Republic Airlines

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. 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.

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.

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

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. 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.