Boeing workers, their friends and family members and Washingtonians who were perhaps just relieved to hear some positive economic news celebrated Thursday as it was announced that Boeing had won the Air Force's $35 billion tanker contract.

Workers poured out of Boeing's Everett plant Thursday afternoon honking their car horns, waving and giving reporters the thumbs-up.

"It's a very great feeling," Boeing worker David Mullenbach said.

Two 767 workers gathered around one of KIRO 7's laptops to watch the livestreamed announcement from the Pentagon.

"Now we can retire in dignity," said Dale Flinn, a 767 worker.

Flinn said instead of a slowdown in 767 production, he can look forward to growth and job security.

"If we went the other way, that means we'd be retiring on a different program, and this has been my life on the 767," he said. "It paid for my house. I put a lot of hours on that airplane."

People also reacted vociferously on KIRO 7's Facebook page.

"All of us Boeing workers are extremely happy!" wrote Katrina 'Leurquin' West.

"When Boeing does good, Seattle does good," wrote Helen Houlihan Miller, another Facebook fan and former Boeing employee. "With people losing (their) homes (and) jobs, getting a contract is good news for the economy."

Others expressed relief that an American company would be building the country's next-generation refueling plane. Boeing's competition for the bid, EADS, is headquartered in the Netherlands, and its lead subsidiary, Airbus, is based in France.

"The U.S. should be taking care of our military, and not Europe," said Patty Blair at the 747 Inn in Everett.

"This is the only outcome that would not have been a slap in the face to all Americans!" Robert R. Smith wrote on Facebook.

Blair said she couldn't understand why the Air Force was even considering giving U.S. taxpayer dollars to a European company for their tankers, and in doing so, shipping more jobs overseas.

"We deserve the contract," she said. "We're very, very good workers, and will do a good job for our military."

EADS's loss was a blow to some American workers, however. Alabama was counting on an EADS win to bring jobs to a long-shuttered military base.

In the end, though, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn said, "Boeing was the clear winner."

EADS still has the option to protest the Defense Department's decision, and there is some speculation that it will.

For today, though, many Boeing workers are relieved.

A 767 worker said that he had the feeling after Thursday's announcement that he could go to work every day and focus on his job without worrying about whether his company would win the contract.