Republic Airlines was an airline in the United States that operated from 1979 until it merged with Northwest Airlines in 1986. Republic was formed by the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways on July 1, 1979. Their headquarters were at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport, in what is now Fort Snelling in unincorporated Hennepin County, Minnesota."World Airline Directory." Flight International. March 30, 1985. 111." ." U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved on December 19, 2009. The former headquarters is now Delta Air Lines Building C.Niemela, Jennifer. "Delta reaches deal on Minnesota jobs." Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal. Tuesday December 16, 2008. Retrieved on January 19, 2012.
History Republic Airlines began in 1979 with the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways, the first such merger following the federal Airline Deregulation Act. The new airline's headquarters were at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport where it operated a major hub, however, their largest hub was at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. A third hub was also operated at Memphis International Airport. Following their buyout of Hughes Airwest in 1980, Republic became the largest airline in the U.S. by number of airports served. New hubs formerly operated by Hughes Airwest were also acquired at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.
The company operated the world's largest McDonnell Douglas DC-9 fleet, with DC-9-10, DC-9-30 and DC-9-50s and also flew Boeing 727-200, Boeing 757-200, and McDonnell Douglas MD-80 jets. In addition, Republic operated Convair 580 turboprops previously flown by North Central.
After the merger, losses mounted and service reductions followed. Saddled with debt from two acquisitions and new aircraft, the airline struggled in the early 1980s, and even introduced a human mascot version of Herman the Duck. They reduced service to Phoenix and Las Vegas, former hubs of Hughes Airwest, citing their inability to compete with non-union airlines there, and eventually dismantled the former extensive route system operated by Hughes Airwest in the western U.S.https://www.departedflights.com, September 1, 1980 Hughes Airwest system route map and March 2, 1986 Republic Airlines system route map As a result, this caused the airline’s image to worsen at a sensitive time, and the airline was sometimes derided as "Repulsive".
In early 1985 Republic teamed up with Simmons Airlines and Express Airlines I to provide feeder service from dozens of smaller cities to Republic's three main hub airports at Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis. The service was known as Republic Express using turboprop aircraft that were painted as Republic Airlines, accommodating from 14 to 34 passengers.Republic Airlines timetable April 28, 1985
Northwest Airlines In 1986, Northwest Orient Airlines announced on January 23 that they would buy Republic for $884 million in response to United Airlines' purchase of the Pacific routes of Pan American World Airways and to provide domestic feed. Opposed by the Justice Department, the Northwest-Republic merger was approved by the Transportation Department on July 31 and was completed on October 1, with Northwest dropping the word Orient from their name after the merger. Northwest merged Republic's hub at Minneapolis, with its existing hub there, and retained Republic's hubs at Memphis, and Detroit. Together, they became the backbone of Northwest's domestic network.
Northwest later merged with Delta Air Lines in October 2008; the deal was finalized in January 2010, with Delta as the surviving air carrier. Delta initially retained the former Republic hubs, but dehubbed Memphis in 2013.
Frequent flyer program In October 1984 Republic introduced a new frequent flyer program called the Perks program. The new program eliminated the need to place a frequent flyer account number sticker on each flight ticket coupon, with earned mileage automatically being assigned to accounts if the reservation was booked directly with Republic. Each flight segment earned a minimum of 1,000 miles or the actual mileage, if greater. A domestic round trip reward ticket was automatically issued every 20,000 miles. The new program included a partnership with Pan American World Airways for earning and redeeming mileage awards. In January 1986, Western Airlines was added as a partner. Effective October 1, 1986, the Republic Perks frequent flyer program was merged into Northwest Airlines which adopted the WorldPerks program name, taken from Republic.
Fleet
133 Douglas DC-9-14; Douglas DC-9-15; McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31; McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32; McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 22 Boeing 727-200 8 McDonnell Douglas MD-82 6 Boeing 757-200 24 Convair CV-580 turboprop aircraft
Destinations in 1986
According to the Republic Airlines system route map dated March 2, 1986, the airline was serving the following domestic and international destinations shortly before the merger with Northwest Airlines:https://www.departedflights.com, March 2, 1986 Republic Airlines system route map
Domestic
Alabama Birmingham Huntsville/Decatur Mobile Montgomery
Arizona Phoenix – Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the acquisition of Hughes Airwest in 1980; sold to startup carrier America West Airlines in 1983)https://www.departedflights.com, Dec. 1, 1980 Republic Airlines system route map Tucson
Arkansas Little Rock
California Los Angeles – Los Angeles International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the acquisition of Hughes Airwest in 1980) Orange County (SNA, now John Wayne Airport) Sacramento San Diego San Francisco – San Francisco International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the acquisition of Hughes Airwest in 1980)
Colorado Denver – Stapleton International Airport
Connecticut Hartford – Bradley International Airport
Florida Fort Lauderdale Fort Walton Beach Miami Orlando – Orlando International Airport (previously a focus city immediately following the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways in 1979)https://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1979 Republic Airlines system route map Panama City – Panama City–Bay County International Airport Sarasota Tampa
Georgia Atlanta – Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways in 1979 but no longer a hub in 1986)
Illinois Chicago – Chicago O'Hare International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways in 1979)
Indiana Fort Wayne Indianapolis South Bend
Iowa Cedar Rapids Des Moines
Kansas Wichita – Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport
Kentucky Louisville – Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport
Louisiana Baton Rouge New Orleans – Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (previously a focus city immediately following the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways in 1979)https://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1979 Republic Airlines system timetable Shreveport
Maryland Baltimore – Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
Massachusetts Boston – Boston Logan International Airport
Michigan Detroit – Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport – Hub Grand Rapids Kalamazoo Lansing Saginaw
Minnesota Duluth Hibbing International Falls Minneapolis – Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport – Hub & airline headquarters Rochester
Mississippi Gulfport/Biloxi Meridian Pascagoula – served via Mobile, AL
Missouri Kansas City St. Louis – St. Louis Lambert International Airport
Nebraska Omaha
Nevada Las Vegas – Harry Reid International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the acquisition of Hughes Airwest in 1980; sold to startup carrier America West Airlines in 1983)
New York Albany Buffalo New York City John F. Kennedy International Airport LaGuardia Airport Rochester Syracuse – Syracuse Hancock International Airport White Plains
North Dakota Bismarck Fargo Grand Forks Minot
Ohio Akron/Canton Cincinnati – Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Cleveland – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Columbus – John Glenn Columbus International Airport Dayton – Dayton International Airport
Oklahoma Oklahoma City Tulsa
Oregon Portland
Pennsylvania Erie Philadelphia Pittsburgh
South Dakota Rapid City Sioux Falls
Tennessee Chattanooga Knoxville Memphis – Memphis International Airport - Hub Nashville
Texas Dallas – Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Houston William P. Hobby Airport George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Utah Salt Lake City – Salt Lake City International Airport (previously a focus city immediately following the acquisition of Hughes Airwest in 1980)
Washington, D.C. / Virginia Washington Dulles International Airport Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
Washington state Seattle – Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (previously a hub immediately following the acquisition of Hughes Airwest in 1980)
Wisconsin Appleton Eau Claire Green Bay La Crosse Madison Milwaukee – Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport (previously a focus city immediately following the merger of North Central Airlines and Southern Airways in 1979; sold to startup carrier Midwest Airlines in 1984)https://www.departedflights.com, July 1, 1979 Republic Airlines system roure map Wausau
International
Canada Calgary, Alberta – Calgary International Airport Edmonton, Alberta – Edmonton International Airport Montreal, Quebec – Montréal–Dorval International Airport Toronto, Ontario – Toronto Pearson International Airport Winnipeg, Manitoba – Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport
Cayman Islands Grand Cayman
Mexico Cancun Puerto Vallarta Mazatlan Guadalajara
Incident The airline had a high safety rating, but incurred a passenger fatality in 1983 when a section of propeller blade entered the cabin of Flight 927 at Brainerd, Minnesota on Sunday, January 9. Arriving from Minneapolis in sleet and snow showers at 7:40 p.m., the Convair 580 skidded off the right edge of the runway and the right propeller struck a snowbank. Three other passengers were injured, one seriously.NTSB Accident Report NTSB-AR-83-08, October 18, 1983, p. 1-2 Following this incident, the airline had a number of close calls in 1983. In 1985, a pilot for the airline named Jack Brasher deviated 700 feet from an assigned altitude in flight. As a result, a warning was issued to him months later. The warning would be named after him - the Brasher warning.
Further reading Love T., The Republic Airlines story, Schiffer Publ. Ltd., 2012
See also List of defunct airlines of the United States Revenue Technology Services (1982)
References
External links
Fleet information Republic Airlines historical artifacts - inventory list of items stored at the Minnesota Historical Society Aviation Safety Network – Republic Airlines Republic Airlines | Museum of Flight Digital Collections