Which airline operated the Boeing 727’s first scheduled passenger service?

Eastern Air Lines operated the Boeing 727’s first scheduled passenger service.

The airline introduced the tri-jet on February 1, 1964, flying between Miami, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia. Eastern was one of the airlines that helped shape the 727’s design requirements, particularly its usefulness on domestic routes and at airports with shorter runways.

The 727 used three rear-mounted engines and a high-lift wing equipped with leading-edge slats and trailing-edge flaps. Those features gave it strong takeoff and landing performance while allowing the aircraft to cruise efficiently at jetliner speeds.

United Airlines also became an important early 727 operator, but it was not the first scheduled operator. The 727 is sometimes confused with Boeing’s 737, which entered service later and used two engines rather than three. Production ended in 1984 after 1,832 aircraft had been built.