I hate to tell the advertising gurus over there at the Boeing Co. this, but the 787 Dreamliner stinks.
At least, their air freshener (bearing the resemblance to a 787 jet and promising the “new airplane smell”) does.
My coworker brought in a 787 air freshener that he picked up at the Evergreen State Fair in Monroe over the weekend.
It’s a nice idea – dangling a Dreamliner from your dash. Eventually, though, we had to give it a whiff.
Bottom line: Five out of five Herald journalists agree … it stinks.
(Disclaimer: I’ll admit that I don’t like “new car smell” air fresheners either.)
Seeing the air freshener reminded me that Boeing had pegged this summer as the time when it would unveil the first installed interior of a 787. This would be the first time we would get a sniff of a real 787. The company had said in April that it would install the interior in Dreamliner number three this summer.
Background: after announcing a series of schedule delays, Boeing’s latest timeline for its Dreamliner is being closely watched by analysts, customers and media. Boeing’s Pat Shanahan laid out a number of minor and major milestones to watch for up until first delivery, scheduled for third quarter 2009. The company hopes to have its 787 in the air in the fourth quarter of this year.
With summer months coming to a close, Boeing spokeswoman Mary Hanson said in an e-mail today that the company hasn’t started interior installation yet in the third 787. The interior is on hand in Everett when the factory is ready for it, Hanson said.
But that milestone, along with first flight and first delivery, could be disrupted if Boeing’s Machinists union goes on strike next week. A strike could really create a stink for Boeing and its Dreamliner.
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