Several airlines asked Convair for a larger version of the 880 with potential transatlantic range. Such a design would be larger to hold more seating, as well as having to carry more fuel. To power it, a more powerful engine would be needed. By this time, the Rolls-Royce Conway was entering service, and the Pratt & Whitney JT3D was following close behind. These designs both had twin-spool compressors, as opposed to using variable stators, and the lower speed of the front, low-pressure, spool made it easy to power a fan.