Future of Flight in 2026

Is Boeing Future of Flight open seven days a week in 2026?

Yes. It has opened every day since July 2025, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., with five holiday closures over the winter.

The Everett Herald reported the change in February 2026: from July 2025 the center went from five days to seven, after years of closing on Mondays and Tuesdays. The official FAQ now lists Monday to Sunday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tours are timed, so check the last slot of the day before you plan a late arrival.

Seven days does not mean the same number of tours every day. Boeing runs them about every hour on peak days, Friday to Sunday, and less often Monday to Thursday. Our tip: pick your tour time first, then build the rest of the day around it.

How much are Future of Flight tickets in 2026?

The factory tour ticket is $42 to $46 for adults, $30 to $32 for ages 6 to 15 and $36 to $37 for seniors and military. Gallery-only entry is $14.

Boeing prices by date, which is why the ticket page shows a range instead of one number. Weekends and holidays sit at the top. Every tour ticket includes all-day general admission, so the gallery, the Sky Deck and the simulators area come with it. Children 5 and under are free, but anyone on the tour must be at least 4 feet tall.

Tickets cannot be refunded. You can move a booking up to two hours before your slot if another one is free. The Herald reporter who went in December 2025 paid $42, the bottom of the range. Prices are covered tier by tier in our ticket guide.

What is new in the Future of Flight gallery?

Two flight simulators, a Boeing 787 Dreamliner and an F/A-18E Super Hornet, added in October 2025, plus Wisk air-taxi models and a space engineering zone.

The simulators are the headline. Exhibit designer Tim Detweiler told the Herald the screens are "two or three times larger than an actual pilot simulator". One guest on the shared tour in October 2026 put it simply: "Don't miss flying a simulator in the Future of Flight!"

Around them: display models of Wisk's self-flying air taxi (a Boeing company), a zone on Boeing's International Space Station work with a Destiny module mock-up, the Kids' Zone and the rooftop Sky Deck over the Paine Field runway. Boeing's ticket page lists no separate simulator charge; if that changes, the desk will tell you before you sit down.

Why is Future of Flight quieter than before the pandemic?

Because it lost three and a half years of tours. It had 141,000 visitors in 2024, against 280,000 in 2019.

The pandemic shut the factory tour in March 2020 and it stayed shut until October 2023. The center itself reopened, closed again, and came back with limited capacity. The 2024 count was barely half the pre-COVID number, and Boeing had not published 2025 figures when the Herald asked.

For you that is good news. Weekday slots are usually there a few days out. Book ahead for summer weekends and the Friday after Thanksgiving.

What does this mean for a winter visit in 2026-27?

Go on a weekday, book the first tour you can reach, and keep away from the closed holidays. Winter is the easiest season to get a slot.

Winter is low season at Paine Field. You will have more room at the simulators and on the balcony, and you can often book the day before. Watch the calendar: Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day all fall on a Thursday or Friday this year, so the center is shut on two back-to-back pairs of days.

The drive matters more than the season. Paine Field is about 25 miles north of Seattle by I-5 and WA-526. Leave after 9 a.m. or the morning rush can double the trip. Without a car, Community Transit gets you there in roughly 75 to 105 minutes with transfers. The Sky Deck is outdoors and exposed, so pick the dry hour for it if the forecast gives you one.

• Arrive 30 minutes before your tour, an hour if you want the simulators first.
• Phones, bags and pens go into the free lockers before the tour.
• Book the shared tour from Seattle only if you are alone or carless: it is $135 against a $42 to $46 ticket.

A narrated coach from the Hyatt Regency on Howell Street, the public Boeing tour and time in the gallery, back downtown by early afternoon.

★ 4.5 · 4.5 hours · from $135

Explore the shared tour from Seattle → Tour details

Can you pair Future of Flight with the Museum of Flight in winter?

Yes, on separate days or with an early start. The Museum of Flight opens daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and closes only on Thanksgiving and Christmas.

The Museum of Flight sits at Boeing Field in south Seattle, about 35 miles from Paine Field. Adults pay $29, and entry is free from 5 to 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of the month. The outdoor Aviation Pavilion closes at 4 p.m., which matters in December when it is dark soon after.

Doing both in one day is possible but rushed. We would give the factory tour the morning and the museum a full afternoon on another day. The two compared, stop by stop, in the Boeing tour vs the Museum of Flight.

Frequently asked questions