Thank you to Kev Cook for taking this photo of me. The aircraft was on a proving flight, without passengers, and still had "experimental" painted on the sides. AirTran was the launch customer for the MD-95, later renamed to the Boeing 717 after McDonnell Douglas was bought by Boeing, with a firm order for 50 and an option for another 50. The first Boeing 717, in AirTran colors, was first flown on test flights on September 2, 1998.