Northwest airlines what can you tell me.

[Hockeychic]

I usually fly SW but NW Airlines has the direct flight I am looking for but i really don't know much about them

Do they cancell flights alot or change times???
Do they have the same credit policy if prices go down that SW has??

Anything else you can tell me would be appreciated.

Thanks

Kim

 

[mom_rules]

We've used them twice in the past, also have our May and October trips booked with them.
They have always been within 10-15 mins of scheduled time, have not changed flight times on us (so far, knock wood) and their staff has always been very pleasant.

 

[mommiepoppins]

we flew nw 2 years ago. I had to switch in mi (there hub) and it was a huge walk to the gait about a half mile. The plains made some noises when moving the wings. I joked to my dh saying" did you and your buddys work on this " I think the plains were old.

 

[wdwfamilyinIL]

We used them a couple of years ago, I will second the planes being a little noisy, but I don't fly a lot, so maybe that just goes with the flow. We didn't have a bad time with them changing times, it was always within 20-25 minuts. I say if you have a good rate go for it.

 

[zulaya]

I fly NWA...a lot. I'm in MSP which is their hub and they are the main carrier.

I have to say that the flight times rarely change, if at all, on established routes. They are also VERY good about emailing you when flight times change and giving you the option to call them and change to something else if the change doesn't fit your schedule.

They have a fairly new fleet of planes. I wouldn't call their planes any noisier than any other airline.

If you like the price and the times, go for it.

 

[antmaril]

Northwest Airlines does not have a credit policy like Southwest Airlines. SW Airlines has one of the most liberal (if not the most liberal) change policies in the industry.

We have flown NW many times without problems. Schedules have only changed a couple of times (by a few minutes) and we've never had a flight canceled.

 

[kkmauch]

I fly NWA almost exclusively out of MSP. Aside from a few Airtran, USAir and Midwest flights to the east coast. NWA has NEVER changed a flight on me by more than 15 minutes. And, when the flights were changed I was notified by e-mail. I always trust that the flights will be exactly as stated. In terms of reliability, they rank at the top of my list.

I wish they had the price credits that SW has, but unfortunately, the price you pay is the price you pay-period. For that reason, I always keep an eye on farecast because they seem to have a good handle on when NWA is going to drop or raise their prices.

I will be using them again in May and most recently used them in October. The flights certainly were no louder than any other flight I've been on and I don't anticipate them being any worse in May.

Additionally, one thing I do like about NWA that some people may disagree with is that you can pay a small fee to reserve an exit row seat. Now, you also have to pay a small fee to reserve an aisle seat in some cases, but in reality most people never do that. I like the freedom of being able to get the exact seat I want without having to worry about getting to the boarding gate area before any other passengers just to reserve said seat, this way I can do it in advance and just pay for the convenience. To each their own.

 

[GEB@okw]

NWA is my favorite. I can fly out of Grand Rapids, Lansing, Kalamazoo. Flint or Detroit, all with in two hours of home. Nice personel and great service. Silver elite gives me those free first class upgrades.

 

[Disneyjosh229]

we flew nw 2 years ago. I had to switch in mi (there hub) and it was a huge walk to the gait about a half mile. The plains made some noises when moving the wings. I joked to my dh saying" did you and your buddys work on this " I think the plains were old.

Yep, the Northwest WorldGateway/McNamera Terminal in Detroit is a very large terminal, but if you are connecting on opposite sides of the terminal, you can take a 3 min ride on the high speed overhead monorail and be to the end of the terminal. I would have to bet the aircraft you are talking about is the DC-9 which NW flys on many short/medium range routes along with the A319/320.

Overall, NW is a pretty good airline that is comparable to any other legacy carrier these days (Delta, United, Us Airways, ETC). I haven't had any major schedule changes in the past (I think maybe 1/2 hour later than at booking) and the flights have been on time. Service is acceptable and their Frequent Flyer program is one of the best out there...

 

[disneyfanfamily]

We are flying out of Detroit using NW in June. It is nice to hear so many good things about them.

 

[Gary M]

I fly NWA out of IND several times during the year. As someone mentioned before, being a silver elite member, I get upgraded to 1st. class on most trips. I don't like SWA because of the "cattle call" boarding, so NWA works best for me. You can get online 90 days before your flight and get your seat assignments with NWA.

 

[Hockeychic]

Great thank you all for the info. It is Detriot we will be flying out of and they are direct to Jacksonville which is awesome for me for this trip.

I will like having a seat assigned, it is the only think I don't like about SW.

Thanks again for all the info.

Kim

 

[Skroops]

I like NWA. They are in bancruptcy and haven't settled the flight attendants contract yet. The flight attendants have requested to be released into a cooling off period prior to a strike, but the courts are preventing it. I say this so you can have a heads up to watch what happens. Probably nothing.

They don't have any "free" food these days, so be prepared to bring your own or fork out $2.00 for pringles or a trail mix. Also, no movies or xfm radio.

They are dependable, and the service is usually good for us.

 

[Rock'n Robin]

We flew out of Detroit on NW last year and it was great. Our times were good (got into Orlando at 9:15). I thought the snack box, though, was gross. I would definately take my own food next time.
The only reason we are flying continental out of Cleveland this year (we are in NW Ohio so either way is about the same drive) is that the $197 fares I got last year went up to $227 for the good times--which is about $150 for my family. I got a fare of $180 in Cleveland. But it is also a direct flight. Now that I've had several direct flights (Trans Meridian in 04, NWA last year) I don't know how I ever changed flights, esp. when the kids were little.
Robin M.

 

[Starr W.]

Being close to DTW, I have used NWA alot, all over the US and Europe. No worse than any other airline.

Flew them to Washington DC in June, the morning we had all those storms, flight was cancelled to BWI, but they did get us on a flight into National instead of making us take a later flight into BWI.

Had absolutely no problem with them at Thanksvgiving going to Orlando.

Have a flight with them booked in May to WDW.

Personally I like they have plenty of direct flights to MCO and their terminal is much nicer than the old one everyone else is stuffed into until the new one opens.

 

[Cdn Friends of Pooh]

All of our trips to Orlando have been with NW (except for our first which was Continental) and for the price we get from Canada, you can't beat it. Out of our last few trips, only one flight time was changed and for our upcoming trip this October there was a schedule change of 30 minutes of which we were notified by email last week.

As others have mentioned, there is no in-flight entertainment or free meals in coach, but their flights have always been on time.

 

[VLee]

I have flown NWA three times in the last year. On two of the flights, our plane was delayed due to mechanical problems. One delay was for five to six hours, making me miss a shuttle at my arrival point, resulting in my husband having to drive 3 hours to meet me. And NWA was not even sure we would have a later flight, so they rerouted me later.

On the return trip, departure was delayed again an hour, resulting in a stressful run through the airport to make a connecting flight.

They seem to overbook a lot, offering vouchers for free trips, but then these vouchers are almost impossible to use due to unavailability (very limited seats or none) I am sure this is also true with other airlines.

I would prefer SW any day!

 

[Pinnie]

I fly NWA out of Detroit only when SWA or SPIRIT doesn't fly to the location I need to go. NWA does use the new McNamara Terminal and the others use the nasty old SMITH one until the new one comes online in 2008.

I just flew SWA today and fiind them a lot more flexible with changing flights and using Rapid Reward Tickets. I was able to use mine this week during President's week on SWA! SWA has come in on time for me and even waited a few minutes for me when I was making a connection at MDW that was late due to an ATC Ground Hold in DTW.

I find the Airbus that NWA uses to be a bit more noisey in the cabin than other manufacture's planes.

pinnie

 

[Disneyjosh229]

I find the Airbus that NWA uses to be a bit more noisey in the cabin than other manufacture's planes.

pinnie

I really can't tell a difference between the Spirit 319 and the Northwest 319. I have found however that legroom is severly limited on the Spirit version as theyve squeezed a few more rows in then NWA has...

 

[Pinnie]

I really can't tell a difference between the Spirit 319 and the Northwest 319. I have found however that legroom is severly limited on the Spirit version as theyve squeezed a few more rows in then NWA has...

You hit that nail on the head!!!! I eat my knees every time I fly SPIRIT!

pinnie