Australopithecus: I see limited demand for the B717 going forward. In my opinion the life of the aircraft will terminate after the second gear change life expires. This will occur for the latter builds in 2026 which is the date Qantas has previously nominated. I suspect the latter builds will still be flying until this date as they are a 'cheap' low cost efficient aircraft over short to medium routes. Whether it extends this far remains to be seen. The scrap value in the aircraft will be the engines.
Ps. I would not be surprised to see Alliance show interest in the B717. The seat km cost can not be matched in the under 150 seat category.