Facts about Boeing's next jet, the 7E7 Dreamliner:
NAME: The 'E' stands for efficient; Boeing is holding off on declaring final name.
DEBUT: Production starts 2006 in Everett, Wash.; first test flight 2007, commercial flights mid-2008.
VERSIONS: 7E7-8 model will accommodate 217 passengers in three classes (first, business and tourist) and can fly nearly 9,800 miles. Shorter-range 7E7-3 debuts later in 2008 with 289 seats in two classes (business and tourist) and range of about 4,000 miles. Stretched version 7E7-9 to debut several years later with 257 seats in three classes and range 9,500 miles.
CONFIGURATION: Twin aisle.
STRATEGY: Betting that customers will want point-to-point service in mid-size, less costly planes rather than huge planes serving traditional hub-and-spoke markets.
CRUISE SPEED AND ALTITUDE: Mach 0.85 (560 mph), similar to today's fastest widebodies, with a maximum cruising altitude of 43,000 feet, higher than most commercial jets today.
ENGINES: General Electric Next Generation, Rolls Royce's Trent 1000.
REPLACING: Boeing 757s and 767s (eventually).
COMPETING AGAINST: Airbus A330-200.
AIRLINE PLUSES: 20 percent more fuel-efficient than today's commercial airplanes due to technological advances. Significantly more cargo space. Increased use of composite materials such as carbon laminate will lessen weight and reduce corrosion, wearing and maintenance.
PASSENGER PLUSES: Bigger windows, seats, lavatories, storage bins; improved cabin pressurization will simulate an altitude of maximum 6,000 feet instead of the usual 8,000 feet.