As a means of improving service from South
Georgia, Alabama, and Gulf Coast points on Southern Airways’ system to the
metropolitan centers of Washington, DC and New York, the Civil Aeronautics
Board authorized this new major extension of Air Mail Route 98. Through use of
this new routing a stop and/or airplane change at the congested Atlanta Airport
was eliminated. Air Mail Route 98 Service at Washington, DC had to be via the
less congested Dulles International Airport, avoiding busier Washington National
Airport. Southern Airways chose to serve New York through LaGuardia Airport,
less congested than Kennedy International Airport.
Southern Airways’ new service, using DC-9 jets, was inaugurated on September 3, 1968.
This cover was carried on the inaugural Air Mail Route 98 flight from the Dulles Airport Mail Facility in Washington, DC to New York (where it was backstamped) and is listed in the Contract Air Mail Flights (CAM) Section of The American Air Mail Catalogue as 98N82f.
Republic Airlines, Inc., was formed on July 1, 1979, as a result of the merger of the Atlanta-based Southern Airlines with North Central Airlines based in Minneapolis.
The two regional airlines signed their agreement in September 1978. The Civil Aeronautics Board approved the merger on May 16, 1979, and President Carter upheld this action on June 4.
Effective October 1, 1980, Republic purchased Hughes Airwest, a regional airline based in San Francisco.
On January 23, 1986, Northwest Airlines announced an $884 million purchase of Republic Airlines, which was the biggest merger in U.S. civil aviation history to date. The two carriers filed a merger application with the Department of Transportation on January 27. The Justice Department opposed the merger because it would “substantially lessen competition” in violation of antitrust laws. Full hearings regarding the merger were held and on July 31 the Department of Transportation approved Northwest Airlines’ takeover of Republic Airlines. On August 12 the acquisition of Republic was completed as officials from both airlines transferred ownership of Republic to Northwest. On October 1, 1986, the operations of Republic were fully integrated with a single Northwest flight schedule.
Delta Air Lines acquired rival Northwest Airlines Inc during 2008 in a $2.6 billion merger that created the world’s biggest airline.