Background:
Even though I’ve been to Seattle like 5 times, it never dawned on me that I should visit the Boeing Factory! So I made sure to do it on this trip!
The Future of Flight Aviation Center & Boeing Factory Tour is located in Mukilteo, Washington which is about 25 miles north of Seattle.
Reservations:
I made reservations about 3 weeks in advance. Tours start from 9am to 3pm every 30 minutes. It’s $25 for adults and $15 for youth 15 and under. My friend came to join me on the tour and he reserved tickets 3 days prior and there were only 3 tickets left for our Friday 2PM tour! So it’s probably best to reserve the date and time you want in advance.
Aerospace Gallery:
There’s a nice little aerospace gallery that you can tour before/after the factory tour. It was cool to learn about the 777 GE engine, and see a mock version of the NASA Laboratory Module.
Also, from the aerospace gallery I spotted a Dreamlifter! The dreamlifter is an extensively modified Boeing 747-400 that is used exclusively for transporting parts of the Dreamliner to Boeing’s assembly plants from suppliers around the world.
And, there’s a rooftop deck that overlooks the Paine Field runway! I spotted some Air Canada planes and Norwegian all parked!
Factory Tour:
The line for the factory tour provides a nice display of Boeing model planes. 🙂 Fun fact: The Boeing Everett Factory is the largest building in the world by volume!
Then you are taken to a theater room and watch a 5 minute video on Boeing. From here, the large group of 50/60 or so people is split into 2 groups and you take a tour bus with your group to the factory!
As expected, we weren’t allowed to take pictures.
The first stop we had was to the 767 and 747 factory! We got to see a 747 cargo plane being built for UPS. Additionally, we saw a 767 refueling tanker!
After that, we took a short tour bus ride to the 777 and 787 factory. There weren’t any 777’s in the production line, but there will be a lot soon with the 777X. I saw a nice array of 787’s, from LOT to Korean Air. There was a 787 with a logo that puzzled me, so I asked the tour guide who didn’t know who also asked another tour guide who also didn’t know. That made me feel a bit better haha. Turns out it was an Oman Air plane!
The Verdict:
The 90 minute tour was great, and I really enjoyed seeing all the planes and how the factory operates. Definitely something aviation lovers should do when in Seattle!
Have you been to the Boeing Everett Factory? What did you think?
Happy travels,
theresorttraveler
MY SEATTLE WEEKEND TRIP REPORT:
Stay tuned to see the rest of my Seattle 2018 Weekend Trip here!
- My Experience Flying Alaska A321 Premium Class
- Priority Pass Review: Alaska Lounge at LAX
- Alaska Airlines 737-900 Premium Class Review
- Priority Pass Review: The New Alaska Lounge at SEA
- Hilton Bellevue Executive Level Review
- Boeing Everett Factory Tour Review
- Silvercar Seattle Review
- Priority Pass Review: The Club at SEA Lounge
