The 747 revolutionized aviation technology and the passenger experience when it entered service on January 22, 1970. It measured longer than the Wright brother’s first flight, wider than a boulevard, and a tail height as high as a six-story building. In its first flight from New York to London, Pan Am’s Clipper Young America inaugurated the second phase of the jet age: wide-body aircraft.
Boeing designed the aircraft to maximize seat-mile, and ton-mile revenues as the 1960s came to a close. The 747 made air travel more affordable for middle-class travelers by increasing capacity and lowering costs.
As marketing tools for the airlines that operated the 747, the spacious interiors with luxury appointments and enhanced in-flight dining and entertainment options appeal to first-class and economy passengers alike. Throughout the world, the jumbo jet occupied a permanent place in the popular imagination and remained a symbol of air travel’s glamour from a bygone era.
