On February 5, 1946, Transcontinental & Western Air, Inc. (later Trans World Airlines) inaugurated the first segment of Foreign Air Mail Route 27, which eventually was to extend halfway around the world to make connections with the trans-Pacific service of Northwest Airlines, the combined route constituting a second around-the-world service rivaling the one earlier established by Pan American Airways over Foreign Air Mail Route 14 and Foreign Air Mail Route 18.

This cover was carried on the inaugural Foreign Air Mail Route 27 flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Limerick, Ireland (where it was backstamped) and is listed in the Foreign Air Mail (FAM) Section of The American Air Mail Catalogue as F27-2a.

In January 2001, TWA filed for a third and final bankruptcy and was acquired by American Airlines. American Airlines laid off many former TWA employees in the wake of the September 11, 2001 attacks. TWA continued to exist as an LLC under American Airlines until July 1, 2003. American Airlines closed the St. Louis hub later that year.