Boeing tells customers 737 Max may arrive early

Boeing is on pace to achieve a rare feat in its industry: delivering a new jetliner ahead of schedule. The 737 Max completed its first flight Friday, a key step toward Boeing's goal of delivering the first plane to Southwest Airlines in Q3 of 2017. Behind the scenes, industry officials say, Boeing is telling customers it might deliver the jet as much as 6 months early. Just being on time would be remarkable. Aerospace companies in recent years have struggled with on-time deliveries of products, including commercial jetliners, business jets, military transports and fighter aircraft, because of technical and production problems. Boeing hasn't been immune. Its flagship 787 Dreamliner and the updated 747-8 version of its iconic jumbo jet were years behind schedule and suffered billions of dollars in cost overruns. <br/>