Last weekend I had the opportunity to attend the rollout event of Etihad Airways‘ first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. As we walked off the bus, there was a long, red carpet with a line of Etihad’s pleasant female flight attendants standing and waiting to greet us. I must say, as this was my first “rollout” experience, I was really amazed and impressed by the production and presentation of the plane as it rolled out of Boeing’s paint hangar. With the music and the lighting, “she” (the plane) made quite the appearance. I realized how easy it is to ignore or forget about the exterior of the plane, when you always walk down the jetway and right into the plane. Being up close and personal with Etihad’s new 787-9, I was able to recognize the time and effort put into making the plane look so beautiful! It was also nice to see the whole paint team standing proud while looking at their completed masterpiece! The plane was painted in Etihad’s new Facets of Abu Dhabi livery, featuring a color scheme similar to a desert landscape. I learned the livery was inspired by the culture, Islamic design and architecture motifs of the United Arab Emirates. Prior to the wonderful unveiling of the aircraft, event guests heard from state officials as well as Etihad and Boeing executives. The airline and aircraft manufacturer have a big partnership, with Etihad as one of the world’s largest 787 customers. The brand has a total of 71 Dreamliners on order. The event showed Etihad’s support not only for Boeing but also for the United States. American travelers will have more options to fly and experience Etihad next year. The 787-9 will officially be delivered at the end of this year, with Washington, D.C., as one of the first routes starting in early 2015. While the exterior of the plane looked amazing, I can only hope to see and experience the interior one day! — Olivia Falcione, advertising manager