Director of Mx calls - junk. An Airplane that would have bankrupted Tranny if they didn't buy "insurance" from RR, cus the engines suck. A plane where they are robbing parts off of spare ones parked in the desert, to keep the tranny ones flying? This airplane?

The truth is that the engine problems happen rarely compared with how many flights these airplanes perform daily. The truth is that our DoM has never called the airplane "junk" (if you have a credible source quote from him directly in a public release, feel free to print it. 2nd or 3rd hand doesn't count as credible, that's called an "unsubstantiated rumor"). The truth is that the engine issues would not have put AAI anywhere near bankruptcy.

T3700 posted the details of what yet another profitable airline who operates these planes thinks of them... recently... they just ordered several more and converted their leases to purchases, thus deciding they're keeping them long-term. Do you think an airline like HAL would have done that if they were, indeed, "junk"?

Lastly, the "robbing parts of the planes in the desert" rumor... It's correct. Except it's not AirTran doing the robbing. It's the leasing company; they are responsible for fixing the non-rotable items that break on the airplanes, and taking parts off airplanes they own but are parked and aren't making them any money is cheaper than buying new parts directly from Boeing. It's a simple money decision by the leasing company, not a function of parts availability.

Just thought we'd clear up those misconceptions about the airplane. You're gonna like it... great little plane to fly and does the job very well.

 

[Ty Webb]

OK, they really aren't "hand grenades" . . . . but I figured if I said they were, SWAFO would throw himself onto one, like he does with every "moped" in his vicinity.

 

[madjack]

well if the 717 is a great airplane it will be easier to sell...if that is the final decision (which I doubt in short term since we are moving sims to DAL and sending SWAPA/SWA pilots to ATL to train)...

Ty, you sit in an AT CP seat not a SWA CP seat...big difference...you have been at AAI for less years than many of our FOs have been at SWA...not sure how that will all shake out...

 

[Ty Webb]

Ty, you sit in a [plain belly] CP seat not a [star belly] CP seat...big difference...

You have been a [plain belly] for less years than many of our FOs have been [star bellies]..not sure how that will all shake out...

I'm in the junior base, I guess.

 

[SWA/FO]

Just telling you what I heard. I'm sorry I didn't use the proper terms. This was told to me by a Chief Pilot. I didn't make it up.

By the way Ty, I will be in front of you on the combined list, regardless of the process used to come up with said list.

 

[madjack]

Or you could be in ATL for a few years until growth starts and you can hold CP seat...all speculation but these are the issues the NC/MC are dealing with...not easy to solve

 

[Lear70]

well if the 717 is a great airplane it will be easier to sell...if that is the final decision (which I doubt in short term since we are moving sims to DAL and sending SWAPA/SWA pilots to ATL to train)...

Agreed. Long-term... especially if the lease re-negotiation when it comes up doesn't include a similar warranty on non-rotables and a decent power-by-the-hour price? Yeah, probably gone, but we have several years before that's a factor.

 

[CHQ Pilot]

Staying out of everything else, but I heard that AirTran doesn't own the 717 sims and they are owned by Boeing/Alteon and AirTran leases the time. Is this true or is their another arrangement? Boeing does market 717 training in ATL, so it would make sense that they own the sims. I had heard this is why SWA is not bringing the sims to DAL.