Ozark Airlines’ first entry into the southeast was initiated by three different DC-9 nonstop flights from Des Moines, Moline, and Peoria to Atlanta on December 1, 1978.
This cover was carried on the inaugural Ozark Airlines flight from Peoria, Illinois to Atlanta, Georgia (where it was backstamped) and is listed in The American Air Mail Catalogue as OZ-D7SE.
On October 26, 1986, Ozark Airlines was merged into Trans World Airlines' operations. TWA had been Ozark Airlines’ primary competitor at its Saint Louis hub. At the time of the acquisition, the two carriers operated almost three-quarters of the flights to and from that airport.
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 after 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.