American Airlines launches coast‑to‑coast jet service on Jan 25 1959

On 25 January 1959 an American Airlines Boeing 707 flew from Los Angeles to New York, cutting travel time by about 50 % compared with propeller‑driven aircraft.

The flight completed a plan by American Airlines president C.R. Smith, who ordered 25 Boeing 707s to secure the airline’s inaugural coast‑to‑coast jet route, and followed earlier jet milestones by Pan American World Airways, which launched a New York‑Paris 707 service in October 1958, and British Overseas Airways Corporation, which operated a de Havilland Comet 4 from London to New York earlier that month; National Airlines had briefly taken the title of first domestic jet itinerary by leasing a Pan Am 707 for New York‑Miami service in December 1958.