Boeing Will Charge for Its Plant Tours

The free ride is over at Boeing Co.--at least for tourists visiting the aerospace giant’s jet-building plant in Everett, Wash.

With profit lagging and heavy layoffs scheduled for 1999, the world’s largest plane maker will on Jan. 4 begin charging visitors for its plant tours--one of the area’s most popular attractions.

Boeing’s Everett facility, which has offered formal tours free to the public since 1968, hosts about 140,000 visitors each year and celebrated its 2-millionth visitor in August.

The 98-acre plant, located north of Seattle, is where the company builds the 747 jumbo jet and the 767 and 777.

Boeing will charge $5 for adults, $3 for children 15 and under and $10 a person for groups of 10 or more.