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This early 1960s publicity film promotes the then new Boeing 707 as it entered service with US domestic carrier American Airlines. American Airlines famously branded their new 707 jetliners as “Astrojets” to coincide with the current day fascination of space exploration and jet engines, and the US – Soviet space race.

This film makes a significant effort to explain the development of the jet airliner and jet engines, to educate the travelling public about this new and modern mode of travel. American Airlines operated their Boeing 707s up until the early 1980s, so it was only a period of 20 years, which s short by today’s standards, given that the A380 has already been in service for nearly 20 years, and the 767 has been in service for over 30 years.

But the Boeing 707 truly was an iconic jetliner that brought the travelling public across the rubicon from the prop era to the mass travel jet industry today that we all too often take for granted. We salute the Boeing 707, what a terrific jetliner, and this American Airlines promotional film is truly an historic look back at the way jet ravel started.