Having spent most of its first century building progressively larger and longer-range airliners, Boeing confirms a small experimental “X-plane” hybrid-electric demonstrator planned for the early 2020s could signal an unprecedented push into the commuter market.  The X-plane plan is being evaluated as part of the company’s EcoDemonstrator technology testbed series and, if successful, could open the door to a new generation of small Boeing airliners seating 12-50+.