boeing's decision to go ahead with the 717 slowly began to pay off. early 717 operators were delighted with the reliability and passenger appeal of the type and decided to order more. the small australian regional airline impulse took a long-term lease on five 717s in early 2000 to begin an expansion into mainline routes. the ambitious move could not be sustained in competition with the majors, and impulse sold out to qantas in may 2001.