Northwest inaugurated new service to Frankfurt beginning on April 29, 1984 with a westbound flight from Frankfurt via London and Boston to Detroit. A Boeing 747 was used from Frankfurt to Boston, and a Boeing 727-200 for the continuation to Detroit.  The inaugural eastbound flight retraced the same route on May 3, 1984.

This cover was carried on the inaugural Northwest Airlines flight from Detroit, Michigan to London, England and is listed in The American Air Mail Catalogue as NW-F95a.

On April 15, 2008, Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines announced a merger agreement. The merger of the two carriers formed what was then the largest commercial airline in the world, with 786 aircraft. Delta Air Lines' brand survived, while Northwest's brand officially ended in 2009.