787 Dreamliner taking off

With news yesterday that Boeing has scheduled the first delivery to a customer of its long-awaited 787 Dreamliner for the third quarter of 2011, things began to look up for the troubled program. Since its inception, it has suffered through a series of delays, both mechanical and human, but now it appears that it may finally be almost ready to begin taking passengers aloft.

But the 787, of course, is hardly the only commercial airplane plying the skies of the world. On this page and those that follow, CNET presents the airplanes from the 787's own parent, Boeing, and its archrival, Airbus, that compete with the 787 for passengers' dollars.

Seen here, the 787 makes its first-ever flight, from Payne Field in Everett, Wash., on December 15, 2009.

January 19, 2011 4:00 AM PST

Photo by: Daniel Terdiman/CNET

| Caption by: Daniel Terdiman