The Boeing 787 has a reputation for performing well at airports where high elevation and high temperatures reduce engine thrust and wing lift. Here is how density altitude affects widebody performance, what gives the 787 its advantage over older types, and where that advantage stops. On a hot day at any of those airports, the effective density altitude can climb well above the field elevation. For every 1°F above the standard temperature for that pressure altitude, density altitude increases by approximately 60 feet (18 meters). Pilots and dispatchers calculate density altitude before every departure using the current temperature, altimeter setting, and field elevation.