Which Boeing aircraft was the company’s first pressurized commercial transport?

The Boeing 307 Stratoliner was the company’s first pressurized commercial transport.

The Stratoliner first flew in 1938 and introduced a pressurized passenger cabin to a commercial airliner. Pressurization allowed the aircraft to cruise above much of the weather and turbulence encountered at lower altitudes, improving comfort and reducing travel time.

The design used a four-engine layout and was derived partly from Boeing’s experience with the B-17 bomber. TWA began operating the type in 1940, while Pan Am also used Stratoliners on selected routes. Only ten Stratoliners were built.

The Stratoliner is sometimes confused with the Boeing 247, an earlier landmark twin-engine airliner, or the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, a later postwar aircraft. The 307 is the specific Boeing type credited with bringing a pressurized cabin to commercial service.