The DC-3 popularized air travel and made airline profits possible, while the 377 Stratocruiser set a new standard for luxurious air travel with its tastefully decorated extra-wide passenger cabin and gold-appointed dressing rooms. Pan American placed the first order for 20 377 Stratocruisers, worth $24 million, and they began service between San Francisco, Calif., and Honolulu, Hawaii, in 1949.