Well the point is the 717-300 could be made on the same assembly line as the 200.
I personally see other airlines, maybe even a couple major airlines ordering the 717-300 down the road. I think Boeing instead should cut production of the 736.
How many 736s has Boeing sold?
I can see Air Tran ordering 50 713s and put options for another 50. Are there even 50 736s flying? The point is both the 736 and the 713 are (could be) built on assembly lines with their "sister" planes the 73G and 712 respectively.
I think if Air Tran has success with the 713, I could see a couple other majors showing interest- Delta and
NW come to mind. Delta does not have a known replacement for its 732s yet and
NW doesn't have a known replacement for the DC-9-50s yet (i am not trying to start a what is Northwest replacing its 9's with discussion).