=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/n/a/2005/11/17/financial/= f130728S17.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Thursday, November 17, 2005 (AP) Boeing: New 787 Can Hold More Passengers (11-17) 13:07 PST Seattle (AP) -- Good news for airlines: Boeing's new 787 jetliners will be able to squee= ze in a few more passengers than the company had previously expected. Boeing said Thursday the use of composite materials will allow it to fit slightly more room into the cabin of the airplane, which is scheduled to enter service in 2008. Marty Bentrott, vice president of sales and marketing with Boeing's 787 program, said the company also updated its seat counts in part to reassure airlines that they can pack in more paying customers than the sample seat counts previously given, if they choose different configurations. The company also said that its 787-9 will have a maximum range of more than 550 miles farther than previously estimated, up to 10,126 miles, because of improvements in the engines. Chicago-based Boeing Co. said its 787-3 will carry between 290 and 330 passengers. It said previously that the plane would carry 296 passengers in a two-class configuration. The 787-8 will be able to carry between 210 and 250 passengers, up from 223 passengers in a three-class configuration given earlier. The 787-9 will carry between 250 and 290 passengers. Boeing previously said it would carry 259 passengers in three classes. Boeing provided updated information about the forthcoming airplane at the end of a meeting in Seattle with current and potential customers. Boeing has logged 233 firm orders for the new airplane, a twin-aisle jet that promises to be quieter and more fuel-efficient than current models. The company faces competition from rival Airbus SAS's A350. ---------------= ------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2005 AP