Northwest Airlines

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Not to be confused with China Northwest Airlines, Northwestern Air, Nordwind Airlines, or Northwest Air Base.

Northwest Airlines Corp.
IATA
ICAO
Callsign
NW NWA NORTHWEST
FoundedSeptember 1, 1926 (1926-09-01)
(as Northwest Airways)
Commenced operations
  • 1934 (1934)
    (as Northwest Airlines)
  • 1947 (1947)
    (as Northwest Orient Airlines)
  • September 30, 1986 (1986-09-30)
    (as Northwest Airlines)
Ceased operationsJanuary 31, 2010 (2010-01-31)
(merged into
Parent company
Delta Air Lines (2009–2010)
HeadquartersEagan, Minnesota, United States
Key people
  • Doug Steenland
    • Websitewww.nwa.com

    Northwest Airlines Corp. (often abbreviated as NWA) was a major airline in the

    American Airlines–US Airways merger in 2013.[2][3]

    Northwest was headquartered in

    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport and Memphis International Airport. With this merger, NWA established the domestic network necessary to feed its well-established Pacific routes. Lacking a significant presence in Europe, in 1993 it began a strategic alliance with KLM and a jointly coordinated European hub at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
    .

    Before its merger with Delta, Northwest was the world's sixth-largest airline in terms of domestic and international scheduled passenger miles flown and the US's sixth-largest airline in terms of domestic passenger miles flown.[4] In addition to operating one of the largest domestic route networks in the U.S., Northwest carried more passengers across the Pacific Ocean (5.1 million in 2004) than any other U.S. carrier, and carried more domestic air cargo than any other American passenger airline.[5]

    Regional and commuter airline flights for Northwest were operated under the name

    code sharing agreements.[6] Northwest Airlines was also a minority owner of Midwest Airlines, holding a 40% stake in the company.[7]

    History

    Beginnings

    Northwest Airlines was founded on September 1, 1926, by Colonel Lewis Brittin, under the name Northwest Airways,

    Hamilton H-45
    and H-47 were used.

    1920s roundel logo
    Northwest Airlines passenger ticket from 1951
    1929 Northwest Airways Waco JYM used on the Minneapolis-Chicago mail route
    Rebuilt 1929 Hamilton H-47 wearing Northwest Airways markings in 2010
    Northwest Douglas DC-3

    Northwest Airlines began carrying passengers in 1927; in 1928 Northwest started its first international route with service to

    St. Paul, Minnesota, purchased the airline.[8]

    In 1933 Northwest was selected to fly the "Northern Transcontinental Route" to Seattle, Washington. It adopted the name Northwest Airlines the following year after the Air Mail scandal.[10][11] Northwest Airways, Inc. changed its name to Northwest Airlines, Inc.[12] and the airline was incorporated under its new name in the State of Minnesota.[8]

    In 1939 Northwest had five daily flights from Chicago to

    Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Portland, Oregon, by spurs from its transcontinental route.[13] By the spring of 1948, Northwest was operating three different aircraft types: the 44-passenger seat Douglas DC-4, the 21-passenger seat Douglas DC-3 and the 36-passenger seat Martin 2-0-2.[14]

    Transpacific network development

    In 1931 Northwest sponsored Charles and Anne Lindbergh on a pioneering test flight to Japan via Alaska, scouting what would become known as the Northwest Airlines' Great Circle route that could save 2,000 miles (3,000 km) on a New York to Tokyo flight. Northwest began to bolster the infrastructure on the domestic leg of this route during World War II when it flew soldiers and supplies from the Northwestern United States to Alaska. It was at this point that Northwest began painting its airliners' tails bright red as a visual aid in the often harsh weather conditions. The airline's experience with the sub-arctic climate led the U.S. government to designate Northwest as the main airline over the North Pacific following the war.

    In the spring of 1947, Northwest began stationing employees at

    Lunghwa Airport in Shanghai and then to Nichols Field at Manila.[16]

    A flight between Tokyo and

    Republic of China, as a stop on the Tokyo-Okinawa-Manila route on June 3, 1950, with ongoing interchange service to Hong Kong operated by Hong Kong Airways
    .

    Northwest Orient Airlines

    Northwest Orient McDonnell Douglas DC-10 at Detroit Metropolitan Airport in 1985.

    With transpacific flights established, Northwest began branding as Northwest Orient Airlines between 1947 and 1986,[17][18][19][20] although its registered corporate name remained "Northwest Airlines."

    NWA continuously upgraded equipment on the transpacific routes. On June 22, 1949, Northwest received its first double-decker

    Boeing 377 "Stratocruiser", enabling more comfortable accommodations and faster transpacific flights. The Stratocruiser began flying from the West Coast to Honolulu in 1950 and to Tokyo via Alaska
    on September 27, 1952.　

    In 1954 Northwest Orient purchased

    Midway Airport in the north and several destinations in Florida in the south including Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa.[21]

    Boeing 707-351B at San Francisco International Airport in 1970

    On July 8, 1960, Northwest placed the Douglas DC-8 into service, offering the shortest flight times to East Asia, but within a year the airline was negotiating the sale of the five DC-8s. Northwest retired the last of its Boeing 377 Stratocruisers that September. The airline purchased several Boeing 720Bs in 1961, and 1963 several new Boeing 707-320Bs; for a time it adopted the slogan "Northwest Orient: The Fan-Jet Airline". Nonstop transpacific flights became feasible with the introduction of the 707-320B/C. Northwest bought its first Boeing 747s

    in 1970 and soon began retiring its smaller 707s. In addition to operating the 747's on transpacific flights, Northwest briefly flew them on its busiest domestic routes as well.

    For years Northwest was the largest foreign airline serving Japan. In 1951 Northwest became involved with the founding of

    Saipan, U.S. possessions in Micronesia
    .

    Northwest's meteorologists, led by Dan Sowa, pioneered the first clear-air turbulence forecasting system in 1957, important since the airline flew many northern routes over turbulence-prone mountain areas. Northwest remained a leader in turbulence prediction, providing TPAWS (turbulence prediction and warning services) to other airlines.[22]

    Revenue passenger traffic, in millions of passenger-miles (scheduled flights only, domestic plus international)[23]
    Year Pax-Miles
    1951 602
    1955 1017
    1960 1654
    1965 3304
    1970 4506
    1975 9471

    Transatlantic and domestic expansion

    Miami Airport
    in February 1971
    London Gatwick Airport
    in 1983, in pre-merger Northwest Orient livery
    Osaka Itami Airport
    ca. 1990, in post-merger Northwest livery

    During the regulated era, Northwest's domestic network was mainly along the northern transcontinental route through Chicago, Minneapolis, and Seattle; New York and Detroit were added in 1945. Northwest also served

    Boeing 727-100 in November 1964;[25]
    many stretched B727-251s followed.

    After

    Delaware corporation that became the holding company of Northwest.[26]

    On October 1,

    Republic Airlines, also based in Minneapolis-St. Paul. It was the largest airline merger at the time and caused operational issues which led the combined carrier to have an on-time performance of just 42 percent in its early days.[27] Through the merger, NWA adopted Republic's three-hub domestic network centered around Detroit, Memphis, and Minneapolis-St. Paul. The combined airline became particularly strong in the first two cities, with a market share of over 80% in each.[28] After the merger, the airline dropped Orient from its branding.[29] One major reason for the merger was that Northwest's unique position as a domestic and transpacific carrier had been challenged in 1985 when United Airlines acquired the Pacific Division of Pan Am.[30]

    DC-10
    when its last one was retired on January 8, 2007
    Northwest was also the last major US passenger airline to fly the original series Boeing 747 (pre-400 models)

    Northwest continued to use the pre-merger Northwest Orient livery (minus the word "Orient") until a new livery and identity (designed by Landor Associates) were adopted in 1989. The new livery, nicknamed the "bowling shoe" by employees, featured colors of red, white, gray, and very dark blue.

    Also in 1989, Northwest became the launch customer of the Boeing 747-400 and became one of only two airlines in the United States to operate it until its merger with Delta in 2009. The first aircraft it purchased was the first 747-400 to be built; it was later involved in a loss-of-control incident in 2002 and placed on display at the Delta Flight Museum following its retirement by Delta in 2015.

    Northwest was purchased in a 1989 leveraged buyout by an investment group headed by Al Checchi, Fred Malek and Gary Wilson, with KLM, and many others. To pay off the debt incurred, 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 to force three years of wage cuts upon its employee groups. Northwest subsequently made its first profit since 1989 on the backs of its workers.[citation needed]

    DC-10, Registration N237NW, was painted in a hybrid Northwest-KLM
    livery to advertise the alliance between the two airlines

    Also in 1993, Northwest began its strategic alliance with KLM, which was the largest airline partnership at that time. This partnership eventually became the Wings Alliance, but the alliance never grew beyond the two airlines. Northwest gradually pulled out of its minor European destinations and focused on domestic and Asian markets.

    On May 1, 1996, Northwest inaugurated the first-ever nonstop service from North America to China,

    Washington–Beijing route; however, before their merger with Delta Air Lines
    , Northwest received tentative authority to restart nonstop Detroit–Shanghai service starting March 25, 2009.

    Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, Northwest enjoyed profits and focused on improving technology to increase convenience and reduce costs. The airline offered airport self-service check-in kiosks starting in 1997 and had more than any other airline. Northwest was the first large U.S. airline to offer internet check-in to passengers, with service from December 2000. During the early 2000s decade, Northwest acquired a reputation for refusing to adopt industry-wide fare increases that had been accepted by other airlines. This changed in March 2005, when Northwest adopted fare hikes in response to rising oil prices.

    NWA logo, 1989–2003
    757-351 in the "Bowling Shoe" livery, used from 1989 until 2003.[32]

    Due to competition from

    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. 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 were returned to service.[citation needed
    ]

    Following many years of a pioneering and close partnership with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Northwest, along with partners KLM and

    Air France-KLM
    group. Northwest continued to hemorrhage money, however.

    Bankruptcy filing

    Despite far-reaching money-saving initiatives, the industry-wide history of inflated executive compensation forced Northwest to file for

    Chapter 11 Bankruptcy on October 13, 2005.[34]

    A320-212 at San Jose in Northwest's final livery (2004-2010) before its closure.

    Northwest announced on May 18, 2007, that shares of the company would begin to trade on the NYSE under the ticker NWA. Initial trading on a "when-issued" basis began on May 21, 2007, and regular trading began 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, ending Northwest's 20 months of difficulty trying to slash costs.[35]

    On July 16, 2007, Northwest Airlines applied to the

    MAXjet (Seattle–Shanghai) in the route competition.[citation needed
    ]

    On August 12, 2007, Northwest Airlines became a passive investor in the purchase of

    TPG Capital raised their offer to $17.00 a share which sealed the deal. Northwest Airlines became a minority owner of Midwest Airlines in the fourth quarter of 2007.[7]

    On September 25, 2007, Northwest Airlines received DOT approval to begin service to Shanghai from its Detroit hub beginning March 25, 2009. American, Continental, Delta, and US Airways also received new or additional China route authority to Shanghai or Beijing, and United received authority to serve Guangzhou.[38]

    Merger with Delta Air Lines

    Main article:
    Delta Air Lines-Northwest Airlines merger
    Most common symbol for the merger

    On April 14, 2008, Northwest Airlines announced that it would be merging with Delta Air Lines to form the world's largest airline. The merger was approved on October 29, 2008. The CEO during the merger of Delta and Northwest was Richard Anderson who was Northwest Airlines CEO from 2001 to 2004. The combined airline uses the Delta name and branding. On October 1, 2009, Northwest WorldPerks merged into SkyMiles. On January 31, 2010, Delta completed the merge of the reservation systems and discontinued using the Northwest name for flights. The official final flight was Northwest Airlines Flight 2470 from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.[39][40]

    NWA Cargo

    As of 2006, Northwest Airlines Cargo was the largest cargo carrier among U.S. combination passenger and cargo airlines. NWA Cargo's fleet of dedicated Boeing 747 freighter aircraft flew from some key cities in the United States and East Asia, as well as Amsterdam, connecting with 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. Delta announced that the NWA Cargo hub will be shut down by the end of 2009. As of early 2008, NWA's largest cargo client was DHL International. In December 2007, NWA announced that DHL International would terminate its cargo agreement with the airline effective late 2008. According to NWA Chief Financial Officer Dave Davis, the loss of its largest cargo client would bring significant changes to the division. Further changes to the NWA Cargo division continued into 2009 as it was merged into the Delta Cargo service. NWA Cargo ended all operations on December 28, 2009. On July 30, 2010, Northwest pleaded guilty to one count of felony price fixing for fixing prices for cargo shipping via NWA Cargo.[41]

    Northwest Cargo Boeing 747

    Corporate affairs and identity

    Headquarters

    Entrance sign to Northwest Airlines headquarters in Eagan

    Immediately before Northwest ceased being an independent airline, its headquarters was in Building A,

    Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport and the intersection of I-35E and Interstate 494.[45] The 266,899-square-foot (24,795.7 m2) building in the complex, which housed about 1,000 Northwest employees, was built in 1985.[45] The building had a large "N" painted on the roof.[42]

    After Delta and Northwest merged, Delta moved the Eagan headquarters employees to other offices in the

    Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, as well as Building J located in Eagan.[48]

    Before the headquarters were in Eagan, they were on the grounds of Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.[49][50]

    Labor relations

    A recurring issue in Northwest's history was its troubled labor relations. In 1998, Northwest walked away from the bargaining table, locked out its pilots (represented by the Air Line Pilots Association, International) 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.[51][52][53]

    On January 5, 2000, Northwest Airlines filed a federal

    anonymously.[citation needed
    ]

    A Northwest Airlines 757-351

    On August 20, 2005, after months of negotiations, an impasse declared by the

    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 500 union jobs and offered four weeks of severance pay to terminated employees. This offer was worse than the original declined by the union, which would have saved over 2,000 jobs and offered 16 weeks of severance pay. On October 20, 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.[55] Under the settlement, all AMFA workers still on strike as of that date were converted to lay-off status with five weeks of severance pay (ten weeks if they resigned from Northwest). However, these employees had a right-of-recall to their old jobs. The settlement was approved on November 6, 2006.[56]

    On May 30, 2007, it was announced that the flight attendants narrowly agreed to concessions and became the last major workgroup 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 would provide Northwest with $1.9 billion in annual cuts through 2011.[57][58][59][60]

    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 2006 when a previous tentative agreement was rejected by 55 percent of the voting members.[61][62][63][64]

    Prior to the May 2007 agreement, union leaders had expressed concern that its defeat 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 was to 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.[citation needed]

    Previous to the recent agreements, Northwest provided employees with stock in exchange for concessions. For example, in 1993 Northwest pilots, ground workers, and flight attendants received stock and seats on the board of directors in exchange for pay cuts.[citation needed] As part of the agreement, Northwest was to buy back these preferred shares in 2003 but refused to do so, citing financial distress.[citation needed] Flight attendants, ground workers, and mechanics still holding preferred shares received shares of new Northwest stock, estimated at a combined value of $277 million.[citation needed]

    In the summer of 2007, Northwest was engaged in a labor conflict with its pilots over a large number of end of the month flight cancellations.[citation needed] The pilots claimed that Northwest did not have sufficient pilots to fly its schedule; Northwest accused the pilots of calling in sick to create the problem.[citation needed] The dispute was resolved with a new agreement with ALPA in August 2007 in which pilots would be compensated for overtime. Northwest also began hiring new pilots to alleviate the pilot shortages they faced throughout the summer of 2007.[citation needed]

    Destinations

    London Gatwick Airport

    Following the Republic merger in 1986, Northwest primarily operated on a

    hub and spoke
    route system with hubs in Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul, and Tokyo. Under the KLM joint venture started in 1993, the two carriers established an Amsterdam hub where transatlantic routes operated by Northwest linked with European, African, and Asian routes operated by KLM. Northwest also operated a few routes outside this hub system, such as flights from the west coast to Honolulu.

    In the mid-1980s, Northwest operated the only U.S.

    Rome, both were later withdrawn (from 2003 to 2005 Rome was served only during the summer season). In 2009 under the banner of Delta
    , service to Rome was then resumed for the summer season.

    In 1991, Northwest began service to Australia, after United and Qantas began non-stop flights to the continental U.S. using the newly introduced, long-range 747-400. Northwest routed its Sydney–New York flight through Osaka, which raised Japanese protest because less than 30% of passengers on the Australia–Japan segment were originating in the U.S.[65]

    On May 1, 1996, Northwest began the first-ever non-stop service from North America to mainland China, from Detroit to Beijing, three times a week.[31] From 1996 until 2002, Northwest operated nonstop flights from its Detroit hub to Beijing and Shanghai. Eventually, these routes were suspended. When that happened, Northwest operated these routes from Detroit with a connection at its Tokyo–Narita hub. However, on July 16, 2007, Northwest re-applied with the US Department of Transportation for nonstop service between Detroit and both Beijing and Shanghai.[66] On September 25, 2007, the US Department of Transportation tentatively awarded authority to Northwest for a new Detroit to Shanghai (Pudong) route effective March 25, 2009. The route was to be flown using the Boeing 747-400 until the Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft became available, however, the Detroit–Shanghai nonstop route was taken over by Delta on October 24, 2009, using its Boeing 777-200ER and Boeing 777-200LR aircraft after Delta ended nonstop service between Atlanta and Shanghai due to weak customer demand. The Detroit-Beijing nonstop route was later launched by the merged Delta using a Boeing 777-200ER on July 1, 2011.

    In 2008, Northwest was one of several U.S. airlines to receive permission from the British government to fly into Heathrow Airport in London after previously having to use Gatwick Airport. Northwest began service to Heathrow from its hubs in Detroit and Minneapolis, as well as starting Seattle-London service. However, after being acquired by Delta in 2008, the Seattle route was dropped in January 2009 so the Heathrow

    landing slot and aircraft used could be redeployed to a more profitable route. In 2009, the Heathrow routes from the Detroit and Minneapolis hubs were taken over by Delta using its Boeing 767-400ER
    aircraft.

    Codeshare agreements

    Throughout its existence, Northwest Airlines had codeshare agreements with the following airlines:

    Fleet

    Main article: Northwest Airlines fleet
    Airbus A320 landing at Vancouver International Airport

    At the time of the merger with Delta Air Lines, Northwest had a total of 320 aircraft with seven on order. It was also the last U.S. passenger airline to have a dedicated cargo fleet and cargo-only routes. The Northwest fleet was integrated into Delta's fleet on December 31, 2009.

    Northwest operated a mixed fleet of Boeing, McDonnell Douglas, and Airbus aircraft whereas Delta operated just Boeing and McDonnell Douglas aircraft. The Boeing 757 was the only type common to the pre-merger fleets of both Delta and Northwest.

    As part of a major fleet renewal program, Northwest introduced a simplified new paint scheme and logo in 2003. The airline replaced its

    Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).[70]

    Northwest was looking for manufacturers to discuss the replacement of their 100, 110 and 125 seat

    DC-9-50) aircraft, with an average age of 35 years.[71][72]

    Cabin

    In March 1988, Northwest Airlines announced that it would ban smoking on all flights within North America, effective April 23, 1988, on the same day that a rule from the U.S. federal government prohibiting smoking on all domestic flights of a duration of two hours or fewer, would take into effect. Northwest was the first major U.S. airline to enact a smoking ban since the Muse Air had ended its four-year smoking ban in 1985.[73]

    World Business Class

    World Business Class was Northwest Airlines' international

    AVOD
    ), universal power ports, a moveable reading light, a folding work table, and a swivel cocktail table.

    Domestic First Class

    Typical dinner served in Domestic First Class

    First Class was offered on all narrowbody aircraft, as well as CRJ-900 Northwest Airlink flights operated by Mesaba Airlines and E175 flights operated by Compass Airlines. Seats ranged from 19.5 to 21.5 inches wide, and had between 34 and 37 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class received complimentary meals, refreshments, and alcoholic beverages.

    International Economy Class

    Economy Class was offered on all widebody aircraft. Seats ranged from 17 to 17.5 inches wide, and had between 31 and 34 inches of pitch. Passengers aboard this class received free meals, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. Beer and wine were complimentary on international flights with complimentary meals, other alcoholic beverages could be purchased for a fee.

    Passengers aboard Airbus A330 aircraft also had an Audio-Video-On-Demand (

    AVOD
    ) system located in the seatback in front of them, and passengers seated in rows 10–23 (A330-200) or rows 10–28 (A330-300) had a universal power-port located below their seat.

    Domestic Economy Class

    Economy Class was offered on all narrowbody aircraft. Seats ranged from 17 to 17.5 inches wide and had between 30 and 34 inches of pitch, the same as on international economy class. Passengers aboard this class received free refreshments. In latter years in lieu of complimentary prepared meals snack boxes, sandwiches (on select flights), and light snacks were available for purchase as part of a buy on board program.[75] Alcoholic beverages were also sold.

    Before 2008, Northwest Airlines was the only major U.S. airline (aside from low-cost, short-haul

    Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport
    , passengers experienced the same cabin as International Economy Class aboard Airbus A330 aircraft.

    WorldPerks

    Northwest Airlines'

    WorldClubs), or other types of rewards. Customers could accumulate miles from actual flight segments flown or through Northwest's partners, such as car rental companies, hotels, credit cards, and other vendors. WorldPerks' elite tiers were Silver Elite, Gold Elite, and Platinum Elite which allowed for more mileage bonuses, priority waitlists and standby, and other benefits. Over the years, some details of the program changed, such as introducing capacity-controlled awards (only a certain number of seats allocated for free travel), expiration of account after three years of inactivity, a requirement of a Saturday-night stay for domestic coach awards, waiving of capacity controls for awards but requiring double the number of miles for redemption, and adding several partner airlines for mileage accumulation and award redemption.[76] The original name of the WorldPerks program was the Northwest Orient Airlines Free Flight Plan, which began in 1981.[77]
    The original program used paper coupons and gave credit for flight segments. Upon renaming the program to "WorldPerks" in 1986, a mileage-based system was used.

    In addition to its Northwest Airlink and SkyTeam alliance partnerships, Northwest offered frequent flyer partnerships with the following airlines:[78]

    Northwest also offered frequent flyer partnerships with the following car rental agencies:[79]

    WorldClubs

    WorldClubs was Northwest's member lounge. Members had reciprocal access to a number of other clubs, including fellow

    Tokyo-Narita. Northwest also offered free Wi-Fi
    internet access worldwide.

    Locations

    The following airports had Northwest Airlines WorldClub locations:

    Northwest WorldClub Chicago O’Hare International Airport Terminal 2

    Incidents and accidents

    Fatal accidents

    The following are major incidents and accidents that occurred on Northwest's mainline aircraft.

    Northwest Airlines Reported Incidents
    Flight Date Aircraft Location Description Casualties
    Fatal Serious Minor Uninjured Ground
    2 January 10, 1938 Lockheed
    Model 14
    Bozeman
    , Montana     		Crashed in the
    Bridger Mountains
    , 12 mi (19 km) northeast of Bozeman, Montana. This was the airline's first fatal crash. Three other Lockheed Model 14 aircraft belonging to Northwest crashed over the next thirteen months.     		10
    5 October 30, 1941 Douglas DC-3 Moorhead, Minnesota The plane crashed in fog and mist due to icing on the wings. Fourteen of the fifteen passengers were killed in the crash. The pilot, Clarence Bates, was thrown clear of the wreckage and was the lone survivor.[81] 14 1
    4422 March 12, 1948 Douglas DC-4 Mount Sanford, Alaska Flight 4422 was a military charter en route back to the US from
    Shanghai, China, and had just refueled at Merrill Field, in Anchorage, Alaska, before continuing on toward LaGuardia Airport
    where the flight was to be concluded. The aircraft veered 23 miles off course and struck a mountain during a snowstorm. The snowstorms quickly buried the aircraft in a mountain glacier.     		30
    421[82] August 29, 1948
    Martin 202
    		 Winona, Minnesota Northwest 421 was flying a scheduled domestic route from Chicago-
    Minneapolis-St. Paul when it crashed about 4.1 mi (6.6 km) NW of Winona, Minnesota, 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
    . The cause of the crash was the fatigue of the left-wing, causing it to separate from the plane and precipitating the plunge.     		37
    6427[83] October 27, 1948 Douglas DC-4 Edmonton, Alberta Flight 6427 was on a special cargo trip flying
    Minneapolis-St. Paul–Edmonton–Anchorage (Merrill Field)
    –Tokyo when it crashed into a wooded area 34.4 mi (55.4 km) N of Edmonton soon after takeoff. 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.     		2 3
    307[84] March 7, 1950
    Martin 202
    		 Minneapolis, Minnesota Flight 307 was operating a domestically scheduled passenger flight routing Washington, DC–
    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 3.8 mi (6.1 km) when the left-wing separated and fell. The plane crashed into a house, and both were engulfed in flames. 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.     		13 2
    2501 June 23, 1950 Douglas DC-4 Lake Michigan Northwest 2501 was lost over Lake Michigan during a flight from
    Seattle, WA
    . The aircraft went off radar and a widespread search was conducted. Some debris, upholstery, and human remains were found floating on the surface, but divers were unable to locate the plane's wreckage.     		58
    N/A[85] October 13, 1950
    Martin 202
    		 Almelund, Minnesota This flight was intended to be a training flight originating and ending at
    Minneapolis-St. Paul
    . The reversal of the right propeller during the flight caused the plane to spin out of control and crash, killing all on board.     		6
    115[86] November 7, 1950
    Martin 202
    		 Butte, Montana Flight 115 was flying a scheduled route of Chicago–
    Butte–Seattle
    when it crashed 3.1 mi (5.0 km) E of Butte while landing. The plane crashed into the eastern slope of a ridge. The cause of the crash was improperly followed approach procedures.     		21
    115[87] January 16, 1951
    Martin 202
    Reardan, Washington
    		 Flight 115 (which was the same designation as the previous accident) was on the scheduled route of
    Yakima–Seattle
    when it crashed about 11.9 mi (19.2 km) W of Reardan after the captain decided not to land at Wenatchee but proceed to Yakima due to weather. An emergency message from the plane was heard briefly 15 seconds after the clearance was given. The cause of the crash is not known.     		10
    324[88] January 19, 1952
    Douglas C-54
    		 Sandspit, British Columbia Flight 324 was flying a nonscheduled flight originating in Tokyo, ending at
    Anchorage (Elmendorf Air Force Base). While opposite Sitka, Alaska
    , the No. 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 midpoint, power was applied and the plane took off, but it stalled due to the steep climb and plunged into the water at the end of the runway. The cause of the crash was the icing that prevented the pilot from retracting the nose gear.     		36 7
    2 April 2, 1956
    Boeing Stratocruiser
    		 Puget Sound, Washington Flight 2 crashed after takeoff from
    Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on a flight to Portland, Oregon
    , Chicago and New York City. The pilots ditched the aircraft into Puget Sound, 5.4 mi (8.7 km) off Seattle.     		5 2 31
    710 March 17, 1960 Lockheed L-188 Electra Cannelton, Indiana Flight 710 was en route to Miami from Chicago when the aircraft lost a wing at approximately 18,000 feet near Tell City, Indiana. 63
    1–11[89] July 14, 1960 Douglas DC-7 Pacific Ocean near Manila, Philippines Northwest 1–11 was flying from New York City to Manila, Philippines, with stops in
    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 77.5 mi (124.7 km) NE of Manila. Upon impact, the rear of the plane separated as well as the engines and right-wing. The majority of the survivors used the right-wing, which floated for three hours, as a life raft until rescue came.     		1 58
    104[90] October 28, 1960
    Douglas C-54
    Missoula
    , Montana     		Flight 104 was flying from Spokane to Missoula when it crashed about 20 miles (30 km) 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. The crash was attributed to pilot error.     		12
    706[91] September 16, 1961 Lockheed L-188 Electra Chicago, Illinois Flight 706 was on a routine flight from
    Ft. Lauderdale
    . While departing from Chicago, the plane banked to the right and gradually descended until hitting the ground. The cause of the crash was mechanical failure of the ailerons.     		37
    705[92] February 12, 1963 Boeing 720
    Florida Everglades
    		 Flight 705, flying from Miami to Chicago crashed in the Florida Everglades approximately 37 miles (60 km) SW of Miami International Airport while diverting to avoid bad weather. The cause of the crash was an unrecoverable loss of control due to severe turbulence. 43
    293[93]
    		 June 3, 1963 Douglas DC-7 Pacific Ocean
    near
    Annette Island, Alaska
    		 Flight 293 was flying a
    McChord Air Force Base outside Tacoma, Washington, to Elmendorf Air Force Base outside Anchorage, Alaska
    . While in flight, contact was lost. Floating debris from the plane was located 182.5 mi (293.7 km) WSW of Annette Island. The cause of the crash was never determined.     		101
    6231[94]
    		 December 1, 1974 Boeing 727 Stony Point, New York Flight 6231 was flying on a ferry flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Buffalo when it crashed in the vicinity of Stony Point. As the plane was cleared to climb, the airspeed and rate of climb increased, until the plane stalled and descended out of control into a wooded area. The cause of the crash was 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". 3
    608[95] January 20, 1983 Boeing 727 Portland, Oregon Flight 608 was en route from Seattle, Washington, to Portland, Oregon, when it was hijacked. The man informed a flight attendant that he had a bomb and demanded to be taken to Afghanistan. Landing in Portland to refuel, the hijacker negotiated with airport authorities. Federal agents stormed the aircraft. The hijacker threw the box he claimed had a bomb at the agents, who shot and killed him. The box contained no explosives. 1 40
    255 August 16, 1987 McDonnell-Douglas MD-82
    Romulus, Michigan
    		 Flight 255 crashed on takeoff from
    Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
    . All but one aboard the MD-82 died. The cause of the crash was attempted takeoff with the wrong configuration due to pilot mismanagement of the aircraft.     		154 1 2
    1482[96]
    		 December 3, 1990
    Douglas DC-9
    Romulus, Michigan
    		 Flight 1482, a DC-9-14 departing for Pittsburgh collided with Flight 299, a Boeing 727-200, departing for Memphis 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 serious damage. 8 10 26
    299[96]
    		 December 3, 1990 Boeing 727
    Romulus, Michigan
    		 Involved in collision with Flight 1482 detailed in the previous line. 156
    Total casualties Fatal Serious Minor Uninjured Ground
    (20 incidents) 620 18 89 187 4

    Non-fatal accidents and incidents

    • October 22, 1962 (1962-10-22): A DC-7 with 7 crew and 95 passengers
      McChord Air Force Base and, prior to the ditching at just before 1 p.m. local time, the crew had been struggling with a propeller problem for about 45 minutes.[98] The plane stayed afloat for 24 minutes after coming to rest in the water, giving the occupants ample time to evacuate into life-rafts. Only 6 minor injuries were reported; all passengers and crew were quickly rescued by U.S. Coast Guard ships.[99] The accident report called the ditching "an outstanding feat," citing several key factors in this water landing's success: pilots' skill, ideal conditions (calm seas, favorable weather, daylight), time to prepare for the ditching and the military passengers' ease with following orders.[100] Pilots who flew over the scene also praised the Northwest crew, calling it the "...finest ditching they had ever seen..." .[99]
    • July 1, 1968 (1968-07-01): Northwest Airlines Flight 714 was hijacked to Cuba.[101]
    • January 22, 1971 (1971-01-22):
      Detroit, Michigan. The hijacker demanded to be taken to Algeria but the plane landed in Cuba instead.[102]
    • November 24, 1971 (1971-11-24): Northwest Airlines Flight 305 en route from
      Reno, Nevada
      , but Cooper's fate remains unknown.
    • May 8, 1977 (1977-05-08): Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 22 was hijacked after taking off from Haneda Airport, Japan. The hijacker demanded to be taken to the Soviet Union but was taken down.[103]
    • January 4, 1990 (1990-01-04): Northwest Airlines Flight 5, a flight from Miami to Minneapolis, one of the three engines of the Boeing 727 aircraft fell off.[104] The plane's crew, unaware that they had lost an engine, continued to fly for 25 minutes before making a safe landing in Tampa.[105]
    • March 8, 1990 (1990-03-08): a Northwest flight flew from Fargo, North Dakota, to Minneapolis with the entire cockpit crew legally drunk. All three pilots were subsequently fired and had their licenses revoked by the FAA.[106]
    • January 2, 1999 (1999-01-02): (-Jan 3) due to bad weather and blizzards passengers were stranded on aircraft at Detroit for periods up to 8½ hours. 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."[107] Subsequently, passengers brought various legal claims against the carrier including false imprisonment and negligence and obtained a $7.1 million settlement.[108]
    • March 17, 2001 (2001-03-17): An
      Airbus A320, registered as N357NW, Flight 985, had been forced to abort the landing when the A320's nose suddenly lifts up while at the airspeed of 110 knots, well before reaching v1 speed. The plane then overran through Runway 03C and came to rest at the muddy terrain near Detroit Metropolitan Airport. There were three minor injuries. The cause for a sudden takeoff was the incorrect setting for the plane's trim, which the trim was set at -1.7° up, and it was caused by the incorrect takeoff speed when using Runway 03C, as it was used by the flight crew, at v1-138 knots, which was below the correct minimum takeoff speed at v1-145 knots. The aircraft involved in the accident was repaired and went back into service. After the aircraft was being acquired by Delta Air Lines at the time when Northwest Airlines was merged on January 31, 2010, the accident aircraft, N357NW, still remains in service as of May 2023.[109]
    • October 9, 2002 (2002-10-09):
      Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska.[110]
    • June 19, 2004 (2004-06-19): pilots mistakenly landed at
      US Air Force security personnel.[111]
    • May 10, 2005 (2005-05-10): a Northwest Airlines DC-9 collided on the ground with a Northwest Airlines Airbus A319 that had just pushed back from the gate at
      Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. The DC-9 suffered a malfunction in one of its hydraulic systems in flight. After landing, the captain shut down one of the plane's engines, inadvertently disabling the remaining working hydraulic system. Six people were injured and both planes were substantially damaged.[112] The Airbus A319 was later repaired and is currently in service with Delta Air Lines
      as of December 2022.
    • June 19, 2005 (2005-06-19): at 0435 in the morning Tehran local time, Northwest Airlines Flight 41, Ship No. 1243, operating from Mumbai to Amsterdam made an emergency landing at the Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran. It was the first American air carrier to land in Iran in 26 years, since the Iranian Revolution in 1979.[113]
    • August 19, 2005 (2005-08-19): a Northwest Airlines 747-200, registration N627US, operating flight NW74 from
      Guam International Airport without its nose gear fully extended. The nose of aircraft made full contact with the runway. Smoke was reported on board and all passengers and crew were evacuated, with only two minor injuries reported.[114][115]
    • October 20, 2007 (2007-10-20): Northwest Airlines Flight 1432 executed an emergency landing at Hector International Airport in Fargo, North Dakota because the nose wheels had jammed in an abnormal position. There were no injuries on board.[116]
    • February 20, 2009 (2009-02-20): Northwest Airlines Flight 2, a Boeing 747-400 flying from Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, Philippines, to Narita International Airport near Tokyo, Japan, experienced severe turbulence when descending to Narita. The aircraft, with 408 passengers and 14 crew members aboard, landed safely; however, 50 people were injured; around five were hospitalized.[117]
    • May 4, 2009 (2009-05-04): An Airbus A320-211, registration N311US, operated by Northwest Airlines as flight NW557, experienced a tailstrike resulting in substantial damage upon landing on runway 16L at Denver International Airport, Colorado (DEN). The flight was a regularly scheduled passenger flight which departed from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport, Minnesota (MSP) at 11:39.[118]
    • October 21, 2009 (2009-10-21):
      Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport overflew the Minneapolis airport and continued to fly off course by 150 miles, leaving air traffic control to believe that the flight had been hijacked.[119][120] The pilots originally stated that they were in an argument regarding airline policy and did not notice that they had flown off course,[121] but later admitted to using their personal laptop computers at the time.[122] The pilots contacted air traffic control after they realized their mistake and the flight arrived safely in Minneapolis about one hour late. The pilots' commercial flying licenses were subsequently revoked by the FAA.[123]
    • December 25, 2009 (2009-12-25): a
      Detroit, as the plane was landing in Detroit. The device failed to detonate properly, and the suspect suffered third degree burns. Two other passengers incurred minor injuries. The White House said it considered it an attempted terrorist attack.[124]

    See also

    References

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    Bibliography

    Further reading

    External links

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Northwest Airlines.
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