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Article updated: 1/25/2013 3:46 PM

From the start, Dreamliner jet program was rushed

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In this Sunday, July 8, 2007, file photo, Governor Chris Gregoire watches a presentation during a special live broadcast for Boeing employees and friends, at Qwest Field, in Seattle. The Boeing 787 was a plane that promised to be lighter and more technologically advanced than any other, but once production started, the gap between vision and reality quickly widened. The jet that was eventually dubbed the Dreamliner became plagued with manufacturing delays, cost overruns and sinking worker morale.

Associated Press

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The 787 Dreamliner was born in a moment of desperation. It was 2003 and Boeing — the company that defined modern air travel — had just lost its title as the world's largest plane manufacturer to European rival Airbus. Its CEO had resigned in a defense-contract scandal. And its stock had plunged to the lowest price in a decade. Two years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, financially troubled airlines were reluctant to buy new planes. Boeing needed something revolutionary to win back customers.
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