Boeing 377 in 1950 and the first order for the 707 in 1955, Boeing was shut out of the commercial aircraft market. In the mid-1950s technology had advanced significantly, which gave Boeing the opportunity to develop and manufacture new products. One of the first was the guided short-range missile used to intercept enemy aircraft. By that time the Cold War had become a fact of life, and Boeing used its short-range missile technology to develop and build an intercontinental missile. In 1958, Boeing began delivery of its 707, the United States' first commercial jet airliner, in response to the British De
Boeing 377 Stratocruiser 377s (and United DC-6s) were scheduled between Honolulu and San Francisco () in 9 h 45 min each way. The longest (by distance) 377 nonstop flights were made by Pan Am from Tokyo to Honolulu during four winter seasons beginning in 1952–1953. In January 1953, two nonstops a week were scheduled with a flight time of 11 hr 1 min due to strong tailwinds; the following August all flights took 19 hours, with a stop at the Wake Island Airfield. By 1960, Stratocruisers were being superseded by jets, such as the de Havilland Comet, Boeing 707, and Douglas DC-8. The