Didn't see this on the list yet. Nothing about range though. ---- Boeing plans 130-passenger stretch version of 717 regional jet airliner 12:21 PM EDT Sep 19 EVERETT, Wash. (AP) - The Boeing Co. has developed plans for a=20 130-passenger stretch version of its 717, which competes with regional=20= jet airliners made by Bombardier, Embraer and Airbus. Boeing officials said Thursday the proposed 717-300X, to be assembled=20 in Long Beach, Calif., would be 4=BC metres longer than the 717-200 and=20= carry about 20 more passengers. Boeing has offered the design to members of the 17 airlines in the=20 worldwide Star Alliance, spokesman Warren Lamb said. Air Canada, Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and Scandinavian Airline=20 System, all members of the alliance, are pursuing a joint purchase of=20 up to 200 jets in the 75- to 125-passenger range. Potential manufacturers include Boeing, Airbus, Embraer and Bombardier=20= (TSX:BBD.B). If Boeing gets enough orders, deliveries of the 717-300X would begin in=20= late 2006. Boeing has been discussing a stretch 717 for some months. AirTran of=20 Orlando, Fla., the top buyer of 717s to date, opted instead for the=20 737-700, which has the range to fly cross-continent, Lamb said. The 717 has a shorter range and is designed for quick turnarounds on=20 high-frequency routes. Meanwhile, Boeing is looking to Japan as a major market for its=20 proposed 7E7 jet. "We think we have a real winner in this product," marketing director=20 Randy Tinseth said Friday in Tokyo. Boeing plans to sell 2,000 to 3,000 of the mid-sized 7E7 Dreamliner=20 jets in the next 20 years, Tinseth said. The 7E7, carrying 200 to 250 passengers, will be lighter and more=20 fuel-efficient than current comparable models. It will have wider=20 aisles, more cabin humidity and will feel as if passengers are flying=20 at a lower altitude than in other airplanes, according to Boeing. Suppliers will be announced later this year for the new jet, expected=20 to make its first flight in 2007 and be delivered the following year. Boeing foresees airplane demand remaining strong over the next 20=20 years, adding more than 24,000 planes, 18,000 in growth and 6,000 in=20 replacement planes.