Editing Boeing 707 (section)

==Operational history==
The first commercial orders for the 707 came on October 13, 1955,<ref name="Bowers433">{{harvnb|Bowers|1989|p=433}}</ref> when leading global carrier [[Pan Am]] committed to 20 Boeing 707s, and 25 Douglas DC-8s, dramatically increasing their passenger capacity (in available revenue passenger seat-miles per hour/per day) over its existing fleet of propeller aircraft. The competition between the 707 and DC-8 was fierce. Pan Am ordered these planes when and as they did so that they would be the operators of the "first-off" production line for each aircraft type. Once the initial batch of the aircraft had been delivered to them and put into operation, Pan Am would have the distinction of being not only the "Launch Customer" for both transcontinental American jets, but the exclusive operator of American intercontinental jet transports for at least a year.

The only rival in intercontinental jet aircraft production at the time was the British de Havilland Comet. However, the Comet series had been the subject of [[GALYU|fatal accidents]] (due to design flaws) early in its introduction and withdrawn from service; virtually redesigned from scratch, it was still smaller and slower than the 707 when reintroduced as version -4. In addition, airlines and their passengers at the time preferred the more established Douglas Aircraft as a maker of passenger aircraft,{{citation needed|date=October 2023}} and several major carriers committed only to the Douglas DC-8, delayed by Douglas' decision to wait for the larger and more fuel efficient ([[Pratt & Whitney J75|Pratt & Whitney JT4A]]) turbojet to design a larger and longer range aircraft around. Anticipating this advantage, Boeing made a late and costly decision to redesign and enlarge the initial 707's wing to help increase range and payload, giving birth to the 707-320.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://www.aia-aerospace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/THE-1957-AIRCRAFT-YEAR-BOOK.pdf|title=1957-1958 Aircraft Year Book|editor1-last=Haggerty|editor1-first=James J. Jr.|publisher=American Aviation Publishers|asin=B000AP5582|place=Washington, D.C.|date=1958|page=232|access-date=July 19, 2019|archive-date=January 22, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122005549/http://www.aia-aerospace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/THE-1957-AIRCRAFT-YEAR-BOOK.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Pan Am inaugurated 707 service with a christening at [[Reagan National Airport|National Airport]] on October 17, 1958, attended by [[Dwight Eisenhower|President Eisenhower]], followed by a transatlantic flight for VIPs (personal guests of founder [[Juan Trippe]]) from [[Baltimore/Washington International Airport|Baltimore's Friendship International Airport]] to Paris.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pan Am's First Passenger Jet to Europe (1958)|url=http://ghostsofdc.org/2012/03/01/pan-ams-first-passenger-jet-to-europe-1958/|publisher=Ghosts of DC|access-date=March 1, 2012|date=March 2012}}</ref> The aircraft's first commercial flight was from [[Idlewild Airport]], New York, to [[Le Bourget airport|Le Bourget]], Paris, on October 26, 1958, with a fuel stop in [[Gander, Newfoundland and Labrador|Gander, Newfoundland]]. In December, [[National Airlines (NA)|National Airlines]] operated the first US domestic jet airline flights between [[John F. Kennedy International Airport|New York/Idlewild]] and Miami, using 707s leased from Pan Am.

[[File:Three Pan Am Boeing 707 awaiting delivery.jpg|thumb|[[Pan Am]] introduced the 707-120 on October 26, 1958.]]
{{anchor|StarStream}}In February 1956, rival global giant Trans World Airlines' then-President [[Howard Hughes]] ordered eight new Boeing 707-120, dubbing the new jet service ''StarStream'', launching its first jet service, between [[New York-Idlewild International Airport]] and [[San Francisco International Airport]], on January 25, 1959.<ref name="northeastnews/twa-star-stream">{{cite web |last1=Bushnell |first1=Michael |title=TWA Star Stream: the luxury standard |url=https://northeastnews.net/pages/twa-star-stream-the-luxury-standard/ |website=Northeast News |access-date=August 7, 2023 |date=August 13, 2014}}</ref><ref name="airlineratings/twa-starstream-707">{{cite web |last1=Machat |first1=Mike |title=TWA's StarStream Boeing 707 |url=https://www.airlineratings.com/news/twas-starstream-boeing-707/ |website=Airline Ratings |access-date=August 7, 2023 |language=en-AU |date=December 23, 2015}}</ref>

[[American Airlines]] was the first domestic airline to fly its own jets, on January 25, 1959.{{citation needed|date=August 2023}} TWA started domestic 707-131 flights in March and [[Continental Airlines]] started 707-124 flights in June; airlines that had ordered only the DC-8, such as [[United Airlines|United]], [[Delta Air Lines|Delta]], and [[Eastern Air Lines|Eastern]], were left without jets until September and lost market share on transcontinental flights.{{citation needed|date= May 2016}} Qantas was the first non-US airline to use the 707s, starting in 1959.<ref>{{cite news |date=February 16, 1959 |title=Boeing Completed 707 for Australians |page=5 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Entering the Jet Age |url=https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/history-jet-age/global/en |publisher=[[Qantas]] |access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref>

The 707 quickly became the most popular jetliner of its time. Its success led to rapid developments in airport terminals, runways, airline catering, baggage handling, reservations systems, and other air transport infrastructure. The advent of the 707 also led to the upgrading of [[air traffic control]] systems to prevent interference with military jet operations.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20071001014903/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,810685,00.html "Jets Across the U.S."] ''Time'', November 17, 1958. Retrieved December 27, 2009.</ref>
[[File:Boeing 707-321C, Iran Air AN0597257.jpg|thumb|An Iran Air Boeing 707]]
As the 1960s drew to a close, the exponential growth in air travel led to the 707 being a victim of its own success. The 707 had become too small to handle the increased numbers of passengers on the routes for which it had been designed. Stretching the fuselage again was not a viable option because the installation of larger, more powerful engines would need a larger undercarriage, which was not feasible given the design's limited ground clearance at takeoff. Rather than stretch the fuselage, which would have also required pilot retraining, Boeing's answer to the problem was the first [[wide-body]] airliner—the [[Boeing 747]]. The 707's first-generation engine technology was also rapidly becoming obsolete in the areas of noise and fuel economy, especially after the [[1973 oil crisis]].{{citation needed|date= May 2016}} 

[[File:Saha Air Boeing 707 Haghgoo-2.jpg|thumb|Iranian [[Saha Airlines]] was the last commercial operator, until April 2013]]
Operations of the 707 were threatened by the enactment of international noise regulations in 1985. Shannon Engineering of Seattle developed a [[hush kit]] with funding from [[Tracor|Tracor, Inc]], of Austin, Texas. By the late 1980s, 172 Boeing 707s had been equipped with the Quiet 707 package. Boeing acknowledged that more 707s were in service than before the hush kit was available.<ref>Federal Aviation Administration issued Supplemental Type Certificate SA2699NM to SHANNON engineering March 6, 1985.</ref>

[[Trans World Airlines]] flew the last scheduled 707 flight for passengers by a US carrier on October 30, 1983,<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20070703114706/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,952267,00.html "Farewell Flight."] ''Time'', November 14, 1983. Retrieved December 27, 2009.</ref> although 707s remained in scheduled service by airlines from other nations for much longer. [[Middle East Airlines]] <!-- (MEA) --> of [[Lebanon]] flew 707s and 720s in front-line passenger service until the end of the 1990s. Since [[LADE]] of Argentina removed its 707-320Bs from regular service in 2007, [[Saha Airlines]] of Iran was the last commercial operator of the Boeing 707.<ref name="Waldron" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/boeing-707-jet-aircraft-plane-flights-haynes-owners-manual-charles-kennedy-a8412136.html |title=Why the Boeing 707 Plane United the World |date=June 22, 2018 |first=Simon |last=Calder |website=[[The Independent]] |access-date=March 17, 2020}}</ref> After suspending its scheduled passenger service in April 2013,<ref name="payvand.com" /> Saha continued to operate a small fleet of 707s on behalf of the [[Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force|Iranian Air Force]].<ref name="Waldron" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://airwaysmag.com/uncategorized/flashback-friday-57th-anniversary-of-first-production-boeing-707-roll-out/ |title=Flashback Friday: 57th Anniversary of First Production Boeing 707 Roll-out |author=Turpial Development |date=October 31, 2014 |website=airwaysmag.com |access-date=March 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200317224435/https://airwaysmag.com/uncategorized/flashback-friday-57th-anniversary-of-first-production-boeing-707-roll-out/ |archive-date=March 17, 2020 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

As of 2019, only a handful of 707s remain in operation, acting as military aircraft for aerial refueling, transport, and AWACS missions.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/analysis-2019-world-air-forces-directory-454126/|title=ANALYSIS: 2019 World Air Forces Directory|last=Hoyle|first=Craig|date=December 4, 2018|website=FlightGlobal|language=en-GB|access-date=January 15, 2019}}</ref>