Just for the record this will be the second time they have operated a mixed fleet. They flew some 727's for a few years in the 70's. Didn't last long.
I don't think they will keep the 717's for more than a few years. They are going to have to fly them for a while since it's part of the package and with the expansion plans they want, they will have to use them. They can't just replace them overnight, so it will be a few years.
I can tell you too that the folks in Delta's boardroom all had to do a change of underwear this morning. They've been able to keep AirTran at bay for a few years now, but this is certainly a game changer.
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