Boeing Says It's Everett, Washingon

After an eight-month-long nationwide search, Boeing's 7E7 executive team has concluded that the new jet should be built in Everett, according to an insider familiar with the details. To most of us following the search, this is no great surprise. The details are interesting to those who gave it a shot and others who want to learn how much it costs to land a big fish like this.

Thomas Downey, vice president of communications for Boeing Commercial Airplanes (BCA), said last night, "No decision has been made and no decision will be made until the results of our site evaluation are fully vetted with our board of directors." Downey declined to comment on whether a recommendation from BCA to the Boeing board in Chicago had been finalized.

The Boeing insider, who has provided accurate information about key 7E7 decisions in recent months, said Everett was chosen over three other finalists, all in the Southeast: Kinston, N.C.; Charleston, S.C.; and Mobile, Ala. The source spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The 7E7 team's analysis showed that the cost of operating in Everett, though higher than in the other cities, was competitive because of the $3 billion 7E7 tax incentive passed by Gov. Gary Locke and the state Legislature in June.

With that incentive package, the difference in cost between Everett and Kinston, the lowest-cost city, narrowed to about $300 million over 20 years, a number dwarfed by the estimated $7 billion to $10 billion cost of developing a new airplane

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