Republic Airlines

Ghost Corp Apparel — resurrecting iconic corporate ghosts.

Republic Airlines arrived on July 1, 1979, when Minneapolis-based North Central Airlines and Atlanta-based Southern Airways combined in the wake of U.S. airline deregulation. Its headquarters sat at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport in Fort Snelling, Minnesota, while its colorful route network stretched from the Upper Midwest to the Southeast.

In October 1980, Republic acquired Hughes Airwest, adding western destinations and making it the largest U.S. airline by number of airports served. The carrier flew a notably mighty McDonnell Douglas DC-9 fleet, alongside Boeing 727s, 757s, and MD-80s. Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Phoenix, and Las Vegas all figured into the Republic map.

Growth, naturally, came with turbulence. Northwest Orient announced its purchase of Republic in January 1986; the merger was completed on October 1, 1986. Northwest survived, dropped “Orient” from its name, and absorbed Republic’s domestic hubs. The Republic name disappeared from the timetable, but not from the airline-storyteller starter pack.

Our Republic Airlines collection celebrates a brash post-deregulation carrier built from regional-airline DNA, DC-9 swagger, and a remarkably large map. It is a salute to the bird that flew fast, merged hard, and left behind one excellent corporate ghost.