NEW YORK — The 787 Dreamliner was born in a moment of
desperation. It was 2003 and Boeing — the company that defined
modern air travel — had just lost its title as the world's
largest plane manufacturer to European rival Airbus. Its CEO had
resigned in a defense-contract scandal. And its stock had
plunged to the lowest price in a decade. Two years after the
9/11 terrorist attacks, financially troubled airlines were
reluctant to buy new planes. Boeing needed something
revolutionary to win back customers. Salvation had a code name:
Yellowstone. It was a plane that promised to be lighter and more
technologically advanced than any other. Half of it would be
built with new plastics instead of aluminum. The cabin would be
more comfortable for passengers, and airlines could cut their
fuel bills by 20 percent. But once production started, the gap
between vision and reality quickly widened. The jet that was
eventually dubbed the Dreamliner became plagued with
manufacturing delays, cost overruns and sinking worker mora