No Orders Yet, but 717 Could Still Become a Coup

Boeing introduced its new support package for the Boeing 717 Business Express at the National Business Aviation Association's 56th Annual Meeting & Convention, just a day after the BBJ team told us reporters that there were no orders yet for the 717 as a business jet. While the BBJ team has a lot invested in the 83 (737-based) BBJs and (including eight BBJ2s) already sold, the 0-backlog position the BBJ group is holding, while great for customers, isn't ideal for the company. Thus, the 717 idea keeps getting enhanced.

The 717 Business Express support 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 operator as they gain experience with their new airplane 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.

In so many ways, it's the ideal vehicle.

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.

FMI: www.boeing.com