N7217U

This airframe, registered as N7217U, is a Boeing 720-022 built by The Boeing Company in 1961 with serial number 18049. It entered service with United Airlines (original operator; later operators included Alaska Airlines, Southeast Airlines, Hispaniola Airways) and is recorded on the US civil register. Over its operational life the airframe passed through multiple mainline and secondary operators, reflecting a typical transfer pattern for early-jet short-to-medium-haul equipment. Public valuation and detailed condition records are not published in the supplied data.

The cabin for this specific Boeing 720-022 conforms to a typical two-class mainline layout accommodating 130–150 passengers in operator-configurable arrangements, with the supplied value for this airframe showing 149 seats in one documented fit. Powered by four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-7 turbofan engines, the airframe's performance envelope supports medium-range trunk routes and mainline services consistent with its 3,680 nm range and 540 kt cruise speed. Operators historically employed the type on transcontinental and dense regional sectors where speed and higher cruise altitude (up to 41,000 ft) provided schedule and payload advantages. Maintenance and operational considerations for this airframe would center on vintage four-engine systems and life-limited components typical of early-1960s production jets.

As a member of the Boeing 720 family, this Boeing 720-022 occupies a performance niche bridging short-to-medium-range mainline missions with higher cruise speeds and altitudes than contemporary piston and early turboprops, enabled by its four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-7 engines and 3,680 nm range. The seating and mission profile (approximately 149 seats) placed it in competition for high-frequency trunk routes. Secondary market and resale considerations for this airframe type historically included demand from smaller carriers and charters as newer-generation twinjets emerged, with maintenance and parts support reflecting the legacy-engineering status of early Boeing jetliners.