On Tuesday, we held a small party for about 5,000 of our closest friends - employees, airline representatives, suppliers, international media, government and community leaders - at the plant up in Everett, WA. I guess you could call it a coming-out party for the 777-200LR, a new airplane we've dubbed "Worldliner."

It's always an exciting time when we roll out a new airplane, because it doesn't happen all that often in our industry. And it's an especially exciting time for our employees because they're the ones who build these fabulous airplanes.

Celebrating the 777-200LR Worldliner is also an opportunity to thank our suppliers - GE Aircraft Engines, for example, who designed and built the phenomenal propulsion system that will take the Worldliner between just about any two cities on the globe. An exciting time too, for our launch customers, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), and Taiwan's EVA. We especially thank them, because without them we wouldn't even have had this event.

It was really a fantastic day. It began for me with a morning meeting with a conference room full of media from around the world. It was great to be with folks I consider to be industry colleagues - some of whom are familiar faces I get to see quite often during my travels throughout the year. I never fail to learn something as we share views and ideas back and forth.

And I think I detected a bit of excitement on their part as they learned about the Worldliner. This is an airplane that takes you places that in the past you could only travel to with one or two stops along the way. Now you can go virtually anywhere non-stop from point to point.

The 777-200LR is the only airplane that can do this, flying farther than its nearest competitor, the A340-500. And that's not all. On a route like Los Angeles to and from Singapore, for example, the Worldliner can carry 21 more passengers and 9 to 11 tons more cargo, all while saving more than 20% in fuel. The innovative overhead crew rest areas free-up capacity for as many as six LD-3 cargo containers, something the A340 cannot match.

But that's airline stuff. I'd like to return you to what really counts to the passenger: comfort and convenience. This is a faster airplane, so you'll get where you're going sooner. You'll have more access to non-stops because of the Worldliner's range. And because it offers wider seats and wider aisles, you'll have more comfort on board than Airbus can provide. You'll get a chance to see for yourself next year, after we deliver this first airplane to Pakistan International Airlines in January 2006.

Meantime, there's some really cool stuff coming up this year with the 777-200LR. The first flight is scheduled for next month, the start of a seven-month flight-test program. So keep your eyes to the skies. Who knows, you may soon be seeing the Worldliner in your part of the world.