Missing image Northwest.arp.750pix.jpg Northwest Airlines DC-10

Northwest Airlines is a United States airline headquartered in Eagan, Minnesota. The airline accounts for more than 70% of passenger traffic at nearby Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport. Northwest Airlines' regional flights are operated under two airlines, which operate under the name Northwest Airlink.

Northwest has three major hubs in the United States and one in Japan: Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport near Minneapolis and Saint Paul; Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport near Detroit; Memphis International Airport in Memphis, Tennessee; and Narita International Airport near Tokyo. Northwest also operates into India from Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam. The airline is partnered with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Continental Airlines, and most recently Delta Air Lines.

Northwest was formerly part of the Wings Alliance and currently codeshares with SNCF French Rail to destinations in France, and Thalys International to destinations in Belgium.

Northwest's current frequent flyer program is WorldPerks.

History

In 1926, Northwest Airways began flying air mail from Minneapolis to Chicago using two biplanes. The airline's operations were expanded to smaller cities in the region by the end of the decade. 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.

During World War II, NWA flew military equipment and personnel from the continental United States to Alaska. This experience led the government to designate Northwest as the United States' main North Pacific carrier following the war. In 1947, NWA became the first U.S. airline to fly to Japan, using Boeing 377 Stratocruisers from Seattle (direct) and Chicago (via Anchorage). From Tokyo, Northwest flights continued to Shanghai, Manila, and Hong Kong. (Taipei replaced Shanghai after the revolution of 1949.) With its new routes, the airline rebranded itself as Northwest Orient Airlines.

After airline deregulation, Northwest began direct flights to other Asian cities, and gradually strengthened its presence in the southern United States. It also began flying to Britain, Ireland, Germany, and Scandinavia. In 1985, Northwest purchased Republic Airlines and adopted its three-hub network centered around Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Northwest returned to its original name with the merger.

In 1993, Northwest entered its cooperative agreement with KLM, which was the largest airline partnership ever conceived at the time. Northwest gradually pulled out of its minor European destinations and focused its attention on the domestic and Asian markets once more.

If Operation Bojinka had not been discovered in Manila, Philippines, then the airline would have lost three aircraft over the Pacific Ocean flying routes from East Asia and Southeast Asia on January 21, 1995.

Fleet

Northwest operates the oldest airline fleet of the 50 largest air carriers, with an average aircraft age of just over 18 years [1] (http://www.freep.com/money/business/fleet24_20040124.htm). Many types in its fleet, such as the DC-9 and DC-10, have been abandoned by other airlines. Although Northwest is currently working to modernize its fleet, many of these older types remain operational. The airline's fleet currently consists of:

• Boeing 747-400 (16)
• Boeing 747-200 (18)
• Airbus A330-300 (24)
• McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 (22)
• Boeing 757-300 (7)
• Boeing 757-200 (56)
• Airbus A320-200 (76)
• Airbus A319-100 (57)
• Douglas DC-9-10 (8)
• Douglas DC-9-30 (112)
• Douglas DC-9-40 (12)
• Douglas DC-9-50 (35)

Northwest also operates twelve Boeing 747-200F freighters. These planes do not include the planes opperated under the Northwest Airlink name by Mesaba and Pinnacle Airlines.

Destinations

The list does not include cities only served by Northwest Airlink.

Asia

East Asia

• China, People's Republic of
  • Beijing (Beijing Capital International Airport)
  • Guangzhou (New Baiyun International Airport Starting October 31, 2004)
  • Hong Kong (Hong Kong International Airport)
  • Shanghai (Pu Dong International Airport)
• Japan
  • Nagoya (Nagoya Airport) (Will transfer to Chubu International Airport in 2005)
  • Osaka (Kansai International Airport)
  • Tokyo (Narita International Airport, Hub)
• Korea, South
  • Busan (Gimhae International Airport)
  • Seoul (Incheon International Airport)
• Taiwan
  • Taipei (Chiang Kai-shek International Airport)

South Asia

• India
  • Mumbai (Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport)

Southeast Asia

• Philippines
  • Manila (Ninoy Aquino International Airport)
• Singapore
  • Singapore (Changi International Airport)
• Thailand
  • Bangkok (Don Muang International Airport)

Europe

• France
  • Paris (Charles de Gaulle International Airport)
• Germany
  • Frankfurt am Main (Frankfurt International Airport)
• Italy
  • Rome (Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport, Seasonal)
• Netherlands
  • Amsterdam (Schiphol International Airport)
• United Kingdom
  • London, England (Gatwick Airport)

North America

United States, U.S. Territories, Canada, and Mexico

• Canada
  • British Columbia
    • Vancouver (Vancouver International Airport)
  • Alberta
    • Calgary/Banff (Calgary International Airport)
    • Edmonton (Edmonton International Airport)
  • Manitoba
    • Winnipeg (Winnipeg International Airport)
  • Ontario
    • Thunder Bay (Thunder Bay International Airport)
    • Toronto (Toronto Pearson International Airport)
  • Quebec
    • Montreal (Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport)
  • Saskatchewan
    • Regina
    • Saskatoon
• Mexico
  • Colima
    • Manzanillo (Seasonal)
  • Federal District
    • Mexico City (Benito Juarez International Airport)
  • Guerrero
    • Acapulco (Seasonal)
    • Ixtapa/Zihuatenejo (Seasonal)
  • Jalisco
    • Puerto Vallarta (Seasonal)
  • Quintana Roo
    • Cancun
    • Cozumel (Seasonal)
• United States
  • Alabama
    • Birmingham (Birmingham International Airport)
  • Alaska
    • Anchorage (Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport)
    • Fairbanks (SEASONAL)
  • Arkansas
    • Little Rock (Little Rock National Airport)
  • Arizona
    • Phoenix/Scottsdale (Sky Harbor International Airport)
    • Tucson (Tucson International Airport)
  • California
    • Los Angeles (Los Angeles International Airport)
    • Ontario (Ontario International Airport)
    • Palm Springs (Seasonal)
    • Sacramento (Sacramento International Airport)
    • San Diego (San Diego International Airport)
    • San Francisco (San Francisco International Airport)
    • San José (San José International Airport)
    • Santa Ana, Orange County (John Wayne Airport)
  • Colorado
    • Colorado Springs (Colorado Springs Airport)
    • Denver (Denver International Airport)
    • Hayden/Steamboat Springs/Craig (SEASONAL)
    • Montrose/Telluride (SEASONAL)
    • Vail (Eagle County Airport, SEASONAL)
  • Connecticut
    • Hartford/Springfield, Massachusetts (Bradley International Airport)
  • Florida
    • Fort Lauderdale (Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport)
    • Fort Myers (Southwest Florida International Airport)
    • Fort Walton Beach (Okaloosa Regional Airport)
    • Jacksonville (Jacksonville International Airport)
    • Miami (Miami International Airport)
    • Orlando (Orlando International Airport)
    • Sarasota (Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport)
    • Tallahassee (Tallahassee Regional Airport)
    • Tampa/Saint Petersburg/Clearwater (Tampa International Airport)
    • West Palm Beach (Palm Beach International Airport)
  • Georgia
    • Atlanta (Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport)
  • Guam
    • Tamuning (Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport)
  • Hawaii
    • Honolulu (Honolulu International Airport)
    • Kahului (Kahului Airport)
  • Idaho
    • Boise (Boise Air Terminal)
  • Illinois
    • Chicago (O'Hare International Airport, and Midway Airport)
  • Indiana
    • Indianapolis (Indianapolis International Airport)
  • Iowa
    • Cedar Rapids
    • Des Moines
  • Kentucky
    • Cincinnati, Ohio suburbs (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport)
    • Lexington
    • Louisville (Louisville International Airport)
  • Louisiana
    • Baton Rouge (Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport)
    • New Orleans (Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport)
  • Maine
    • Portland (Portland International Jetport)
  • Maryland
    • Baltimore (Baltimore/Washington International Airport)
  • Massachusetts
    • Boston (Logan International Airport)
  • Michigan
    • Detroit (Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, Hub)
    • Flint
    • Grand Rapids (Gerald R. Ford International Airport)
    • Kalamazoo/Battle Creek (Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport)
    • Lansing
    • Saginaw (MBS International Airport)
    • Traverse City (Cherry Capital Airport)
  • Minnesota
    • Duluth/Superior, Wisconsin
    • Minneapolis/Saint Paul (Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport, Hub)
    • Rochester (Rochester International Airport)
  • Mississippi
    • Gulfport/Biloxi (Gulfport-Biloxi Regional Airport)
    • Jackson, Mississippi (Jackson International Airport)
  • Missouri
    • Kansas City (Kansas City International Airport)
    • Saint Louis (Lambert-Saint Louis International Airport)
  • Montana
    • Billings
    • Bozeman
    • Great Falls
    • Kalispell
    • Missoula
  • Nebraska
    • Omaha
  • Nevada
    • Las Vegas (McCarran International Airport)
    • Reno (Reno-Tahoe International Airport)
  • New Hampshire
    • Manchester (Manchester Airport)
  • New Jersey
    • Newark (Newark Liberty International Airport)
  • New Mexico
    • Albuquerque (Albuquerque International Sunport)
  • New York
    • Albany (Albany International Airport)
    • Buffalo (Buffalo Niagara International Airport)
    • New York City (John F. Kennedy International Airport, LaGuardia Airport)
    • Rochester (Greater Rochester International Airport)
    • Syracuse (Syracuse Hancock International Airport)
  • North Carolina
    • Charlotte (Charlotte Douglas International Airport)
    • Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem (Piedmont Triad International Airport)
    • Raleigh/Durham (Raleigh-Durham International Airport)
  • North Dakota
    • Bismarck Bismarck Municipal Airport
    • Fargo Hector International Airport
    • Grand Forks Mark Andrews International Airport
    • Minot Minot International Airport
  • Northern Mariana Islands
    • Saipan
  • Ohio
    • Cleveland (Hopkins International Airport)
    • Columbus (Port Columbus International Airport)
    • Dayton (Dayton International Airport)
  • Oklahoma
    • Oklahoma City (Will Rogers World Airport)
  • Oregon
    • Portland (Portland International Airport)
  • Pennsylvania
    • Allentown/Bethlehem
    • Harrisburg (Harrisburg International Airport)
    • Philadelphia (Philadelphia International Airport)
    • Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh International Airport)
  • Puerto Rico
    • San Juan (Luis Munoz Marin International Airport)
  • Rhode Island
    • Providence (T. F. Green Airport)
  • South Carolina
    • Greenville/Spartanburg (Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport)
  • South Dakota
    • Rapid City
    • Sioux Falls
  • Tennessee
    • Knoxville (McGhee Tyson Airport)
    • Memphis (Memphis International Airport, Hub)
    • Nashville (Nashville International Airport)
  • Texas
    • Austin (Austin-Bergstrom International Airport)
    • Dallas/Fort Worth (Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport)
    • Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport and William P. Hobby Airport)
    • San Antonio (San Antonio International Airport)
  • US Virgin Islands
    • Saint Thomas
  • Utah
    • Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City International Airport)
  • Virginia
    • Norfolk/Virginia Beach/Williamsburg (Norfolk International Airport)
    • Richmond (Richmond International Airport)
    • Washington, DC Suburbs (Dulles International Airport and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport)
  • Washington
    • Seattle/Tacoma (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport)
    • Spokane (Spokane International Airport)
  • Wisconsin
    • Green Bay
    • La Crosse
    • Madison
    • Milwaukee (General Mitchell International Airport)
  • Wyoming
    • Jackson Hole (SEASONAL)

The Caribbean, excluding US territories

• Bahamas
  • Nassau (Seasonal)
• Cayman Islands
  • Grand Cayman (Owen Roberts International Airport, Seasonal)
• Dominican Republic
  • Puerto Plata (Seasonal)
  • Punta Cana (Seasonal)
• Jamaica
  • Montego Bay (Sangster International Airport)

Central America

• Costa Rica
  • Guanacaste Liberia

IATA Code

Northwest Airlines uses the IATA designator code NW.

ICAO Code

Northwest has the ICAO code NWA.

External links

• Northwest Airlines Corporate Site (http://www.nwa.com)
• Guide to earning miles on Northwest Airlines (http://mileguide.com/nw.shtml)

Business Class

Northwest's A330s and 747-400s have the first flat reclining seats in business class on any american airline. The A330s also have telivisons on the back of every coach seat.