Boeing workers take a bow at 787 Dreamliner delivery

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Boeing officially delivered its new 787 Dreamliner plane to the Japanese carrier ANA (All Nippon Airways) on Monday in a Everett, Wash., ceremony that was live streamed to an international online audience.

The event was purely ceremonial. Late last week, airline representatives spent 10 hours inspecting the plane -- flushing each toilet, checking each reading light socket and dimming the dimable windows, according to a video on Boeing’s website, which captured the landmark inspection. Satisfied that everything was working just fine, the Japanese airline took formal possession of the airplane on Sunday, a Boeing spokesperson told The Times.

There were rumors floating around the Web on Monday morning that 500 Boeing workers would be hand-delivering the plane to its Japanese owners -- literally pulling it the last 100 yards down the tarmac. But in a telephone call with The Times, a Boeing worker dismissed that idea as ridiculous. “You can’t believe 30% of what you read on the Internet,” she said.

Instead, Boeing reported on its Twitter feed that 787 Boeing workers walked the plane down the tarmac as part of the celebration, and then bowed in unison to the ANA executive on the stage.

Still pretty cool.

The list price of the plane was $187 million.

The 787 is Boeing’s first new class of aircraft since it launched the 777 in 1995. Production has been hounded by a series of hurdles almost from the beginning. It was to be ready by May 2008, but delivery was delayed several times.

Was it worth the wait?

Well, the plane promises the largest windows in the industry and, because it’s made of lightweight carbon composites, it’s fuel-efficient. Humidity is added to the air to improve its quality, and perhaps best of all -- the seats move forward before reclining. No more having a head in your lap, courtesy of the reclining person in front of you.

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-- Deborah Netburn