Southwest Airlines will phase-out its last Boeing 717-200s by the first quarter of next year. The Dallas, Texas-based low-cost carrier is progressively retiring its 88-strong fleet of the twin-jets, which it inherited after acquiring AirTran Airways from September 2010. The move is part of the on-going integration of AirTran into Southwest. Southwest is leasing the 717s to Delta Air Lines. As part of the deal, Southwest is spending $100 million to re-configure the aircraft to Delta's standards, reducing capacity to 110 passengers.
展开▼
