Allies View First 777 Delivery As Turning Point For Industry

Three longtime allies - Boeing, United Airlines and Pratt & Whitney - put aside the usual gloomy news of the aircraft and airline business Wednesday to celebrate United’s acceptance of the new 777 jetliner.

“It’s early, but this is one hell of a party,” United Chairman Gerald Greenwald told about 1,000 employees of the three companies gathered at Boeing Field.

United actually paid for and took title to the first passenger-carrying 777 on Monday. But Wednesday was the formal delivery ceremony, and leaders of the three companies said they hoped it also marked the start of better days for their industries.

“We think of this airplane as launching us into the 21st century,” Greenwald said. United is investing $4 billion into a fleet of 34 777s.

The first half of the 1990s have been awful for United and other carriers, with global recession, the Gulf War and fare battles causing billions of dollars in losses.

Airline troubles also are bad news for aircraft and engine makers. Boeing has cut tens of thousands of jobs and slashed production, and Hartford, Conn.-based Pratt & Whitney has endured its worst-ever downsizing due to fewer airplane and powerplant orders.

“We can’t expect to grow and prosper unless we supply our airline customers with the kinds of products and services that will allow them to thrive in a very demanding business,” Boeing Chairman Frank Shrontz said.

The huge, twin-engine 777, second only in size to Boeing’s 747-400 jumbo jet, is a quiet, smooth-flying aircraft that Boeing says has excellent fuel economy. It’s the first plane Boeing designed entirely on computer and its first “fly-by-wire” commercial jet, using electric circuits rather than wires and pulleys to control the plane.

United has made it the centerpiece of a fleet rejuvenation plan.

For Boeing, the 777 was the catalyst for a fundamental change in its business philosophy. Boeing gathered together employees, customers and aircraft experts when it started developing the plane five years ago to identify potential problems, suggest design improvements and smooth manufacturing. The result, United says, is the most defect-free aircraft they have ever inspected.

“It’s more than safe and it’s more than reliable and its more than efficient, it’s a fun experience for passengers,” Greenwald said.

The 777 will carry 292 passengers in United’s configuration but is capable of hauling up to 440 people. At 209 feet long, it’s the largest twin-engine plane ever built.