2003

Neuer Betreiber u.a: Midwest Airlines

LONG BEACH, Calif., Feb. 28, 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] today delivered its first 717-200 airliner for Midwest Airlines during a ceremony at the manufacturer's Long Beach assembly facility.

"This is truly a historic day for our airline," said Timothy E. Hoeksema, chairman and chief executive officer of Midwest Airlines. "Not only did we take delivery of our first Boeing 717 this morning, but its delivery signals the official change of our name to Midwest Airlines -- events that will better position our airline for the future.

"We'd like to thank Boeing and its employees for their diligence in designing and producing this outstanding aircraft, which will significantly reduce our operating costs," Hoeksema added.

Formerly known as Midwest Express, the Milwaukee-based airline ordered 25 of the fuel-efficient Boeing twinjets in April 2002 with options to purchase an additional 25 airplanes. The new 717s will replace the carrier's current fleet of 20 DC-9s. The airplanes are configured for 88 passengers in Midwest's signature two-by-two wide leather seats, and are due to enter service beginning in March this year.

"We want to thank Midwest Airlines for its confidence in the 717's proven capabilities, as the right airplane to give passengers big jet comfort, help improve the airline's financial bottom line, and be a good environmental neighbor to the cities Midwest serves," said Jim Phillips, vice president of the Boeing 717 program in Long Beach.

Midwest Airlines also operates a fleet of 13 MD-80s. It caters primarily to business travelers and features non-stop service to major destinations throughout the U.S. Since taking to the skies in 1984, Midwest has earned a reputation for "The best care in the airâ" by providing passengers premium service at competitive fares -- and their famous chocolate chip cookies.

The 717 delivered today includes a new enhanced-security flight deck door, helping to assure that Midwest will be in full compliance with more stringent federal standards that take effect April 9.

The Boeing 717-200 is the leading new short-range, high frequency jetliner in its class in revenue service today. More than 100 of the Boeing twinjets have been delivered thus far to airlines on four continents, exceeding customer expectations for low-cost and reliable operation.

Courtesy: Boeing

GENEVA, May 07, 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] unveiled the 717 Business Express, the newest variant of the Boeing 717-200, today at the European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition, or EBACE 2003. Boeing is discussing the airplane with corporate customers as a new business travel solution.

"The Boeing 717 Business Express is a new concept for corporations to help deal with high-volume business travel," said Thad Dworkin, sales director, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "A company with significant and regular employee movement between two or more key business facilities would be a candidate for a 717 Business Express airplane."

The 717 Business Express is designed to provide corporate employees with more productive space and improved use of travel time compared to typical business travel . The airplane can be configured to seat from 40 to 80 passengers in first- and/or business-class comfort.

Additionally, the airplane can be equipped with airborne workstations, meeting spaces, videoconferencing capability and full broadband connectivity -- using Connexion by Boeing -- depending on the needs of the owner.

"The key element here is optimizing capital, people and time," Dworkin said. "This airplane can save significant time in the travel process, which will reduce many of the hard costs of air travel -- air fare, hotels, food and entertainment -- as well as the 'soft' costs -- time spent in transit, at terminals, waiting at the gate, delays at baggage claim and waiting to get a taxi or rental car."

A key element of the 717 Business Express Program is a customer support package that will be part of the airplane purchase. Tailored to meet the needs of the corporate airplane operator, the package will provide such features as training, field support, a spares kit, ground-support equipment, emergency assistance and warranty. An additional supplemental support package also is available as an option.

"We envision several business arrangements that will allow corporations to enjoy the benefits of the 717 Business Express," Dworkin said. "A company can have direct sole ownership, partner with other corporations to share ownership, enter a leasing agreement or partner with an airline, in which the airline would operate the airplane for the corporate owner."

The Boeing 717 is a proven performer, ideally suited to business express operations. It combines high efficiency, reliability and easy maintenance with low operating costs, breakthrough simplicity, reduced noise and emissions and big jetliner comfort.

Its original design is easily augmented with additional fuel tanks that give the airplane up to 3,140 nautical miles (5,815 kilometers) while carrying 60 passengers.

The ability of the 717 to use smaller, less-congested, secondary airports also is important, allowing for lower airport use fees and enabling the business traveler to avoid the crowds of primary hub airports.

Through the highly successful Boeing Business Jet (BBJ), Boeing has gained a strong understanding of the corporate aviation market that can easily be applied to the 717 Business Express. The new program complements the BBJ within the market segment by providing an additional solution that meets the customer need for domestic shuttle service.

Boeing either can deliver a "green" airplane -- one without a finished passenger cabin -- and work with established completion centers to facilitate the outfitting of the interior, or provide a turnkey program in which Boeing will manage the completion.

Courtesy: Boeing

SEATTLE, May 19, 2003 -- Boeing [NYSE: BA] and Turkmenistan Airlines recently concluded a definitive agreement for the purchase of two 717-200 airplanes, which will increase to five the number of the environmentally-friendly, short-haul 717s the airline operates.

The definitive agreement for the two twinjets, which is valued at approximately $78 million, was signed in the capital city of Ashgabat on May 16.

The airplanes, which will be configured for 120 passengers, are scheduled for delivery next year. The new 717s will join Turkmenistan's fleet of three Boeing 717-200, three 737-300 and four 757-200 airplanes. The airline plans to operate the 717s on domestic and regional routes.

"The 717 is the perfect airplane for providing the traveling public with efficient, reliable, comfortable low-cost transportation." said Doug Groseclose, senior vice president of Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "This member of the Boeing family continues to be a great asset to Turkmenistan Airlines and the people of Turkmenistan."

Turkmenistan Airlines initiated a plan to modernize its fleet with Boeing jetliners in 1992, when the airline became the first in the Commonwealth of Independent States to purchase an airplane from Boeing.

Boeing has received firm orders for 155 717s and has delivered 118 since September 1999.

The 717 is a cost-effective airplane designed specifically to serve quick-turnaround, high-frequency, short-range routes. The airplane now operates in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America. It is the only new 100-passenger short-range jetliner in revenue service.

The environmentally friendly 717-200 brings full-size jetliner comfort, low operating costs and high schedule reliability to short-haul markets worldwide.

Courtesy: Boeing

Boeing 717 Meets Tough Airport Noise Rules

ORANGE COUNTY, Oct. 01, 2003 -- The Boeing [NYSE: BA] 717-200 has received a solid "thumbs-up" from John Wayne Airport in Orange County for noise tests performed there by Midwest Airlines, which begins regular passenger service today from the airport.

John Wayne Airport (SNA) is one of the busiest and most noise sensitive airports in the United States. The airport, centered in Orange County, is surrounded by residential and business areas.

In August, Midwest Airlines pilots, flying a new Boeing 717, conducted a series of five takeoffs over a four-hour period at various airplane weights. The flights were monitored by seven noise recording devices around the airport and in nearby neighborhoods. On each departure, the 717 performed well below the noise levels allowable for Class A departure operations.

"The Class A rating means that pilots flying Midwest 717s out of John Wayne won't need to use a special engine cutback procedure to reduce airport and community noise when taking off," said Jim Phillips, vice president of the 717 program in Long Beach, Calif.

The 717 is sufficiently below Class A limits to allow Midwest to use its standard departure procedure at John Wayne. Boeing and Midwest pilots practiced this procedure in a flight simulator and then tested it during airport qualification.

Initial Midwest 717 service will connect Orange County with Kansas City, Mo. The qualification testing was done at airplane weights that represent a typical Midwest operation between these two cities.

Two advanced Rolls-Royce engines power the fuel efficient Boeing 717 and provide the lowest noise and emissions of any new airplane in its class.

The 717 is a full 20 decibels quieter than Chapter 3 requirements set by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which means that the Boeing jet is already quieter than Chapter 4 standards that go into effect in 2006.

One measure of airplane noise is the noise footprint at takeoff, which shows the area subjected to a particular level of sound. The 717's noise footprint is up to 12 times smaller than DC-9s and other airplanes it will replace.

The 717 also produces fewer emissions than other short-haul airplanes. Of particular interest to airports and surrounding communities is the fact that the 717 is more than 50 percent cleaner than 2004 ICAO standards require for hydrocarbons. The result is less smoke, carbon monoxide and fuel odor in the air for people who work and live near airports such as John Wayne.

First delivered to airlines four years ago, the 717 has continued to record high fleet dispatch reliability and low maintenance costs. The 717 has the most customer orders and deliveries of any other new airplane in its class. Courtesy: Boeing

ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 07, 2003 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] today introduced its new support package for the Boeing 717 Business Express at the National Business Aviation Association's 56th Annual Meeting & Convention.

The package includes a comprehensive array of turnkey products and services, including maintenance plans and engineering services, operational tools that support self-dispatch, and a selection of parts and tools. Support continues with both flight and technical personnel onsite to assist the corporate operators as they gain experience with their new airplanes and includes an enhanced warranty.

Included is a portable computer, fully configured with the Boeing Laptop Tool software, operational performance software, a suite of maintenance and operations documentation, and ready access to myboeingfleet.com.

The 717 Business Express was introduced earlier this year as a new concept for corporations to help deal with high-volume business travel, providing corporate employees with more productive space and improved use of travel time compared to typical commercial business travel. The airplane can be configured to seat from 40 to 80 passengers in first- and/or business-class comfort.

"Our paramount goal is to ensure the safe, economical and reliable introduction of this new airplane into the corporate fleet with continued reliability through our comprehensive support network," said Tom Lindberg, vice president, Sales -- Boeing Commercial Airplanes. "We want to make the introduction of the Boeing 717 as simple as possible, with flexibility to support a wide variety of corporate customers with different skills and infrastructure requirements."

From delivery day forward, each 717 Business Express customer has the support of Boeing's worldwide network of field service representatives and spares distribution centers -- more than 250 technical representatives in over 60 countries worldwide.

In addition, the operator can rely on the Boeing EXPRESS support program, which operates around-the-clock, 365 days per year, and provides technical support when needed. Skilled engineers, technicians and mechanics are no more than a phone call away.

In addition to providing a more productive and secure traveling environment for employees, the 717 Business Express can save significant time in the travel process, reducing many of the hard costs of air travel -- air fare, hotels, food and entertainment -- as well as the 'soft' costs -- time spent in transit, at terminals, waiting at the gate, delays at baggage claim and waiting to get a taxi or rental car. Courtesy: Boeing

ATHENS, Greece, Nov. 26, 2003 -- The Boeing Company [NYSE:BA] has presented Olympic Aviation with an "Outstanding 717 Dispatch Reliability Award" during a meeting with the airline held here.

Olympic, which operates three leased Boeing 717-200 passenger jets, achieved a dispatch reliability rate of 99.84 percent for all of 2002. The rate is the percentage of scheduled flights that leave on time from an airport without having a technical problem.

"This means that passengers who fly on Olympic Aviation's 717s are departing the gate on time nearly 100 percent of the time and getting to their destinations as scheduled," said Dan Meadows, 717 fleet chief for Boeing. "It is obvious that Olympic has hard-working and talented people who take a great deal of pride in what they do."

Meadows presented the performance award to Antony Alifrangis, general manager of technical operations at Olympic Aviation.

This is the third award of its type that Boeing has presented to 717 operators to recognize outstanding dispatch reliability.

The typical 717-200 twinjet, which carries 106 passengers in two-class big-jet comfort, is the leading new short-range, high frequency jetliner. More than 120 of the efficient twinjets have been delivered to customers worldwide. After four years of service, the 717 continues to exceed customer expectations for low-cost, reliable and quiet operation. Courtesy: Boeing