Pan Am was the first airline to operate the Boeing 707 in scheduled passenger service.
The Boeing 707 was a four-engine jet airliner that helped begin the Jet Age in long-distance passenger travel. Pan American World Airways inaugurated scheduled 707 service on 26 October 1958, flying between New York and Paris. The jet was substantially faster than the piston-engine airliners it replaced.
The aircraft’s speed reduced travel times and helped make international air travel more attractive to a much wider public. Its swept wings, four podded engines, and pressurized cabin became a familiar pattern for early commercial jets.
Pan Am is sometimes confused with British Overseas Airways Corporation, which introduced the de Havilland Comet earlier. The Comet was the first commercial jet airliner, but the Boeing 707 was a different aircraft and became one of the most influential early jet transports. Pan Am’s inaugural 707 service is the relevant milestone here.