As a result of Pan American’s proposed sale of its transpacific routes to United Air Lines in early 1985, Pan American canceled an announced San Francisco to Seoul nonstop flight and concentrated on services to Europe. New nonstop services, using Boeing 747s, were scheduled for April 28, 1985, from New York to Hamburg and from Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. to Frankfurt, West Germany. Due to a strike all but the New York to Hamburg services were delayed. 

The Deutsche Bundespost applied official oval cancellations to covers from both Hamburg and Frankfurt.

This cover was carried on the inaugural Pan American flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Washington, DC (where it was backstamped) and is listed in The American Air Mail Catalogue as PA-F76.