May Be Weeks Before Lines Are Running... And Don't Plan On The 787 Flying Until Next Year

The machinists strike may be over at Boeing.... but that doesn't mean airplanes are rolling smoothly off the line just yet.

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports it may be two weeks before some assembly lines are up and running. While many of the Machinists undergo required recertification, necessary preparations are being made to restart production.

Boeing had said early in the strike that it would issue revised guidance to investors, and updated delivery predictions to customers, after the strike ended. One industry analyst predicted Monday the first flight of the 787 Dreamliner, scheduled before the end of this year before the strike hit, could now be delayed until February or March... and first deliveries to customers pushed off into the second quarter of 2010.

And that assumes the company doesn't suffer a strike by 21,000 members of the Society of Professional Engineering Employees in Aerospace. Their contract ends December 1st, and Boeing says it will present its final offer to the union by November 11.

A strike by SPEEA wouldn't completely shut down jet production... but could disrupt deliveries, and further delay the assembly of 787 development aircraft at Boeing's plant in Everett, WA.

Analysts think Boeing lost more than $2.6 billion in cash during the strike. The company says it will not raise output to make up for production lost during the 57 days the machinists stayed home.

FMI: www.boeing.com, www.goiam.org