NORTHWEST AIRLINES

'Northwest Airlines' (), occasionally known as 'NWA', is an American airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota, near Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in the United States. Northwest has three major hubs in the United States: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, and Memphis International Airport. Northwest also operates flights from a hub in Asia at Narita International Airport near Tokyo and also operates transatlantic and Asian flights in cooperation with partner KLM from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. Additionally, it maintains focus city operations at Indianapolis International Airport and Honolulu International Airport.
Northwest is the world's fourth largest airline in terms of scheduled passenger kilometres flown.^[1] In addition to operating one of the largest domestic route networks in the U.S., Northwest carries more passengers across the Pacific Ocean (5.1 million in 2004) than any other U.S. carrier, and carries more domestic air cargo than any other American passenger airline.^[2] It is the only U.S. combination carrier (passenger and cargo service) operating dedicated Boeing 747 freighters. The airline, along with its parent company, Northwest Airlines Corporation and subsidiaries, operated under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection which, in the United States, allows continued operation during the reorganization effort, not cessation of flights as in the case in some countries. Northwest emerged from bankruptcy protection on May 31, 2007.
Northwest Airlines' regional flights are operated under the name Northwest Airlink by Mesaba Airlines, Pinnacle Airlines, and Compass Airlines. Northwest Airlines will become the minority owner of Midwest Airlines in the fourth quarter of 2007.^[3] Its frequent flyer program is called WorldPerks. Northwest Airlines' tagline is "Now you're flying smart."

History

The Curtiss Oriole, one of two biplanes Northwest used initially to haul U.S. mail.

Beginnings

Northwest Airlines was founded in 1 August 1926 by Col. Lewis Brittin, under the name 'Northwest Airways'. Like other early airlines, Northwest's focus was not in hauling passengers, but in flying mail for the U.S. Post Office Department.^[4] The fledgling airline established a mail route between Minneapolis and Chicago, using open cockpit biplanes such as the Curtiss Oriole.
Northwest began flying passengers in 1927. In 1928, the airline started its first international route with service to Winnipeg, Canada. The airline's operations were expanded to smaller cities in the region by the end of the decade. In 1931 Northwest sponsored Charles and Anne Lindbergh on a pioneering flight to Japan, scouting what would become known as the Northwest Airlines Great Circle route, and proving that flying through Alaska could save as much as on a New York-Tokyo route. In 1933, Northwest was designated to fly the Northern Transcontinental Route from New York City to Seattle, Washington; it adopted the name 'Northwest Airlines' the following year as a result of the Air Mail Scandal. Northwest stock began to be publicly traded in 1941.

1920s roundel logo

During World War II, Northwest joined the war effort by flying military equipment and personnel from the continental United States to Alaska. During this time, Northwest began painting their aircraft tails red, as a visual aid in the often harsh weather conditions. This experience with the severe northern climate led the government to designate Northwest as the United States' main North Pacific carrier following the war.

1947, Asia service begins. Ad shows the Great Circle route, pioneered by Northwest

In the spring of 1947 Northwest began staffing its Tokyo base with company personnel, flying them on the Great Circle route in twin-engine Douglas DC-3 aircraft. On 15 July 1947, Northwest became the first airline to fly a commercial passenger flight from the U.S. to Japan^[5], using ''The Manila'', a Douglas DC-4 aircraft. The flight originated at Wold-Chamberlain Field, St. Paul, Minnesota, and made its way to Tokyo by way of Edmonton, Anchorage, and Shemya, in the Aleutian Islands. From Tokyo, the flight continued to Seoul, Shanghai, and Manila. Taipei replaced Shanghai after the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. With its new routes, the airline re-branded itself as 'Northwest Orient Airlines', although the legal name of the company remained Northwest Airlines.

Global expansion

The Boeing 377 Stratocruiser, 1949 promotion

On 1 August 1949, Northwest took delivery of its first double-deck Boeing 377 Stratocruisers, which allowed the airline to establish higher service standards and reduce flight time. They were used to fly the Tokyo route nonstop from Seattle, and – with one stop in Anchorage – from Chicago. In 1951, Northwest helped establish Japan Airlines by leasing its aircraft and crew to the new company. In 1952, under the U.S.-Japan bilateral aviation treaty, Northwest and Pan American were the two U.S. flag carriers awarded rights to fly not only from the U.S. to Japan, but to pick up and carry passengers beyond Japan. Northwest remains the largest non-Japanese carrier at Tokyo's Narita Airport, with flights to several cities in Asia including Seoul, Busan, Manila, Hong Kong, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Bangkok, Singapore, Saipan and Guam. Northwest serves Taipei, Guam and Saipan from Osaka while Manila, Guam and Saipan are flown from Nagoya.
Northwest meteorologists pioneered the first clear-air turbulence forecasting system in 1957, important since the airline flew many northern routes over turbulence-prone mountain areas. Northwest remains a leader in turbulence prediction, providing TPAWS (turbulence prediction and warning services) to other airlines.^[6]
On 1 June 1959, Northwest took delivery of its first turboprop jet aircraft, the Lockheed L-188 Electra. On 8 July 1960, Northwest put the Douglas DC-8 into service, offering the shortest flight times on routes to Asia. In August 1960, Northwest retired the last Boeing 377 Stratocruiser. The airline took delivery of the Boeing 720B in 1961, and in 1963, with the new Boeing 707, and the retirement of the last propeller aircraft, Northwest became the first U.S. airline with an all-turbofan jet fleet, hence the slogan "Northwest Orient: The Fan-Jet Airline". Northwest began operating the Boeing 727-151 in 1964.

System map, February 1972

Northwest took delivery of its first Boeing 747-151 aircraft in 1970. The airline began retiring the older Boeing 707s, and using the newer 747s on high-density domestic routes, where the 727 lacked sufficient capacity.

Merger with Republic and the 1990s

June 1986 Route Map, prior to Republic Airlines merger

After airline deregulation, Northwest began nonstop flights to other Asian cities, returned to China in 1984 after a 34 year hiatus, and gradually strengthened its presence in the southern United States. It also began flying to Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia. On 1 October 1986, Northwest purchased its competitor, Minneapolis-St. Paul-based Republic Airlines, and adopted its three-hub network centered around Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit, and Memphis. Northwest dropped the word ''Orient'' from its brand name after the merger.
In 1989, Northwest introduced a new identity designed by Landor Associates superseding the 1970 logo and livery, which had been used since 1986, minus the word "Orient." A new livery, nicknamed the "bowling shoe" by employees, featured red, white, gray, and blue. was adopted at the same time.
1989 also saw major changes in ownership at the airline. Northwest was purchased in a 1989 leveraged buyout by an investment group headed by Al Checchi and Gary Wilson, KLM, and many others. To pay off the debt incurred in their takeover, the new management sold many of the airline's aircraft to leasing companies, and sold property around the world, including land in central Tokyo. The expense of the buyout was so great that in 1993, following several years of losses due to industry overcapacity and a traffic downturn following the Gulf War, Northwest threatened bankruptcy unless its employee groups agreed to three years of wage cuts. After signing the concessionary agreements, Northwest made its first profit since 1989.

Logo 1970-1989

NW/KL service mark, 1993-2003

Also in 1993, Northwest began its strategic alliance with KLM, which was the largest airline partnership ever conceived at the time. This partnership eventually became the Wings Alliance. However, the alliance never grew beyond the two airlines, and is now obsolete from a passenger's perspective, because both airlines are part of the larger SkyTeam Alliance. (From a legal perspective, the Northwest/KLM alliance remains important: it has antitrust immunity, whereas the broader SkyTeam alliance merely has code sharing privileges.) Northwest gradually pulled out of its minor European destinations and once more focused its attention on the domestic and Asian markets. On 1 May 1996 Northwest began the first nonstop service from the U.S. to China, on the Detroit - Beijing route. Nonstop Detroit-Shanghai service followed in April 2000. Later, these nonstop services were suspended in 2002. Northwest currently serves these routes via Tokyo. The airline sought government approval to restore nonstop Detroit - Shanghai service in March 2007 but lost its bid to United's Washington, D.C. (Dulles)-Beijing route.
Throughout the late 1990s and early 2000s, Northwest enjoyed profits and focused on improving technology to increase convenience while reducing costs. The airline has offered airport self-service check-in kiosks since 1997, and has more than any other airline. Northwest was also the first large U.S. airline to offer passengers Internet check-in, with service from December 2000. During the early 2000s, Northwest Airlines acquired a reputation of refusing to adopt industry-wide fare increases that had been accepted by other United States airlines. This changed in March 2005, when Northwest adopted fare hikes in response to rising oil prices.

NWA logo, 1989-2003

Detroit Blizzard, Stranded Passengers

On January 2, 1999, a heavy winter storm hit Northwest's hub in Detroit, seriously affecting flight operations. The blizzard dumped a half-meter of snow on the airport, setting off a chain of events, caused by both human and environmental factors. Before it was over, some passengers had been on board aircraft up to 8½ hours.
Poor communication between Northwest, Wayne County (operators of the airport), and ATC resulted in arriving flights continuing to land despite deteriorating conditions. With area roads impassable, the majority of airport employees were not able to report to work. Snowdrifts covered the ramp, taxiways and runways. Aircraft parked overnight could not be moved away from the gate due to the snow accumulation, and arriving flights had nowhere to go. Many passengers were thereby trapped on board, and unable to disembark for many hours. Eventually employees working through the storm were able to begin the slow process of clearing snow, move aircraft off unused gates, and allowing the inbound flights to park.
An official inquiry found "... [the delays] were serious and indicate that this event had important implications for passenger safety. Moreover, even if the well being of passengers had not been an issue, the review team believes that the stranding of passengers on aircraft queued on taxiways for up to 8½ hours invites more serious problems and is simply unacceptable. None of the other airlines serving Detroit experienced ground delays approaching the magnitude of Northwest's delays."^[7] Subsequently, passengers brought various legal claims against the carrier including false imprisonment and negligence and obtained a $1.7 million settlement.^[8]
The problem of passengers stranded on aircraft during bad weather is a common problem among many U.S. airlines. This problem is exacerbated by the shortage of gates at some airports, the reluctance of airlines to ask other airlines (or other airlines to allow use of their gates) for temporary gate use, reluctance of airlines to use stairs to disembark passengers, etc. In late 2006 and early 2007, similar well-publicized incidents have occurred on other airlines, namely American Airlines in Austin and JetBlue in New York. However, the above mentioned Northwest incident is noteworthy because of the large monetary settlement.

September 11, 2001 aftermath and beyond

747-200 in 1990s livery

Due to the effects of competition from low-cost carriers such as Southwest Airlines and increased labor costs due to a new contract with employees represented by the AMFA labor union, Northwest began to make cutbacks in early 2001. Two small rounds of employee layoffs and other cutbacks were implemented in the months prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Following the attacks, Northwest was forced to make major changes to its business structure through major employee layoffs and other cost cutting measures. The retirement of costly and aging aircraft such as the Boeing 727 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 were accelerated as new aircraft went into service. In addition, the airline pursued options to reduce costs across the board, including removing pillows, peanuts, pretzels, in-flight entertainment on domestic flights, and newspapers and magazines. Also, over 50 McDonnell Douglas DC-9, Boeing 757, Boeing 747, and Airbus A320 family aircraft were withdrawn from use in an attempt to lower overall capacity and save money. Some of these aircraft have since been returned to service.
Following many years of a pioneering and close partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Northwest, along with partners KLM and Continental Airlines, joined the SkyTeam Alliance, a partnership of ten airlines from around the world, on 15 September 2004. This was partially a result of Air France acquiring KLM, forming the Air France-KLM group. The airline continued to hemorrhage money, however. In the spring of 2005, a media spectacle occurred when the news leaked that top executives in the company had been selling much of their stock. Subsequently, shareholders filed lawsuits against four top officials for insider trading, including Chairman Gary Wilson, CEO Doug Steenland, former director Al Checchi and former CFO Bernie Han.
Despite far-reaching money saving initiatives, Northwest was forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the first time in its 79-year history. The filing took place in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York on 14 September 2005. With Northwest's filing, four of the six largest U.S. carriers were operating under bankruptcy protection. Northwest joined Delta Air Lines (which filed just minutes before), United Airlines, and US Airways in bankruptcy. US Airways and United Airlines, and very recently, Delta Air Lines, have since emerged from bankruptcy protection. Northwest common stock shares dropped more than 50% for the second time in three days following the news, largely because stock is generally cancelled as part of the bankruptcy process. In the following weeks, Northwest Airlink carriers Mesaba Airlines and Pinnacle Airlines both announced that Northwest had missed payments to them for their Airlink flying. Northwest also announced plans to shrink its Airlink fleet by over 45 aircraft. Mesaba Aviation filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on October 13 2005. However, Northwest recently announced that it would once again increase capacity.
Northwest announced that on May 18, 2007 that shares of the company would begin to be traded on the NYSE under the ticker NWA WI. Initial trading on a "when-issued" basis began on May 21, 2007, and regular trading will begin on May 31, 2007. Also on May 18, 2007, Northwest Airlines was cleared by a federal bankruptcy judge to emerge from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on May 31, 2007. It ended Northwest's 20 months of difficulty trying to slash costs, although it will still likely be an uphill battle, as labor unions who made large concessions will demand higher pay. ^[9]
On July 16, 2007, Northwest Airlines applied to the United States Department of Transportation for nonstop service between its WorldGateway hub at Detroit to Shanghai (beginning in 2007 on Boeing 747-400s) and to Beijing (beginning in 2009 on Boeing 787 Dreamliners). The other airline competing for such a route is US Airways.
On August 12, 2007, Northwest Airlines became a possible passive investor in the purchase of Midwest Airlines by TPG Capital. They stated that while they are an investor, they will not participate in any management or control of Midwest Airlines.^[10] However, on August 14, 2007, AirTran Airways raised their offer for Midwest to $16.25 a share, 25 cents more than the TPG offer.^[11] But soon after on August 17, 2007, TPG Capital raised their offer to $17.00 a share which sealed the deal. Northwest Airlines will now become a minority owner of Midwest Airlines in the fourth quarter of 2007.^[3]

Labor relations

A recurring issue in Northwest's history is its troubled labor relations. In 1998, Northwest walked away from the bargaining table, locked out its pilots (represented by ALPA) and shut down the airline for more than two weeks. The airline sustained heavy losses as a result, and ended 1998 in the red, after being profitable since 1993.
On August 20 2005, after months of negotiations, an impasse declared by the NMB and a 30-day cooling off period, the over 4,750 Northwest aircraft mechanics, janitors, and aircraft cleaners represented by AMFA went on strike against the company. After numerous negotiation sessions, no agreement was reached, and the company began hiring permanent replacement workers. In mid-October, after permanently hiring about 500 non-union workers, Northwest made a final offer to the union. The offer would have saved about 500 union jobs and offered four weeks of severance pay to terminated employees. This offer was significantly worse than the original declined by the union, which would have saved over 2,000 jobs and offered 16 weeks of severance pay. On 21 October 2005, AMFA announced that it would not allow its members to vote on the offer, citing that parts of the contract would violate the union's commitment to its members. Finally, in late December 2005, Northwest made what it termed its "final offer" to the union. The agreement would have terminated all striking workers and given them rights to unemployment compensation. The union voted down the offer. On October 9, 2006, AMFA leadership and Northwest reached an agreement.^[13] Under the settlement, all AMFA workers still on strike as of that date will be converted to lay-off status with 5 weeks of severance pay (10 weeks if they resign from Northwest). However, these employees will have a right of recall to their old jobs. Approval of the settlement was^[14] on 6 November 2006.
On May 30, 2007, it was announced that the flight attendants narrowly agreed to concessions and became the last major work group at Northwest to agree to new contract terms. The deal was approved by a vote of 2,966 to 2,862. Union leaders said that 90.5 percent of eligible voters cast ballots. The new contract provides Northwest with $195 million in annual cuts through 2011.
Negotiations with attendants had been ongoing and contentious for several years. The flight attendants were unable to strike during negotiations because of a court injunction and the refusal of the mediation board to release them from bargaining which would have allowed the setting of a strike deadline. The attendants had been working under imposed pay cuts and work rules since July of 2006 when a previous tentative agreement was rejected by 55 percent of the voting members.
Prior to the May 2007 agreement, union leaders had expressed concern that the defeat of the agreement could prompt the National Mediation Board to recess talks indefinitely resulting in the loss of a $182 million bankruptcy claim the attendants had against Northwest. With the new agreement, the $182 million claim will eventually be sold for cash with an estimated pre-tax value of $15,000 to $18,000 per flight attendant. Other labor unions at Northwest received similar claims as part of their concessionary agreements.
Previous to the recent agreements, Northwest provided employees with stock in exchange for concessions. For example, In 1993 Northwest's pilots, ground workers and flight attendants received stock and seats on the board of directors in exchange for pay cuts. As part of the agreement, Northwest was supposed to buy back these preferred shares in 2003 but refused to do so citing financial distress. Flight attendants, ground workers and mechanics still holding those preferred shares will now get shares of new Northwest stock (estimated at a combined value of $277 million).
In the summer of 2007 Northwest also had labor conflict with its pilots, over the large number of end of the month flight cancellations. The pilots claim that Northwest did not have the pilots to fly its schedule; Northwest accused the pilots of calling in sick to create the problem.

Destinations

Northwest primarily operates a hub and spoke route system with hubs in Amsterdam, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, and Tokyo. The Amsterdam hub primarily consists of service from the U.S. to that city with beyond flights operated by KLM. It operates a few routes outside the hub system, such as San Francisco-Honolulu. Indianapolis is served as a focus city with much, but not all, of the added service to non-hub cities through Northwest Airlink flights.
In recent years, Northwest has concentrated on flights to its hubs. However, as recently as the early 1990s, it operated more flights not involving hubs, such as Boston-Seattle and Los Angeles-Seattle. The Los Angeles-Seattle flight is currently being serviced by a codeshare flight from Alaska Airlines. In 1991, it began service to Australia, which had been abandoned by Continental a few years earlier after United and Qantas began non-stop flights to the continental U.S. using the newly introduced, long range 747-400, which Continental did not operate. Northwest served Sydney-Los Angeles, as well as Melbourne-Osaka-New York. The Melbourne flights raised Japanese protest because less than 30% of passengers on the Australia-Japan segment were originating in the U.S.^[15]
In the mid-1980s, Northwest operated the only U.S. flag carrier service to Glasgow, Oslo, and Stockholm, as well as service to Copenhagen. However, this was later withdrawn after several years. From 2000 Northwest operated flights to Milan and Rome, both were later withdrawn (from 2003 to 2005 Rome was served only during the summer season). From 1996 until 2002, Northwest operated nonstop flights from its Detroit hub to Beijing and Shanghai but later these routes were suspended. Northwest currently operates these routes from Detroit with a stop at its Tokyo-Narita hub.
On July 16, 2007 Northwest applied with the Department of Transportation for nonstop service between Detroit and both Beijing and Shanghai. Depending on whether service begins in 2007 or 2009, Northwest plans on using either Boeing 747-400 or Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.^[16]

Fleet

Boeing 747-400 at PDX; used primarily on U.S. - Asia routes

Northwest is in the midst of a major long-haul fleet renewal program. As part of this program, Northwest introduced a simplified new paint scheme and logo in 2003. The airline has replaced its McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft with the Airbus A330 and will soon introduce the new Boeing 787 into their fleet. The first Airbus A330-300, used on European flights, arrived on August 6, 2003. Northwest also operates the longer range and slightly shorter A330-200 on some trans-Pacific markets, within the Far East, and on some transatlantic routes. Northwest's last DC-10 flight arrived in Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport the morning of January 8, 2007 after completing a flight from Honolulu International Airport.^[17] The last Northwest Airlines DC-10 commercial flight across the Atlantic took place on October 29, 2006, from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport to Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport.^[18] The majority of Northwest Airlines flights to and from Europe are now operated using the Airbus A330 aircraft family. Northwest Airlines has an additional 10 Airbus A330-300 aircraft on order scheduled for delivery between now and the end of 2007. Northwest Airlines also began operating reconfigured Boeing 757-200 aircraft for European flights with fewer passengers. Northwest is one of only two passenger airlines in the United States to operate the Boeing 747, currently the largest commercial passenger transport in service, with the other being United Airlines. There are several cargo airlines in the United States operating 747s.
In the future, Northwest is looking for manufacturers to discuss the replacement of their 100 seat McDonnell Douglas DC-9 aircraft, of which some aircraft have been in service for over 40 years. They could possibly order aircraft from the Embraer 190 or the Airbus A320 family.^[19] But while narrowbody aircraft may be a possible replacement, many industry analysts see that Northwest Airlines may purchase regional jets in an effort to save the airline money (i.e. Regional jet pilots are paid less than narrowbody pilots).^[20]

Passenger fleet

The Northwest Airlines fleet consists of the following aircraft as of September 2007:^[21]

'Northwest Airlines Fleet'
Aircraft	Total	Passengers (First ★ /Economy)	Routes	Notes
Airbus A319-100	66 (5 orders)	124 (16/108)	''Domestic short-medium haul'' United States, Canada, Mexico	Selling 9 to S7 Airlines of Russia
Airbus A320-200	73 (2 orders)	148 (16/132)	''Domestic short-medium haul'' United States, Canada, Mexico
Airbus A330-200	11	243 (32/211)	''International medium-long haul'' Transatlantic, transpacific, intra-Asia, India
Airbus A330-300	20 (1 order)	298 (34/264)	''International medium-long haul'' Transatlantic, Honolulu, transpacific
Boeing 747-400	16	403 (65/338)	''International long haul'' Transpacific Detroit-Shanghai (pending gov. approval '2007')	Launch customer
Boeing 757-200	55	160 (16/144) 182 (20/162) 182 (22/160) 184 (22/162)	''Domestic/international short-medium haul'' North American, transatlantic, intra-Asia	Configured with winglets New interiors^[22]
Boeing 757-300	16	224 (24/200)	''Domestic medium-long haul'' North American, U.S. west coast-Hawaii	Only of the kind to be ordered with Pratt & Whitney Engines.
Boeing 787-8	(18 orders) (50 options)		Transpacific, intra-Asia, United States Detroit-Beijing (pending gov. approval '2009')	Entry into service: August 2008
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-30	63	100 (16/84)	''Domestic short haul'' United States, Canada
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-40	11	110 (16/94)	''Domestic short haul'' United States, Canada
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50	29	125 (16/109)	''Domestic short haul'' United States, Canada

^{★ First Class is offered on most domestic flights. World Business Class is offered on transatlantic/transpacific flights.}

Retired fleet

'Northwest Airlines Retired Fleet'
Aircraft	Year Retired	Replacement	Notes
Boeing 747-100	2000	Boeing 747-400
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40	2002	Boeing 757-300
McDonnell Douglas MD-80	1999	Airbus A320 Family	Acquired during merger with Republic Airlines
Boeing 727	2003	Airbus A320 Family
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-10	2005	Airbus A320 Family
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30	2007	Airbus A330 Family	Selling to ATA Airlines and Omni Air International
Boeing 747-200	2007	Airbus A330 Family	Last flight September 12 2007

NWA Cargo fleet

As of 2006, NWA Cargo is the largest cargo carrier among U.S. combination passenger and cargo airlines. NWA Cargo’s fleet of 14 dedicated Boeing 747 freighter aircraft fly from key cities throughout the United States and Asia and connect the carrier’s cargo hub in Anchorage, Alaska (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport), facilitating the quick transfer of cargo between large cities on both sides of the Pacific. NWA Cargo also transports freight aboard the passenger fleet of Northwest Airlines to more than 250 cities worldwide.
NWA Cargo serves airports and routes not served by the passenger operation -- the only U.S. carrier to maintain a separate fleet and route network exclusively for cargo. Such cargo-only cities on NWA's route map include Wilmington, Ohio, and cargo only routes include Chicago, Illinois, to Anchorage, Alaska.

Cabin

World Business Class

World Business Class is the equivalent of business class on Northwest Airlines' international flights. It is currently available on the Airbus A330, Boeing 747-400, and on select Boeing 757-200 aircraft. All seats have 60 inches of pitch and 176 degrees of recline. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals and refreshments, including alcoholic beverages. All seats are equipped with a personal In-Flight-Entertainment (IFE) system, power-ports, a moveable reading light, a folding work table, and a swivel cocktail table.

Domestic First Class

Domestic First Class is offered on domestic flights. It is available on Airbus A319, A320, Boeing 757-200 (Domestic), 757-300, and DC-9 aircraft. Seats range from 19.5 to 21.5 inches wide, and have between 34 and 37 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals (on longer flights), refreshments, and alcohol.

International Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all international flights. Seats range from 17 to 17.5 inches wide, and have between 31 and 34 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary meals, snacks, as well as refreshments, however alcoholic beverages can be purchased for $5.00 with the exception of transatlantic flights where it is complimentary. Passengers aboard Airbus A330 aircraft also have a personal In-Flight-Entertainment (IFE) system located in the seat back in-front of them and passengers seated in rows 10-23 (A330-200) and rows 10-28 (A330-300) have a power-port located below their seat.

Domestic Economy Class

Economy Class is available on all domestic flights. Seats range from 17 to 17.5 inches wide, and have between 30 and 33 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class receive complimentary refreshments, however smartsnack boxes, sandwiches (on select flights), and light snacks may be purchased for a nominal fee. Alcoholic beverages may be purchased for $5.00.

WorldPerks

WorldPerks offers regular travelers the ability to obtain free tickets, First Class upgrades on flights, discounted membership for its airport lounges (WorldClubs), or other types of rewards. Customers accumulate miles from actual flight segments they fly or through Northwest's partners, such as car rental companies, hotels, credit cards, and other vendors. WorldPerks' elite tiers are Silver Elite, Gold Elite and Platinum elite which allow for more mileage bonus, priority waitlists and standby and other benefits. Over the years, some details of the program have changed, such as introducing capacity controlled awards (only a certain number of seats are allocated for free travel), expiration of account if no activity occurs in three years, requirement of a Saturday night stay for domestic coach awards, waiving of capacity controls for awards but requiring double the amount of miles for redemption, and adding several partner airlines for mileage accumulation and award redemption.^[23] The original name of the WorldPerks program was the Northwest Orient Airlines Free Flight Plan, which began in 1981.^[24] The original program used paper coupons and gave credit for flight segments, much like the current Southwest Airlines program. Upon renaming the program to "WorldPerks", a mileage based system was begun.
In addition to its Northwest Airlink and SkyTeam Alliance partnerships, Northwest offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:^[25]

Artist's rendering of a Northwest Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The aircraft is scheduled to enter into service in 2008.

★ Air Europa (SkyTeam Associate) ★ Air Tahiti Nui ★ Alaska Airlines ★ American Eagle (California Routes Only) ★ Big Sky Airlines ★ Cebu Pacific ★ China Airlines ★ China Southern Airlines (joining SkyTeam in late 2007) ★ Copa Airlines (SkyTeam Associate) ★ Garuda Indonesia (suspended since April 2007)	★ Gulfstream International Airlines ★ Hawaiian Airlines (Inter-Island and International Routes Only) ★ Horizon Air ★ Japan Airlines ★ Jet Airways ★ Jetstar Asia Airways (WorldPerks Asia only) ★ Kenya Airways (SkyTeam Associate) ★ Kingfisher Airlines ★ Malaysia Airlines ★ Malév Hungarian Airlines ★ Midwest Airlines

Northwest also offers frequent flyer partnerships with the following car rental agencies:^[26]

★ Alamo Rent A Car ★ Dollar Rent A Car ★ National Car Rental ★ Thrifty Car Rental

WorldClubs

WorldClubs is Northwest's member lounge. Members have reciprocal access to a number of other clubs, including fellow SkyTeam carriers such as Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and Air France. Northwest also has partnerships with various other airline lounges on an airport-by-airport basis. Unlike some other airline lounges, WorldClubs offer complimentary alcoholic beverages in domestic locations. Northwest also offers free Wi-Fi internet access world-wide. Northwest Airlines and Continental Airlines are the only airlines in the United States that offer lifetime memberships in their airport lounge programs, something that currently costs non-elite members $4,690.^[27]

Locations

The following locations are Northwest Airlines WorldClub locations:

Northwest WorldClub

★ Boston ★ Chicago O'Hare (Shared with Continental Airlines) ★ Detroit (4) ★ Honolulu ★ Los Angeles ★ Manila ★ Memphis ★ Milwaukee ★ Minneapolis/St. Paul (2)	★ Newark ★ New York La Guardia ★ Portland ★ San Francisco ★ Seattle/Tacoma ★ Seoul ★ Tokyo Narita (2) ★ Washington Dulles ★ Washington Reagan

Northwest Airlines WorldClub members are allowed to use partner clubs, which offer more clubs in more locations.^[28]

Codeshare agreements

Northwest Airlines has codeshare agreements with the following airlines as of May 2007:

Northwest Airlines alliance and codeshare partner, KLM.

★ Air France ★ Alaska Airlines ★ Alitalia ★ American Eagle (California Routes Only) ★ Big Sky Airlines ★ China Airlines ★ China Southern Airlines ★ Continental Airlines ★ Delta Air Lines ★ Gulfstream International Airlines	★ Hawaiian Airlines (Inter-Island Routes Only) ★ Horizon Air ★ KLM Royal Dutch Airlines ★ KLM Cityhopper ★ Malév Hungarian Airlines (Amsterdam-Budapest Only) ★ Midwest Airlines ★ Pinnacle Airlines ★ Korean Air

Incidents and accidents

Fatal accidents

★ January 10, 1938, Flight 2, a Lockheed Model 14 Super Electra crashed in the Bridger Mountains, northeast of Bozeman, Montana. All 8 passengers and 2 crew were killed. This was the airline's first fatal crash. Three other Lockheed Model 14 aircraft belonging to Northwest crashed over the next thirteen months.

★ 12 March 1948, Flight 4422, a Douglas DC-4 military charter en route from Shanghai back to the U.S.^[29] crashed into Mount Sanford, Alaska.

★ August 29, 1948: Flight 421, a Martin 202 was flying a scheduled domestic route of Chicago-Minneapolis-St. Paul when it crashed about NW of Winona after entering the leading edge of a thunderstorm. Pieces of the plane were seen falling, and the plane was found on a bluff on the east side of the Mississippi River. All 37 occupants onboard (33 passengers and 4 crew) died. The cause of the crash was fatigue of the left wing, causing it to separate from the plane and precipitating the plunge.[2]

★ October 27, 1948: Northwest Orient Flight 6427, a Douglas DC-4 was on a special cargo trip flying Minneapolis-St. Paul-Edmonton-Anchorage (Merrill Field)-Tokyo when it crashed into a wooded are N of Edmonton soon after takeoff. Out of the 5 occupants onboard, 2 were killed. The investigation revealed that the captain had feathered the propellers in simulation to instruct the copilot on emergency procedures. This was determined to be the primary cause of the crash. [3]

★ March 7, 1950: Northwest Orient Flight 307, a Martin 202 was operating a domestically scheduled passenger flight routing Washington, DC-Detroit-Madison-Rochester-Minneapolis St. Paul-Winnipeg crashed just before landing at Minneapolis, after deciding not to land at Rochester due to weather. The plane struck a flagpole at the National Soldiers Cemetery. The plane continued flying for another when the left wing separated and fell. The plane flew for a little bit more before crashing into a house. The house and planes both were engulfed in flames. All 13 occupants onboard, plus 2 residents of the house, were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be the loss of visual reference to the ground due to the snow falling at the time. [4]

★ 23 June 1950: The disappearance of Flight 2501^[30], a DC-4 flying from New York City to Minneapolis-St. Paul on , over Lake Michigan, has never been solved.

★ October 13, 1950: A Martin 202 on a training flight originating and ending in Minneapolis St. Paul crashed near Almelund, killing all 6 people on board. It was determined that there was a reversal of the right propeller during the flight, causing the plane to spin out of control. [5]

★ November 7, 1950: Northwest Orient Flight 115, a Martin 202 was flying a regulsrly scheduled route of Chicago-Minneapolis-St. Paul-Billings-Great Falls-Helena-Butte-Seattle when it crashed E of Butte while landing. The plane crashed into the eastern slope of a ridge. All 21 people onboard (17 passengers and 4 crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was the pilot not following the proper approach procedures.[6]

★ January 16, 1951: Northwest Orient Flight 115, a Martin 202, was on a regular scheduled route of Minneapolis-St. Paul-Billings-Kallispell-Spokane-Wenatchee-Yakima-Seattle when it crashed about W of Reardan after the captain decided to skip landing at Wenatchee and instead proceed to Yakima due to weather. An emergency message from the plane was heard briefly 15 seconds after the clearance was given. All 10 occupants onboard (7 passengers and 3 crew) were killed. The cause of the crash is still not know.[7]

★ January 19, 1952: Northwest Orient Flight 324, a Douglas C-54 was flying a nonscheduled flight originating in Tokyo, ending at McChord Air Force Base with intermediate stops in Shemya and Anchorage (Elmendorf Air Force Base). While opposite Sitka, the #1 propeller was feathered by the captain, who requested a diversion to Sandspit. As the plane was landing, it touched down about a third of the way down the runway; at around the mid-point, power was applied and the plane took off, but stalled due to the steep climb and plunged into the water at the end of the runway. Of the 43 occupants onboard (33 passengers and 3 crew) were killed, all succumbing to drowning and exposure. The cause of the crash was icing on the plane causing the nose gear to not be able to be retracted. [8]

★ 2 April 1956, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2 crashed on takeoff from the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a flight to Portland, Oregon, Chicago and New York City. The pilots ditched the Boeing Stratocruiser into Puget Sound. off Seattle; 4 passengers and 1 flight attendant died after escaping the wreckage, likely from hypothermia or drowning.

★ 17 March 1960, Flight 710 a Lockheed L-188 Electra enroute to Miami from Chicago lost a wing at 18,000 feet near Tell City, Indiana. All 57 passengers and 6 crew were killed.

★ July 14, 1960: Northwest Orient Flight 1-11, a Douglas DC-7, was flying from New York City to Manila, Phillippines with stops in Seattle, Anchorage (Cold Bay), Tokyo, and Okinawa. The plane was on its final leg between Okinawa and Manila when the No. 2 engine experienced power loss. The propeller then separated from the plane and hit the fuselage, slashing a 15 inch hole. The pilot decided to ditch the plane in the Pacific Ocean about NE of Manila. Upon impact, the rear of the plane separated as well as the engines and right wing. The majority of survivors used the right wing, which floated for 3 hours as a liferaft until rescue came. Out of 58 occupants onboard (51 passengers and 7 crew onboard) only 1 was killed.[9]

★ October 28, 1960: Northwest Orient Flight 104, a Douglas DC-7, was flying from Spokane to Missoula when it crashed about W of Missoula in the Clark Fork Valley. The plane was seen making a steep left banking turn with nose up; the plane continued rolling and crashed inverted. All 12 occupants (8 passengers and 4 crew were killed). the cause of the crash was attributed to pilot error.[10]

★ September 16, 1961: Northwest Orient Flight 706, a Lockheed L-188 Electra was on a routine flight from Milwaukee to Miami, with stops in Chicago, Tampa, and Ft. Lauderdale. As the plane departed from Chicago, the plane banked to the right and gradually descended until hitting the ground. All 37 occupants (32 passengers and 5 crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was mechanical failure in the ailerons.[11]

★ February 12, 1963: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 705, a Boeing 707 flying from Miami to Chicago crashed in the Florida Everglades approximately SW of Miami International Airport, while diverting to avoid weather. All 43 occupants onboard (35 passengers and 8 crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was determined an unrecoverable loss of control due to severe turbulence. [12]

★ June 3, 1963: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 293, a Douglas DC-7 flying a [Military Air Transport Service]] (MATS) flight from McChord Air Force Base outside Tacoma, Washington to Elmendorf Air Force Base outside Anchorage, Alaska. While in flight, contact was lost. A search was conducted and floating debris from the plane was located WSW of Annette Island. All 101 occupants onboard (95 passengers and 6 crew) were killed. The cause of the crash was never determined.[13]

★ December 1, 1974: Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231, a Boeing 727 was flying on a ferry flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Buffalo when it crashed in the vicinity of Stony Point killing the 3 occupants onboard. As the plane was cleared to climb, the airspeed and rate of climb started going up and kept going up, until the plane stalled and eventually descended out of control into a woodedd area. The cause of the crash was due to loss of control because "the flight crew failed to realize and correct the aircraft's high-angle-of-attack, low-speed stall and descending spiral".[14]

★ 16 August 1987, Flight 255 ^[31] crashed on takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. All aboard the MD-82 were killed except for one young girl.

★ 3 December 1990, Northwest Airlines Flight 1482, a DC-9-10 departing for Pittsburgh ^[32] and Northwest Flight 299, a Boeing 727-200 departing for Memphis^[33] collided at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport near the intersection of runways 09/27 and 03C/21C in dense fog. The 727 had begun its takeoff roll, and the DC-9 had just taxied onto the active runway. None of the 146 passengers and 10 crew members aboard the 727 were injured, but the DC-9 sustained heavy damage. One crew member and 7 of the 39 passengers aboard the DC-9 were killed.

Non-fatal accidents and incidents

★ On 24 November 1971, Northwest Airlines Flight 305 en route from Portland International Airport to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, was hijacked by D. B. Cooper. After receiving a $200,000 ransom payment and 4 parachutes in Seattle, he ordered the crew to fly to Mexico, and jumped from the aft airstairs of the Boeing 727-051 while it was in flight over Washington. The aircraft later landed safely in Reno, NV but Cooper's fate remains unknown.

★ In 1990, 3 crew members were intoxicated when they flew their Boeing 727 airliner from Fargo, North Dakota to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Another incident occurred in January 2001 when a pilot flew a Douglas DC-9 from San Antonio, Texas to Minneapolis. Upon landing, he had a 0.056% blood alcohol content level, above the Federal Aviation Administration limit, and was fired.

★ Three Northwest aircraft were targeted in the failed Operation Bojinka terrorist plot of 1995. Also related to terrorism, just before the 11 September 2001 attacks, Zacarias Moussaoui (who was later labeled as a possible "20th hijacker" by the news media) was arrested after attempting to use a flight simulator owned by Northwest Aerospace Training Corporation (NATCO), which is affiliated with Northwest.

★ Several baggage handlers were injured while removing cargo from Northwest Airlines Flight 957 after a hydrogen peroxide leak. Other bags were then transferred onto Flight 7, where they caused a small fire mid-flight.

★ On 13 June 2001 Flight 28 from Manila to Tokyo made an emergency landing in a different airport in Tokyo when one set of its landing gear descended but did not lock into place. None of the 410 people aboard was injured.

★ In 2004, pilots mistakenly landed at Ellsworth AFB instead of the nearby Rapid City airport. Passengers aboard were asked to close their window shades by US Air Force security personnel, who arrived at the aircraft more than 30 minutes after it landed.

★ On 10 October 2004 an Airbus A330 en route San Francisco-Tokyo was forced to make an emergency landing at Tokyo Narita International Airport after the right engine experienced a malfunction. No one on board was injured.

★ On 19 June 2005 a Northwest McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 en route from Mumbai (Bombay) to Amsterdam diverted to Mehrabad Airport in Tehran Iran. A warning light (later proven to be a false alarm) indicated there was a possible fire in the cargo hold. This was the first US airliner to land in Iran since the 1979 revolution.

★ On 19 August 2005 a Northwest Airlines Boeing 747-251 lost its nose gear and skidded on the runway at Guam International Airport. There were no fatalities.

★ On 29 August 2005 a Northwest Airlines Airbus A330-223, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 5, clipped and collided with a Horizon Air De Havilland Canada Dash 8 at Portland International Airport before departing for Tokyo, Japan. There were no fatalities.

★ On 6 May 2006 the landing gear of a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 756, became stuck in the grass as it was taxiing for takeoff from Minneapolis/St. Paul due to the pilot turning the plane too sharply. No injuries were reported.^[34]

★ On 23 August 2006 Northwest Airlines Flight 42 from Amsterdam to Mumbai turned back to Amsterdam Schiphol Airport escorted by two Dutch F-16 fighter jets after 12 passengers were behaving suspiciously.^[35] Those passengers were detained in the Netherlands and were released the next day after Dutch officials determined the incident was not terrorism related.

★ On 03 September 2006 a Northwest Airlines DC-10 bound for London, England made an emergency landing in Duluth, Minnesota due to smoke in the cabin. Due to the shortness of the runway, the plane was unable to take off again and passengers had to be bussed back to Minneapolis/St. Paul for a flight the following day.^[36]

★ On 09 November 2006, Flight 756, the same flight involved in the incident in May 2006, a Northwest Airlines Boeing 757 originating from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport bound for Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, made an emergency landing back at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport for smoke in the cabin. The flight took off 2 1/2 hours later aboard a different aircraft. The cause of the smoke was a minor engine problem.^[37]

★ On 25 December 2006, Northwest Flight 12 from Tokyo to Detroit, MI was forced to make an emergency landing in Anchorage, AK after an engine failure. No injuries were reported.

★ On 21 January 2007 a Northwest Airlines McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, operating as Northwest Airlines Flight 1726, skidded off the runway at General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, Wisconsin after aborting takeoff due to an engine problem. Snowy conditions caused the flight, which was bound for Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, to lose traction when the pilot applied the brakes. All 99 passengers and 5 crew members were unharmed.^[38]

★ On 5 February 2007, a Northwest Airlines DC-9 collided with the Goldhofer tug that was moving it from the gate area at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, puncturing the fuselage. No one on the plane was injured, as it was empty, but the driver of the tug sustained minor injuries.^[39]

★ On 18 May 2007, a Northwest Airlines DC-9, after departing from Syracuse Hancock International Airport at 12pm en route to Detroit Metropolitan Airport , had to make an emergency landing at Buffalo-Niagara International Airport after pilots reported pressure loss and smoke in the cabin around 1:15pm. Once the plane got to a gate, they found a 12" gash in the front of the fuselage, near rows 1 and 2. None of the 95 passengers or 4 crew members were injured.^[40]

★ On 19 June 2007 a Northwest Airlines Cargo Boeing 747 enroute from Wilmington, Ohio to Anchorage, Alaska made an emergency landing at Winnipeg James Armstrong Richardson International Airport after reporting a fire inside the airplane. No one was injured.^[41]

★ On 25 July 2007 a Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 (flight 980) with 142 passengers and 5 crew members, after departing from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport at around 1:15 pm for Memphis International Airport, had to return to Seattle-Tacoma because of a bomb threat after departure by a passenger at SeaTac who did not make the flight. All 147 people on board were unharmed.^[42]

Sources

★ Ruble, Kenneth D.; (1986). Flight to the Top: How a Hometown Airline Made History--and Keeps on Making It: The Absorbing Sixty-year Story of Northwest Airlines. New York: Viking Press.

★ "Pilots Who Flew Drunk are Sentenced to Prison". (October 27, 1990). ''St. Louis Post-Dispatch'', p. 7A. Retrieved March 21, 2005 from LexisNexis.

★ Moylan, Martin J. "NWA to trim mechanics jobs". (March 17, 2005). ''Detroit Free Press''.

★ Northwest Airlines history timeline on www.nwa.com

★ U.S. Postal Service history; airmail service starts

★ "Order 2006-2-1", Joint Application of Alitalia-Linee Aeree Italiane-S.p.A., Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Inc., KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Northwest Airlines, Inc. and Societe Air France for Approval of and Antitrust Immunity for Alliance Agreements, United States Department of Transportation, February 6, 2006.

References

External links

★ Northwest Airlines

★ NWA Restructuring Information

★ Northwest Airlines seating charts and seat reviews

★ NWA Route Maps

★ NWA Fleet Age

★ NWA Fleet Detail

★ NWA Fleet Detail NWA.com

★ Guide to earning miles on Northwest Airlines

★ Article on Northwest's 2003 rebranding as NWA

★ ASN worldwide aircraft incident database

★ Case study on Northwest Airlines Asian localization

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