American Airlines Shows Off Latest Plane to Employees, Media

American Airlines is making final preparations to begin flying its newest plane, the Boeing 787, next week.

The airline is showing off the plane to employees and the media Wednesday at Dallas-Fort International Airport.

The first passenger flight with the plane, which Boeing calls the Dreamliner, is scheduled for May 7 from Dallas to Chicago. It will fly to Beijing starting June 2, to Buenos Aires on June 4, and American plans other destinations later.

The plane is made largely from carbon materials to reduce weight and boost fuel economy. American has ordered 42 of them, although last week it delayed five that were to be delivered next year, citing a glut of flights on some international routes.

List price: US$218 million, but airlines routinely get big discounts.