Here’s Where Delta & Hawaiian Are Still Flying The Boeing 717

The Boeing 717

is increasingly becoming a rarer sight in the skies of the United States, with Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines remaining the only two major commercial airlines flying the type, a derivative of the McDonnell Douglas MD-80.

Intra-Hawaii hops

According to ch-aviation data, Hawaiian Airlines

still has 19 717 aircraft, with one currently inactive, a number that has not changed since 2021, when it ended the year with 19 jets of the type.

Data from the aviation analytics company Cirium’s Diio Mi airline planning tool showed that in February, the Hawaiian carrier, which recently completed its merger with Alaska Airlines, has scheduled 1,044 weekly flights with the type.

The airline exclusively uses its aircraft to fly between four Hawaiian airports: Honolulu Daniel K. Inouye International Airport

(HNL), Maui Kahului Airport (OGG), Lihue Airport (LIH), Kona International Airport (KOA), and Hilo International Airport (ITO).

Out of the four, Honolulu sees the most 717 traffic, with 467 weekly flights from the airport, while Maui’s airport has the second-largest 717 schedule, with 194 weekly flights. The remaining airports, Lihue, Kona, and Hilo, have 150, 140, and 93 weekly flights in February, respectively, according to Cirium’s Diio Mi data.

Hub hopper

Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines

, which has 88 717 aircraft in its fleet per ch-aviation, has scheduled a whopping 2,494 weekly flights during the month with the type. To note, only Delta Air Lines and Hawaiian Airlines have filed schedules with 717 in February.

Out of the three airports with the largest 717 schedules, all are major hubs for the carrier. This includes Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

(ATL, 876 weekly flights), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW, 238 weekly flights), and Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport (MSP, 134 weekly flights).

In total, the airline has scheduled the 717 to operate itineraries to/from 51 airports during the month, ranging from more than 100 daily flights from Atlanta to only a handful from others, such as Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM).

The most popular Delta Air Lines 717 route is between Atlanta and Charlotte Douglas International Airport

(CLT), with 56 one-way departures per week, resulting in up to eight daily flights between the two airports.

Cirium’s Diio Mi data also showed that the average stage length the airline operates with the type is 765.3 kilometers (413.2 nautical miles).

Retirement plans

Whether Delta Air Lines or Hawaiian Airlines will retire the 717s anytime soon remains relatively unclear. For example, Ben Minicucci, the chief executive officer (CEO) of Alaska Airlines

, talked on The Air Show podcast about the group’s plans for the 717.

During the podcast, which was released on December 10, 2024, the same day the company unveiled its ‘Alaska Accelerate’ plan, Minicucci remarked that the 717s still have some longevity, quipping that the 717 might be one of the rare examples of aircraft that never retire.

“It does play a unique role. But […] at some point, the airplane gets old, the cost of operating gets too high. I have charged the team with looking at all the options and bringing them to us.”

Minicucci added that the company wanted to consider customers’ needs and the cost profile before making a decision about a successor for the 717.

The Atlanta-based carrier has continued to add 717s to its fleet. According to its 2023 final report, filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), it ended the year with 80 717s. Ch-aviation records showed that in addition to its current fleet, it plans to add eight ex-Volotea 717s to its fleet soon, which retired its aircraft in 2021. Still, Delta Air Lines has stored 25 out of 88 of its 717s, according to the site, potentially indicating that some of them still belong to the airline but are inactive in its operations.

While Delta Air Lines is yet to publish its full 2024 report, which could detail the future of the 717, during the carrier’s Q4 2024 earnings call on January 10, Daniel Janki, the chief financial officer (CFO) of Delta Air Lines, detailed that the company retired over 20 aircraft in 2024. In 2025, the number should be higher.

“We’ll kind of see how this year progresses and how the fleet plan settles in for 2026. We’ll be finalizing that late spring, early summer associated with that.”

During the carrier’s investor day in November 2024, Glen Hauenstein, the president of Delta Air Lines, detailed that in terms of domestic fleet retirements, the airline was taking “a breather,” noting that it will start a Boeing 757

retirement program. At the other end of the spectrum, namely smaller narrowbodies, such as the Airbus A220-300

have become the “growth vehicle at the bottom end of the spectrum at 130 seats,” with Hauenstein noting that the carrier will continue to upgauge its fleet.

According to Delta Air Lines’ fleet site, its A220-300s are configured with 130 seats, including 12 first class, while its 717s can welcome up to 120 passengers.