To provide better air service from the Gulf States to Chicago, the Civil Aeronautics Board authorized a new New Orleans - Memphis - Chicago route to Eastern Air Lines. However, the award was rescinded before Eastern Air Lines started service and the route was given to Southern Airways. This resulted in a new extension of Air Mail 98 from Memphis to Chicago. Chicago was served through the Midway Airport effective April 1, 1970.

An official cachet was provided only at Chicago for this service which was operated with DC-9 jet aircraft.

This cover was one of only 140 pieces of mail carried on the inaugural Air Mail Route 98 flight from the Memphis, Tennessee Airport Mail Facility to Chicago, Illinois (where it was backstamped) and is listed in the Contract Air Mail Flights (CAM) Section of The American Air Mail Catalogue as 98N90f.

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.