Northwest, - Consumerist

confusing
Delta/Northwest Employees Wear The Same Uniform, Expect You To Be Able To Tell Them Apart
Reader Matthew writes in to tell us that Delta at Minneapolis/St. Paul airport is "still in Beta." The employees all wear the same uniform, but they still work for different airlines — sorta. More »

2:54 PM on Mon Jul 27 2009
By Meg Marco
10,073 views, 64 comments
northwest
Passenger On Northwest Last Week Had Tuberculosis

If you happened to be on Northwest Airlines Flight 51 from Frankfurt to Detroit last Tuesday, and you were one of the 17 unlucky passengers who sat near enough to Mr. Fancypants Lung Disease Person, you can look forward to a call from the CDC telling you that you need to get tested for tuberculosis. The risk of catching the disease is low, but the CDC is contacting passengers as a "cautionary move" according to the Associated Press. And if for some reason you do end up with TB, please do not get on any airplanes.

"Passenger on Frankfurt-to-Detroit flight had TB" [Associated Press]
(Photo: FlyGuy92586)

8:36 AM on Mon Mar 16 2009
By Chris Walters
3,558 views, 40 comments

Most discussed MalcoveMagnesia: If I knew I had TB, the first place I would get me to is a hospital and not onto more »
airline fees
Delta To Add $15 First Checked Bag Fee
The AP says that the new mergeriffic Delta will be adding a $15 fee for the first checked bag and $25 for the second checked bag when traveling domestically, which is consistent with Northwest's existing policies. More »

11:46 AM on Wed Nov 5 2008
By Meg Marco
4,676 views, 62 comments
mergers and acquisitions
Northwest Airlines And Delta Merge, Finally
The Northwest Airlines/Delta merger is finally done, says the Chicago Tribune. The new airline will be called Delta and will be run by Delta CEO Richard Anderson. With 75,000 employees and $34 billion in revenue, it will be the US's largest carrier. More »

10:33 AM on Thu Oct 30 2008
By Meg Marco
3,861 views, 33 comments

Most discussed SkokieGuy: Gee, another merger creates a "too big to fail" megacorp? Just like the banks are doing with our bailout money, more »
checked bag fee
Northwest Airlines Begins Charging $15 For First Checked Bag Today
Reader Colin says he just got charged for his first checked bag on Northwest Airlines: More »
Northwest Airlines has pulled political billboards depicting Minneapolis being targeted by nuclear weapons from their terminal in the Minneapolis airport. We wonder why. [NYT] MORE »

10 comments
rule 240
The Ultimate "Rule 240" List
Some airlines still call it "Rule 240" and others a "contract of carriage" but no matter what the name, it still means the same thing: power to the traveler. But which airlines still use it and how much does it protect a traveler? More »

1:29 PM on Mon Jul 28 2008
By Ben Popken
21,290 views, 11 comments

Latest by eyeballpupil: Just flew with US Air to the West Coast from the East Coast this weekend. There were delays in both more »
recession watch
Oil! Airlines Issue Open Letter Asking You To Help Them Lobby Congress
In a letter signed by 12 CEOs, the US air travel industry has called upon you, their customers, to help them lobby congress. What's the problem that they need help solving? Oil speculation. Read the letter inside. More »

1:59 PM on Thu Jul 10 2008
By Meg Marco
10,858 views, 135 comments

Northwest Airlines is cutting 2,500 jobs. Passengers may be asked to get out and push to help the plane taxi. [NYT] MORE »

3 comments
delta
Fuel Surcharges Hit Delta's Frequent Flier Program
Delta informed their beloved frequent fliers yesterday that effective August 15, all flights booked with SkyMiles will carry up to a $50 fuel surcharge. The airline also announced the impending release of an exciting "new multi-tiered Award program." More »

9:35 AM on Sun Jun 29 2008
By Carey Alexander
3,682 views, 20 comments
northwest
Northwest's Coach Choice Seats Are A Complete Waste Of Money
Reader Chris wrote in to warn us off Northwest's "Coach Choice" seat upgrade. On a recent trip, he was offered the opportunity to upgrade to a "Coach Choice" seat for an extra $30 per seat. He eagerly forked over $60 for two upgrades, and was shocked and angry at what that Northwest gave him in return. See what a "Coach Choice" seat means to NWA, inside. More »

4:29 PM on Thu Jun 5 2008
By Profio
28,729 views, 105 comments

Latest by mariospants: WHAT? Back in the day, they had to practically BEG people to sit in the exit rows ("have to be more »
travel
Thanks, Northwest, For Flying Me To Chicago Because I Asked Nicely!
Contrary to published rumors, I did not spend last weekend trafficking Canadian drugs or performing "community service." No, I enjoyed a gluttonous weekend in Chicago thanks to Northwest's generosity. In the age or rising fees, reduced frequent flier miles, and general travel hell, it's still possible to extract favors from airlines, if you know which levers to push... More »

11:18 AM on Sun May 18 2008
By Carey Alexander
11,895 views, 37 comments

Latest by AndrewJC: @jsttheman: But that's just it. There's absolutely ZERO harm in asking a company if they can bend the rules more »
executive customer service
Reach Northwest's Executive Management Team
Meet Doug Steenland, CEO of Northwest airlines. He and his fellow executives can help fix problems left unresolved by tree-bound call center sloths. Here's how to reach Northwest's executive management team... More »

11:00 AM on Sun May 18 2008
By Carey Alexander
1,534 views, 2 comments
con artists
With Northwest's Help, Ticket Scammer Ruins College Student's Volunteer Trip
Jennifer and 7 other students at the University of California San Diego went through a ticket broker at lastminutefares.net to purchase their airfare for a volunteer trip to Ghana. Their broker, "Michelle Shaw," turned out to be a scammer who took their money and disappeared—but not before she sent two of the seven tickets to the students as a "you can trust me" gesture. Despite repeated assurances by Northwest that at least the two tickets in their possession were still valid and couldn't be tampered with, Michelle Shaw managed to cash one in for a refund sometime in the past few weeks, which Jennifer discovered this weekend when she double-checked their status. Now Northwest is saying they can't help her, and that no matter what their CSRs told her before, this Michelle Shaw woman technically owns the tickets. More »

1:00 PM on Mon May 12 2008
By Chris Walters
8,617 views, 60 comments

Latest by bunchref: @Jteschle: It is unfortunate that you were scammed. I hope that you will learn a valuable lesson here about trusting people more »
airlines
Delta & Northwest CEOs Say All Airlines Should Raise Fees 15-20%
Delta's CEO, Richard Anderson, told reporters today that all airlines need to raise fees by as much as 20% "just to break even due to the rising price of fuel." His new bedmate, Northwest CEO Doug Steenland, piped in to say cost-cutting measures "have largely been exhausted"—and by "cost-cutting" we assume he means, "We can't find anything else to add surcharges to, except maybe the bathroom and the recycled oxygen, and we're not monsters." More »

5:24 PM on Tue Apr 22 2008
By Chris Walters
2,741 views, 44 comments

Latest by Buckus: Prices rise. It is inevitable. I would appreciate more straightforward pricing, though, none of this "$99 fare" and more »
mergers and acquisitions
The Ultimate Airline Bankruptcy And Merger Cheat Sheet
Thinking of taking a trip but can't remember which airlines are bankrupt and which ones are part of Delta? We know it can be difficult—that's why we've put together a little cheat sheet to help you get through this time of uncertainty. More »

8:51 AM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Meg Marco
9,121 views, 45 comments

Latest by Serpephone: DELTA = "Didn't Even Leave The Airport" more »
mergers and acquisitions
Northwest Airlines Breaks The ~~Bad~~ News To Its Frequent Fliers
We hope all you Northwest Airlines frequent fliers secretly had a thing for Delta, because you've been merged. More »

8:30 AM on Tue Apr 15 2008
By Meg Marco
7,115 views, 29 comments
Delta and Northwest have finally agreed to merge together and form the world's crappiest airline. The new airlines will be known as "Delta." Are airline mergers like bank mergers, where the losing party in the deal usually gets to become the new namesake? [NYT]

37 comments