Future of Flight public tour reaches 6 million guests

The Boeing Future of Flight public tour, which provides the only publicly available opportunity to see a commercial jet assembly plant in North America, this week celebrated its 6 millionth factory tour visitor since opening in 1968 in Everett, Washington.

Trond Log of Norway received VIP treatment as the milestone guest, along with his wife, Else Tove-Birkeland, and daughters Emma Birkeland, and Tomine Birkeland-Log.

“I have been waiting 30 years to take the Boeing tour,” he said. “We were really looking forward to being here today.”

“We are just a normal family, very down to earth, and to be treated as VIPs has been the experience of a lifetime,” Tove-Birkeland added.

Jeff Klemann, vice president of 777/777X Programs and Everett Site was on hand to welcome the family to the facility.

“The Future of Flight is an excellent way for guests like Mr. Log and his family to discover and experience all that Boeing has to offer,” Klemann said. “The recent changes at the Future of Flight make it a worthwhile visit for anyone who has not visited in a while.”

Some of those changes include a gallery that features over a 150 products and services that Boeing has developed and supports.

Boeing expanded its engagement in the Future of Flight facility in late 2018. Located adjacent to Boeing’s widebody manufacturing plant and featuring a cafe, Boeing Store and Sky Deck, it opened in 2005 as a Snohomish County facility. Boeing moved its tour starting point there at that time. Previously, the tour was based in a triple-wide trailer in a parking lot outside the factory.

The Boeing Future of Flight and tour is the top tourist attraction in Snohomish County and one of the top attractions in the Seattle area, according to state tourism statistics. It averages more than 300,000 visitors a year. It took 39 years (2008) to reach 3 million visitors, but just 12 more years to reach 6 million.

On Tuesday, Log and his family were given a tour of the Everett site’s main assembly building by Greg Coe, a 10-year member of the Boeing tour team. Log said he was impressed by Coe’s knowledge of the carbon technology used in the 787 and 777 airplanes.

The employee team at the Future of Flight greeted family after their tour with cheers, gifts, and refreshments, which they enjoyed along with the rest of the tour group.