  Softailrider Member Username: Softailrider Post Number: 51 Registered: 02-2007 |
Worst airline I have ever encountered , there is no customer service . Employees seem hell bent and delighted to make you miserable . I was fervently hoping they would just go out of business . Another airline would have come in to fill that terminal. It's really incredible how bad that company is . | ||
Detroitduo Member Username: Detroitduo Post Number: 846 Registered: 06-2005 |
YAY!!! MORE LOCAL NEGATIVITY!!! | ||
Wazootyman Member Username: Wazootyman Post Number: 226 Registered: 02-2006 |
This is getting out of hand. I bought a coffee this morning at the gas station and it was lousy. I'll never go back again! I bet the gas I pumped was lousy too! | ||
Sstashmoo Member Username: Sstashmoo Post Number: 119 Registered: 02-2007 |
Thats what happens when you buy a jet for that and fly people around in it for that, then the president and his oil buddies do ya on the fuel. | ||
Mallory Member Username: Mallory Post Number: 139 Registered: 05-2006 |
I only liked their first album. That shizit was off da chain! Oh wait, are we talking about the same NWA? | ||
Chitaku Member Username: Chitaku Post Number: 1448 Registered: 03-2006 |
I got a hooker on third and charlotte yesterday and turns out she had no teeth!I expect quality hoes when I go out and spend my hard earned money! i swear nobody get your hookers from third and charlotte anymore! | ||
Udmphikapbob Member Username: Udmphikapbob Post Number: 367 Registered: 07-2004 |
I came here to talk about Ice Cube... | ||
Ramcharger Member Username: Ramcharger Post Number: 340 Registered: 05-2006 |
NWA is one of the best airlines I have ever encountered! I have flown with Northwest many times, including several flights to Asia and Europe. Their staff has always been courteous and extremely helpful. The new McNamara terminal makes flying with Northwest even more enjoyable. I hope they have a long future serving the metro Detroit area. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1556 Registered: 11-2003 |
Seriously, what were the people at Northwest Airlines thinking when they decided to plaster the sides of all their planes with NWA? | ||
Lmr Member Username: Lmr Post Number: 60 Registered: 03-2007 |
Wow, it's too bad for a minute this isn't a twincitiesyes forum...I live in St. Paul and people here would give you a mouthful about NWA. They are one of the major employers here. They used to be a solvent and well managed company but that was before a bunch took over that believed in huge amounts of leveraged debt in order to pad their own pockets. Bad management, union busting tactics that could write the book on the subject, and mass dumping of experienced employees in favor of cheap outsourcing have pretty much killed nwa. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1921 Registered: 12-2003 |
Couldn't have been the severe dip in commercial air traffic could it. | ||
Bobj Member Username: Bobj Post Number: 2317 Registered: 11-2003 |
I have flown NWA dozens of times as well as other airlines - I would put NWA at least above average. I flew the mighty Southwest 3 months ago and that was really unpleasant. | ||
Susanarosa Member Username: Susanarosa Post Number: 1557 Registered: 11-2003 |
I like Southwest for the drink tickets. Whee... | ||
Spartacus Member Username: Spartacus Post Number: 190 Registered: 07-2005 |
Anyone who thinks that another airline would fill the Northwest terminal is BADLY misinformed. The terminal isn't full because so many people are flying to and from Detroit as their primary destination. Rather, it is full because Detroit is NWA's primary hub. A city with a hub is desireable because it allows people to get to many destinations with a direct flight. This is a huge selling point when trying to attract business. Particularly foreign business. If NWA went out of of business it would be a disaster for Detroit. | ||
Lmr Member Username: Lmr Post Number: 61 Registered: 03-2007 |
NWA was already being put in a bad position by their management before 9/11 and the huge dip in commercial air traffic. Their problems really begin several years before that. Back about 1990 or so, NWA had a very positive balance sheet. Then a management group came in with no previous airline management experience (more of a Wall Street crowd) who decided that they could make a lot of money by heavily leveraging the company. The problem about doing that with an airline is that the business has always been cyclical and after 2001 the airlines hit a very bad cycle. Unfortunately, NWA went into that cycle with a huge amount of debt, much more than they should have had, and that put them in a much worse position to weather a major down cycle. As a result, they turned to really cheap labor, cutting pay, hours, and replacing employees with cheap replacements. They cut pay so much that a lot of good employees left, often leaving the airline industry altogether. | ||
Titancub Member Username: Titancub Post Number: 56 Registered: 08-2006 |
An interesting thing that Northwest did was with the replacement of the unionized mechanics. They simply threw out the costly union guys and immediately were able to rehire all those positions with folks more then willing to have those jobs for new lower wages. Some will rail that as heartless and union busting, but at the same time it showed what the real market price wage was for someone doing the job of an airline mechanic (as opposed to the bloated union driven wage). It's widely held that the auto companies and suppliers viewed that scenario with keen interest and have contemplated similiar measures -- although its a long shot of being reality due to the tremendous political pressure involved in such a move. In terms of how bad NWA is, I'd say there are at or slightly below average for an airline. Talk to a random 10 people around the country and each will name a different airline that they 'hate'. I've made trips to Raleigh, NC many times the past 2 years and each time coming back to Detroit I've had a full plane yet there are maybe 5 people with me getting their bags. Either tons are carrying on (possible I guess) or generally everyone is only using DTW/NWA for connecting and getting to a final destination that is NOT Detroit. | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 2071 Registered: 02-2004 |
And isn't it fun to fly in planes serviced by guys with three weeks experience! I feel very secure! | ||
Rfban Member Username: Rfban Post Number: 108 Registered: 02-2004 |
I always looked at flying Northwest as a privilege. Usually I am cramped on those Spirit Air seats with all of those funky colors and designs on them. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1037 Registered: 04-2006 |
"Seriously, what were the people at Northwest Airlines thinking when they decided to plaster the sides of all their planes with NWA?" They wanted to be the official airline of hip hop? lol. My only complaint about them is that the interior designing of their planes tend to be outdated... and it seems like it takes a little longer than necessary to de-plane on that airline. | ||
Bobj Member Username: Bobj Post Number: 2319 Registered: 11-2003 |
The only way to support the high union wages would be to prices tickets higher, it is that simple. I am not willing to pay higher prices, are you? | ||
Mikem Member Username: Mikem Post Number: 3376 Registered: 10-2003 |
But Bob, Southwest is unionized, Spirit is unionized. What up with that? For Softrailrider: http://www.nwa.com/plan/guide1 2.html | ||
Oldredfordette Member Username: Oldredfordette Post Number: 2072 Registered: 02-2004 |
I am willing to pay more to fly safely. You can fly WalMart if you like. | ||
Lmr Member Username: Lmr Post Number: 62 Registered: 03-2007 |
Some of the unionized mechanics are still at NWA, though not many. Their union picked a bad time to strike, even quite a few of their members thought that was poor timing. Once on strike, NWA gave the mechanics two options, return to work or be replaced. Some returned to work at lower pay. And yes, the replacements had about 5 weeks experience. NWA, like other airlines that fly overseas, does quite a bit of their maintenance in places like China that have cheap labor. It hasn't been just the mechanics though, NWA has cut pilots, ground crew, flight attendants, office staff, etc. A lot of the people cut were long time employees. Sure, their quality may not be much worse than other similar airlines, but to me they're all pretty bad, a lot worse than even 10 to 20 years ago. One large difference between NWA and other pre-deregulation era airlines is that their companies are built around the older hub-and-spoke model of business. Southwest and other newer airlines are built to a point-to-point model. No hubs, just a "this plane goes from point A to point B". In the era of airline deregulation it is much more profitable to have a point to point business model than hub and spoke, regardless of whether the employees are unionized or not. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 732 Registered: 01-2005 |
I flew on 79 flights last year and on 41 so far this year. Only 2 of those (last year) were on NWA. Thank God (although I didn't have a bad experience on those flights.)Luckily there are several other carriers to get me where I'm going. My experiences over the years, before I stopped flying them altogether, was usually bad. The haven't been called "Northworst" for years for no reason. While they have a lot of good employees, mostly on the line, management really just doesn't care. And the worst part of the most recent debacle is that they blamed the cancelled flights on the weather rather than a labor dispute. That's par for those jerks. | ||
Hybridy Member Username: Hybridy Post Number: 107 Registered: 08-2006 |
i've flown nwa at least a dozen times, two of them transatlantic. i've never had a problem. however, i make an effort to never deal with people. buy tickets online, check in at the kiosks, and never check my luggage. they were very helpful at getting me a bereavment flight when i had a death in the family. i would stay away from us air at all costs. there are a handful of low cost european carriers (ryan air, german wings, and vueling) that are far worse than any american company i've ever encountered. | ||
Flybydon Member Username: Flybydon Post Number: 145 Registered: 01-2005 |
Want cheep seats? Great, but Don’t expect concierge service. You want service? Spend the money, go First Class. Love the warm towels, clean bathrooms, free never ending drinks, plenty of power outlets and most of all the leg and elbow room. You get what you pay for. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 733 Registered: 01-2005 |
Flybydon: No, you don't. People are very lucky to get what they pay for, and it doesn't happen all that often. NWA is a predatory company as has been determined judicially. That means that they have illegally driven out competition and raised fares when they are w/o competition. And the assholes still can't make money. It's by far the highest priced carrier at Metro as a result of it's hub status and percentage of flights. I have no sympathy for NWA. However, I'm sorry for what's going on because more people will switch to the carrier(s) I use and that will negativley impact me. | ||
Romanized Member Username: Romanized Post Number: 234 Registered: 02-2005 |
NWA is garbage. Their service is horrible. They actually have many direct flights home, and would be much more convenient. But I could care less. I am a proud frequent flyer on Southwest. | ||
Ray1936 Member Username: Ray1936 Post Number: 1564 Registered: 01-2005 |
"They simply threw out the costly union guys" I sure get tired of union bashing on this forum. The union simply asks for pay and benefits during talks. The company gives it to them. Unions only gain when the company agrees to their requests ("demands" really is lame, they can't "demand" anything). So if a company's union workers are costing the company their profitability, lay the blame where it belongs....on the company for agreeing to the union in the first place. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5390 Registered: 11-2003 |
jjaba is proud to talk to so many flyers who bragg on the NWA Detroit Terminal. That's nice. jjaba found excellent service to South Africa on NWA-KLM. This is a very long haul and it was handled seemlessly. Flying non-stop from Detroit to Japan or non-stop to Europe is a real service in Detroit. Give them some props for that for crissakes. jjaba has been a longtime UAL customer and look what they've done in Detroit. There was a time when UAL cared about Detroit. jjaba, props to NWA in Detroit. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1797 Registered: 11-2003 |
I have flown NW from the time it was North West Orient. DC-3, StratoCruisers, DC-4, DC-6, DC-7, Electras, 727, 747, AirBus, all the latest etc. Fine airline. No problems. Courteous personnel. Best Criteria: The same number of takeoffs have equaled the same number of landings. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 735 Registered: 01-2005 |
The_rock: Not so. NWA crashed one of its MD80's on Merriman Rd a few years ago. Pilot error. Only one child survived. I can remember flying North Central before it was acquired by NW Orient. NWA USED TO BE pretty good, but not now. I am amazed that if you are really a frequent flier on NWA you have had no problems and are a satisfied customer; defies the law of averages or similar mathematical/statistical concept. And even if the service is occasionally satisfactory, it's flying the oldest fleet in the air and as often as I fly I don't want to press my luck. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1923 Registered: 12-2003 |
Pilot error is being nice, more like pilot and co-pilot stupidity. I am too am a frequently flyer and NWA compared to the other heaps have been best. From my vast experience most of the problems come from inexperienced flyers who can not follow the rules or listen properly and demand to be catered to. quote: As opposed to the interior of the plane falling apart and the engine falling of a wing. Oh yea, I felt safe with those specialized union mechanics. Union no longer means better. | ||
Karl Member Username: Karl Post Number: 8302 Registered: 09-2005 |
Oldredfordette (union) says: "I am willing to pay more to fly safely. You can fly WalMart if you like." Southwest = no accidents Northwest = try to stay off the Middlebelt Runway. Visit the numerous memorials for the dead. | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3925 Registered: 10-2003 |
I have been very satisfied with NWA and take them whenever I can. Their lock on McNamara with all its convenience also helps - one of the easiest in and out places I have ever been to. A year ago I was unfortunate to get stuck on USAIR a couple of time. Those had to be the filthiest planes I have ever seen and I have ridden on some dirtbags over the years. | ||
Iheartthed Member Username: Iheartthed Post Number: 1041 Registered: 04-2006 |
>Southwest = no accidents http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S outhwest_Airlines_Flight_1248 | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1086 Registered: 02-2006 |
US Airways is by far the worst airline in the country. This is confirmed both by my own opinion, and recent research. Horrible. It's no surprise that their hub cities also happen to be some of the worst performing airports. I also didn't really enjoy Southwest when I flew them. Perhaps it was the "cattle in the stockyards" boarding approach. Could have also been the 6-7 hour delay in my flight on a sunny day. The redeeming value is that they rebooked me with no questions asked. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1925 Registered: 12-2003 |
Speaking of flight 1248 that crash happened roughly 30 years after a famous runway incident in Chicago that killed one Dorothy Hunt, wife of Watergate conspirator Howard Hunt. Leading to conspiracies of govt cover ups. Part of another thread today. | ||
Ltdave Member Username: Ltdave Post Number: 72 Registered: 09-2006 |
And isn't it fun to fly in planes serviced by guys with three weeks experience! I feel very secure! have you ever looked into the schooling required to be an A&P mechanic? you DO know that EVERYTHING that they do must be inspected by an IA who has his license on the line which you dont just go and get in a crackerjack box. the FAA is very picky about shoddy work... quote: "NWA crashed one of its MD80's on Merriman Rd a few years ago." that "FEW" years ago was 20 years ago. what about: Aloha Airlines Flight 243 Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 both in 1988 United Airlines Flight 811 United Airlines Flight 232 both in 1989 USAir Flight 1493 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 United Airlines Flight 585 Continental Express Flight 2574 all in 1991 USAir Flight 405 TWA Flight 843 both in 1992 USAir Flight 1016 USAir Flight 427 American Eagle Flight 4184 all in 1994 Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529 American Airlines Flight 965 both in 1995 ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 TWA Flight 800 both in 1996 Comair Flight 3272 in 1997 American Airlines Flight 1420 in 1999 Alaska Airlines Flight 261 Southwest Airlines Flight 1455 both in 2000 and on and on and on. in looking at the significant accidents and incidents from 2000 to 2007, i saw no more accidents or incidents involving Northwest Airlines... ive flown well over 200,000 miles on NWA and the only issues ive ever had was on a partnership connection with KLM in 2005... david | ||
Softailrider Member Username: Softailrider Post Number: 52 Registered: 02-2007 |
I Honestly can't understand you people who think NWA's service is good . I'll stand by my first post , their employees seem to take a peculiar delight in making their customers miserable . I fly Spirit when ever possible , I find their employees to be more helpfull and have a way better attitude towards the flying public . Of course , I don't like have to pay 10 bucks to check a bag , but , I'm sure NWA will be charging for that soon enough . | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1798 Registered: 11-2003 |
3rdworld---I was really speaking of my own experiences with flying NW rather than the airline's safety record. And, yes, I guess I have been lucky. I can't recall but one delay ( 3 hours) out in Denver that sticks in my mind. We just came back last week from Minneapolis without any delay either way. My only gripe with NW is that they allow folks to bring on suitcases that don't come close to fitting in that little wooden box that is supposedly the maximum size allowed for carry-on luggage. Some folks have a devil of a time getting them placed in overhead storage, ladies have to get help in lifting them up, and its a real joke, but really not very funny. Many flight attendants won't help lift them the suitcases overhead, and I don't blame them. They should be stored not carried aboard. Enforce the rule or do away with it. Detroiters will never forget Flight#255 ( 1987)The plane actually ended up on Middlebelt Road rather than Merriman Road. We lost a good friend in that accident. My law firm represented National Car Rental, as NW third-partyed our client into the law suit on the claim that their plane clipped one of National's parking lot poles ( it did) in their rental lot before it crashed onto the roadway and the pole thus "contributed" to the accident. It did not turn out to be a valid claim in the Federal litigation. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 737 Registered: 01-2005 |
Ltdave and The_rock: I was not impugning NWA's safety record by pointing out the Middle Belt Rd. crash. Someone mentioned that takeoffs and landings equaled out and I just pointed out that was inaccurate. I have made 2 emergency landings on American in the last 3 months. One for a medical "emergency" which forced us to land in Memphis; the guy was OK but put off the plane anyway. 2 weeks ago we were over 1/3 of the way back to DTW from DFW and the pilot turned it around because of an electrical problem and we went back to DFW. All carriers have mechanical problems and I have no idea whether NWA is better or worse than others. What I hate about them is the BS they dish out as in the current situation where they blame cancellations on weather rather than a labor dispute. That has happened to me on NWA several times. They've stranded me for hours based on phony "plane problems" (read, a lightly booked flight) when all they wanted to do was make everyone wait and go out on another lightly booked flight. They think we are idiots by trying to get us to believe their phony excuses; they are liars. I wrote a scathing letter to the FAA a few years ago and months later I was contacted by a big New York lawfirm which wanted me to be a plaintiff in a class action suit against NWA over "phantom city booking." (The firm had researched FAA complaints and apparently thought mine was a winner, even though I never heard from the FAA - par for the course.) I agreed but have never heard of the outcome. [I've never gotten any money.] | ||
Lowell Board Administrator Username: Lowell Post Number: 3926 Registered: 10-2003 |
Rock, I was on a Minneapolis flight back to the D a few years ago. Half the flight were Mall of America tourists [and I won't even start on my stupification on how someone could use vacation time, pay for flight and room to visit a freakin' mall]. They all had excess of carry on, much of it in shopping bags, cramming the overheads which could barely contain it. So you have my sympathies, even if you were one of those mall tourists.  Softrail, I have had nothing but kindness from NW employees. Last year I online booked a morning flight to Fort Lauderdale. When I got to the waiting bay, I started thinking that it was going to be a mighty thin flight because I was the only one there. Then I looked at the board and saw there was no flight for my time! When I inquired at the desk I was pointed out that I had booked a 9PM, not 9AM, flight. Doh! [Another argument for the US going to 24 hour military time!]. The woman at the desk was extremely sympathetic and courteous, swung into action immediately, made several calls, and found me a seat on another flight not much later than than my intended time. Now I realize that a lot of this, like much of the discussion on a forum, is what I like to call "argument by anecdote". All my anecdotes with NWA and the employees have been very positive. Sorry yours weren't. 3rdWorld, I agree with your assessment of NWA management vis a vis the employees. When the current regime took over some years back, they had a profitable company, made a lot of poor decisions, PO-ed the employees and nearly sunk the company. | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 640 Registered: 04-2007 |
Mallory- I like Dre on his own much better. But just for the sake of old schoolin it- F-ckin with me cause I'm a teenager- with a little bit of gold and a pager.......... | ||
Jerome81 Member Username: Jerome81 Post Number: 1524 Registered: 11-2003 |
Geez, seems very hit or miss. If you haven't flown them in the last year or two, their service has definitely gotten WAY WAY better in my experience. Count me in as one of the NWA fans. I generally fly them direct from San Francisco and they and Spirit are the only 2 direct airlines. They are generally the cheapest, with NWA usually being the winner. With that said, NWA has ALWAYS been courteous to me. Every question at the counter, every flight attendent, etc. Once I had a bag lost on a flight from DTW to Midway (1 bad made it the other didn't, weird). The woman at the baggage counter in Chicago was incredibly friendly and helpful, apologized several times, and gave me a $25 off voucher for another flight and $5 in some meal money. My bag was delivered first thing the next morning. Yeah I'd rather have gotten the bag, but I was happy to be treated so kindly by the usually cranky bag people. McNamera is the BEST terminal in America in my opinion. I have not been in another I like more. Being an Amsterdam hub as well, Schipol is great too. They might have the 2 best airports in the US and Europe as their hubs. That makes layovers and waiting much more pleasant. With that said, my biggest complaint is the age of their equipment. I have never had a problem, but the 757's I usually fly have many reading lights burned out and the seats just look really tired. Everything does actually. But I don't usually feel really cramped, the NWA flights probably have the best on-time record based on my experiences, and the flight attendents are friendly. I could probably go for some in-cabin entertainment too, though to be fair Spirit and Southwest don't offer such items. In fact, most domestic flights don't seem to. But their fleet needs some serious upgrading. I think they're still flying DC-10s for christ's sake. Everyone else retired those like 10 years ago. NWA is the first North American customer of an extensive fleet of the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which should replace many of their aging 757's and DC-10's. Having a ton of new planes and the latest and greatest new planes will help change their image. United was bad, got good, and the last couple times for me has been decent to bad. I want to like United, but their service is worse than NWA and their tickets far more expensive. No thanks. I don't have enough experience on American or Delta to comment on them. As an aside, I flew 1st class to Europe earlier this year (thanks to my father, who donated almost all of a career's worth of frequent flyer miles on United to fly his wife and two kids first class to/from Europe ) We took Swiss Air to Zurich and United back from Amsterdam. Besides the seats being more comfortable on United, Swiss Air put them to SHAME. The cleanliness of our Airbus was superb compared with United's 757. The flight attendents were over-polite, and I never had a dry wine glass. I was always asked by name "Mr. Jerome81" if I wanted anything or a top off on my wine. United was "do you want more wine?" "Do you want more XX?". And United was slower and less attentive. Oh, and the food on swiss was AMAZING. I had filet with swiss cheeses, grapes, nuts, and chocolates. Breakfast was fresh fruit. It was all delicious by any standard. The United food was fine, but I definitely wasn't giddy each time my plate arrived. Guess my point is that NWA is a lot better than other American airlines, including United, but based on my United vs Swiss experience, they're ALL WAY WAY behind the best worldwide. Its kinda a shame. Ok, damn that was long. Anyway. I like Northwest. | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 641 Registered: 04-2007 |
I had always heard it called "North Worst Orient". | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5391 Registered: 11-2003 |
What The Rock didn't tell you was that he flew NWA when his stewardess was a nurse wearing high heels and fishnet stockings, and handed out flying helmets with chin straps. The Rock misses walking uphill on his DC 3 Mainliner to his seat. He always booked a rear seat, the farther back from the engines the better. He remembers when pressurization and air conditioning came in, when they started food service, and when the range was less than 500 miles. So from Detroit to San Francisco required 4 stops. He remembers Gander, New Foundland for the hauls to Europe. The Rock trew mail bags out the windows of Tri-motors up in the U.P. They'd takeoff at Wayne Major Airport way out West. jjaba, in-line at Willow Run with The Rock flying Capitol Airlines. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 739 Registered: 01-2005 |
Boy, there's a bunch of us old guys on this forum. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1087 Registered: 02-2006 |
All airlines pull the "due to weather" excuse. This is by no means exclusive to Northwest Airlines. One might think so if they fly mostly out of Detroit, and therefore, likely on NWA. | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1190 Registered: 12-2006 |
Please don't let this die. I want to comment on my experience with Korean Air when I come back from Seoul in two weeks. My only problem with NWA was when I was coming back from New York two years ago. We got to the gate, got on the plane, and sat there for two hours (at the gate). Turns out the planes engines wouldn't start. The crew made sure we knew what was going on immediately after they found out what happened. The only bad thing was the plane was scheduled for 7:00 PM, left at 9:00 PM, and got in around 11:00 PM. I had school the next day (needless to say, I skipped the first 3 hours so I could sleep). Otherwise, I've never had a problem with them. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 741 Registered: 01-2005 |
Focusonthed: Nonsense. I've flown on over 2000 flights over the years. I've been a high level frequent flier on Eastern, Delta and have over 1.6 million ff miles on American. I've flown probably 100 times on SWA. And Jjaba, I too have flown on quite a few Capitol flights. And, North Central. And a couple of foreign carriers. Carriers have occasionally lied about mechanical problems for canceling flights when they're lightly booked, and it's very difficult to know when that happens. Sure, flights are frequently delayed or cancelled due to weather. It's happened to me a 100 times. HOWEVER, it's very simple to determine when that is a valid reason and when it's not. Most if not all carriers recognize that fliers are sophisticated enough to realize when the carrier is lieing and therefore they don't lie about such things; not NWA. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5393 Registered: 11-2003 |
On several occasions on scheduled commercial aircraft, the pilot was the ticket agent, baggage handler, pilot and steward. One pilot handed us chewing gum and said it was dinner flight. Some flights dropped into airports with a single letter to drop through a sliding cockpit window in the rain. NWA would often send a freighter to a gate at ORD in the 1960s and board us in a couple of rows of seats aft. They'd have a narrow aisle between the containers for passage to the head. Landing those widebodies in Minneapolis snow storms was rather exciting. Definition: White Knuckle Flying. jjaba. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1800 Registered: 11-2003 |
Actually, Mr. jjaba, my first flight was in an Aeronca Champion ( yellow with orange trim on the underside as I recall) out of Berz Airport in Birmingham. Mr. Berz was at the controls, son Ted and I were the passengers. You weren't even born then. And I don't mean to get too pickey with you, but I think you are referring to Capital Airlines, not Capitol Airlines which came into existence much later and flew jets out of NYC. My memories with Capital Airlines were flying on their Vickers Viscounts from Detroit to Pellston. The first turboprop or close to it. Capital had a couple of bad accidents with those babies. Give me a good old Gooney Bird anyday. | ||
Chefdave Member Username: Chefdave Post Number: 90 Registered: 04-2004 |
I agree with the poster. I flew northwest last week and was treated poorly. | ||
Why Member Username: Why Post Number: 38 Registered: 04-2007 |
Remember when all the black people were stealing everything with the NWA logo on it? Maybe this explains the negativity associated with Northwest airlines in Detroit. | ||
Focusonthed Member Username: Focusonthed Post Number: 1089 Registered: 02-2006 |
3rdworldcity, come on man. You seriously want me to believe that Northwest Airlines is the only carrier who blames things on weather? I don't really care who you flew with in the 1950s. The game has changed drastically so that your pleasant flights and experiences even in 2000 don't mean a thing. In fact, just in the last 6 months, I have been delayed no less than 5 times, by "weather" on sunny days. In March, I flew US Air out of O'Hare and they tried to delay me --FOUR DAYS-- because of some rain. Again, by the time this happened, it was sunny. In fact, I walked and took the CTA to the airport. Some rain. Earlier this month in Denver on Frontier, I was initially delayed by "weather". Later, they "realized" that the problem was actually a missing first officer and 2 flight attendants. Oops. Southwest Airlines, June. 5 hour delay for "weather", on a cloudless Florida evening. I don't live in Detroit anymore and I never fly Northwest (though I have a frequent flyer ticket I need to use), so I could really care less about their problems. I actually can't stand them, but mostly because of their crappy, dingy planes. BUT EVERY AIRLINE USES "WEATHER". Why? Because they don't have to offer you anything on account of messing up your trip, because they don't need to compensate you for acts of God. | ||
Track75 Member Username: Track75 Post Number: 2550 Registered: 10-2003 |
quote:My 2 cents: Korean Air: exceedingly polite staff, good food, flight attendants apparently hired the way US carriers used to (looks are a factor). NWA: average staff, good food, but the flight attendants are the ones with 30 years of seniority who get the long international non-stop flights. IMO those sky waitresses stopped caring about the customer 15 years ago (and about themselves around the same time ). (Korean Air experiences were business class. Coach on KAL looked like a sardine can.) | ||
Jerome81 Member Username: Jerome81 Post Number: 1525 Registered: 11-2003 |
Focusonthed- I'm not going to disagree with you on the weather excuse, pretty much all of them do it. But you must remember (maybe you already realize this, if so, I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all) that the weather at your airport is not the only weather that matters. If your plane starts the day in Philadelphia, goes to Atlanta, then San Francisco, then Detroit, if there is bad weather anywhere before it gets to DTW, that can cause you a delay in Detroit, even if the weather is perfect. That is why whenever I can I like to fly the first couple flights in the morning. That way I'm usually guaranteed to get out on time or only have a short weather delay. The farther back you go in the day, and the more large airports your plane flies through (ORD, DTW, MSP, DFW, ATL, JFK, DEN, etc) the more likely the weather delays will compound. Crap, a quick afternoon thunderstorm in Chicago yesterday and today cancelled 100's of flights at O'Hare and Midway alone. And these were just your isolated thunderboomers, not any sort of big front. Just getting a storm passing over the city for 30 minutes can throw things off that badly in Chicago. Anyway, agreed the weather is a common excuse, and oftentimes BS. However, it can be legit even if the weather at your airport has been great all day. | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1192 Registered: 12-2006 |
quote: Great. I'm in coach, so that should be fun. At least the rest seems good. | ||
Mallory Member Username: Mallory Post Number: 140 Registered: 05-2006 |
As a former Detroiter, now living in Florida, I have used N Dub to connect to South Bend to see my mother. I can always count on the good folks at N Dub for a free lunch. My strategy is to get the earliest flight to Detroit that I can. They ALWAYS overbook, so I sacrifice my seat to someone else, they give me a later flight, and I get the free lunch and the voucher coupons. I once passed up two connections in a row, just for the free crap. I even thought about renting a car and driving downtown to catch a quick meal at Fishbone's. Only problem is, try and use those vouchers. That is the joke that is N Dubya A. Yeah, what were they thinking. Instead of "F Da Police," they're new slogan should be "F Da Customer." It's on the new NWA album, isn't it? | ||
Michigan Member Username: Michigan Post Number: 643 Registered: 04-2007 |
F-CK DA CUSTOMAH COMING STRAIGHT FROM THE PILOT'S LOUNGE YOUNG FLYER GOT IT BAD CAUSE I'M GROUND IM NOT UNITED SO THOSE PUNKS THINK THEY HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO MAKE THEIR FLIGHT A PRIORITY ........... | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 742 Registered: 01-2005 |
Focusonthed: Please, read my post before commenting. I acknowledged that many flts are cancelled/delayed by weather and that its happened to me many times. It happens to me 4 or 5 times a year on flts to TX and AK. What you don't seem to realize is that your departure may be delayed on a sunny day, but the incoming plane may have been delayed by weather at the point it originates. Same in reverse; the weather at your destination may be bad even though it's sunny where you are. Hint: when you get to the airport to depart, check the "arrival" board to determine the origin of the flt coming to your gate (the plane you're supposed to depart on.) If there's a weather delay and it's sunny where you are then it's easy to check the weather at the point your departing plane originates. Based on my experience, basically every weather delayed flt I was supposed to be on was cancelled or delayed based upon actual weather problems. Not NWA. I check every flight I'm on to see if the incoming flt is on time; sometimes they don't update the boards simultaneously. | ||
_sj_ Member Username: _sj_ Post Number: 1926 Registered: 12-2003 |
3rdworldcity, I think you and I were on the same flight out of DFW. Small World | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 743 Registered: 01-2005 |
-sj-: It is. AA gave me 7000 ff miles for the "inconvenience." I thought the problem was legitimate, including the need to switch cabin attendants because of hours, and the 1st officer as well. I did not complain to anyone. Last fall I got 11,000 ff miles as a "token for my inconvenience" as a result of mechanical problems on all three segments returning from Alaska. Do you get to TX often? | ||
Defendbrooklyn Member Username: Defendbrooklyn Post Number: 290 Registered: 11-2005 |
i'm 60/40 with northwest...I have had my share of bad experiences with them and yesterday they canceled my moms flight home. If i had a choice i would fly with a different company. They are needed in the D but they need to get thier shit together soon. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5395 Registered: 11-2003 |
jjaba has many good experiences with UAL. He gets bumps,they often overbook. UAL is a Northern and E-W airline so Southern ports are poorly serviced and always overbooked. Always put your name in for a bump on UAL in the South. They pride themselves with serving every state, but some ports don't have capacity for the traffic like New Orleans or Atlanta, Texas, etc. A bump on UAL means a free ticket voucher good for a yr., free airport food while you wait, and good hotels if it is overnight. As for Rock, jjaba's first flight was on a Vickers Viscount which obviously didn't crash. 1963, DTW to Preswick Scotland via Montreal for re-fuel on BOAC. BOAC return Orly Paris via Gander to DTW same summer. Ok, Capital Airlines. The Rock knows his Willow Run airline history. jjaba, loves to fly. | ||
Steelworker Member Username: Steelworker Post Number: 925 Registered: 02-2004 |
Ive flown to europe a few times with NWA and had no problems they seemed fine except flight attendents were a little brief. | ||
Ookpik Member Username: Ookpik Post Number: 279 Registered: 01-2007 |
 Rare historic photo! Jjaba arrives at Willow Run! Not quite the same reaction as the Beatles at JFK but close! Ookpik | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6292 Registered: 10-2003 |
I have no complaints with North West. I have flown about 50k miles in the last few years. You want to talk about a crap airline? America West/US Air. They're 0/4 for on time flights that I've been on. Another one I wasn't impressed with was Horizon Air. Hopefully someone can do in North America what's done in Europe. You want to see a truly low cost airline? Look below: http://easyjet.com http://ryanair.com | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5399 Registered: 11-2003 |
Ookpik, you are the one. Thanks. What's the date on your photo and what kind of airplane? Where was the airplane heading? That's Rock and jjaba on the left with the fedoras racing for our black limos. Rock was a young lawyer and jjaba was a Wrigley Store checker. | ||
Ookpik Member Username: Ookpik Post Number: 280 Registered: 01-2007 |
The photo is from 1951 and I believe the airplane is a DC-4. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong. I don't know where the airplane was heading but pictures included with this one are of Cleveland so I assume the trip was to that location. Ookpik | ||
Jerrytimes Member Username: Jerrytimes Post Number: 51 Registered: 04-2007 |
Northwest is a great airlines and just because you had a bad experience on it doesn't mean every flight sucks. | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1802 Registered: 11-2003 |
Interesting shot of several men, all in ties and coats, getting off one of Capital's DC-4 Mainliners. A far cry from "flying attire" you see on planes today. BUMP--Is the plane in the John Wayne/Robert Stack movie "The High and the Mighty" a 4 or a 6? | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 751 Registered: 01-2005 |
I subscribe to Airsafe.com From it's website are links which may interest some of you. One can find a record of every aircraft related fatality by airline or model of plane going back to at least 1970. see http://www.airsafe.com/by_mode l.htm. For example there have been 4 fatal 737 events so far in 2007, 68 since 1970. Has all the details. Go to http://www.airsafe.com/events/ usairprt.htm permits searches by location, airline, injury severity etc. It appears NWA has had 4 fatal crashes, toward the lower end of the list per major carriers. | ||
Lmr Member Username: Lmr Post Number: 64 Registered: 03-2007 |
quote: Landing those widebodies in Minneapolis snow storms was rather exciting. Definition: White Knuckle Flying. How right you are about that! It reminds me of a popular saying they have here in Minnesota - "Thank God for the weather. It keeps the riff raff out." | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5406 Registered: 11-2003 |
DC4, nice looking large aircraft. Thanks. 1951 sounds right for Willow Run and Capital AL. jjaba, racing for his NWA flight to Osaka. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5407 Registered: 11-2003 |
Heard at a Japanese Baseball Stadium. "Nobody ever walks off the island." No wonder we get guys like Ichiro and Matsui. jjaba, back from Japan. | ||
3rdworldcity Member Username: 3rdworldcity Post Number: 752 Registered: 01-2005 |
Welcome back. | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6293 Registered: 10-2003 |
Jerome81 - FYI - NWA no longer operates DC-10's, the last flight was earlier this year Honolulu-MSP January 8, 2007. They were great Airplanes, and still have a long future as freighters.   | ||
The_rock Member Username: The_rock Post Number: 1803 Registered: 11-2003 |
I miss those old DC-10's AIW. Get a couple of isle seats, and then you could easily get up and walk around during the flight. Those engines were real gas guzzlers. Our NOMADS plane out of Metro airport is a beautiful 727. It is all reconfigured seating ,2 seats on each side of the isle, kinda our version of first class.Wonderful way to travel. Not too many of those left hauling passengers anymore. Mikem got his feet wet at NWA flying those babies as charters for the NBA teams. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5411 Registered: 11-2003 |
MikeM should be heavy on this thread. He is really our source. jjaba flew a wonderful flight on a DC-10, MSP to Amsterdam, then seemless connection on KLM to Johannesburg, South Africa. Same on the return. That's a long haul but South Africa and some time in Amsterdam was worth it. With your KLM tkt., you ride the trains free to downtown. The new NWA terminal at MSP is amazing, complete with little outside train. NWA sure does rule MSP, eh. Thanks to AIW for the photos of the DC-10. AIW, we've missed you. Welcome to the Forum. jjaba, Far Westsider. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5412 Registered: 11-2003 |
The Rock tells it like it tis. The B-727 is the finest plane ever built. It glides great and the quick take-off is very nice. jjaba doesn't like the long rollouts of the jumbos. Although the B-737 is a workhorse now, it is a poor second cousin to the original B-727. jjaba flew millions of miles on those babies. Unlike The Rock and NOMADS, jjaba longs to ride one like Hugh Hefner rides. Those re-couperated B-727s must be really fine. jjaba, Praise Allah for non-smoking flights. | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6294 Registered: 10-2003 |
Now jjaba, where were the DC-10 pictures shot? That's my quiz to you. | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6297 Registered: 10-2003 |
AIW's grandfather made wings for the DC-10's. They were built in Toronto and shipped by rail car to Long Beach where they were assembled. I still have a bunch of his pension slips from McDonnel-Douglas. 727's are frequent visitors in the cargo world these days. Take a drive by the west end of Willow Run and you'll find a parted out AA 727 just sitting around, waiting until the next part is needed. The last 727 we had in Windsor still had all the Royal Air Maroc stickers inside. Those stairs in the tail sure were nifty. Ask DB Cooper. | ||
Smogboy Member Username: Smogboy Post Number: 5556 Registered: 11-2004 |
I've never really seriously had much trouble flying NWA; not any worse than flying American, Delta, United, Southwest or any other carrier. But then I go into it with the mindset of "as long as I get there in one piece I'm fine". I know that the days of men wearing suits, women wearing gloves, meals were served on real dinnerware, free drinks and impeccable service are long gone. The only few annoyances I've had were due to delays in high winds at the airport. I remember sitting in my seat while the plane was about to taxi and we could literally feel the plane swaying. The only other time I remember being seriously delayed was when I somehow miraculously got bumped up to first class- and the wait didn't seem as bad because we got served beverages galore; I don't know how I would've felt if I was in coach that evening. I'm hoping that NWA can get back to at least some sort of viability, not just for themselves but for those of us here in the Detroit area. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5416 Registered: 11-2003 |
AIW, that's Montreal's Mirabel or Dorval. What's did I win? I know you Canadians love Virgin and Ukraine Air Lines. jjaba. | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 398 Registered: 09-2004 |
I miss the DC-10s too... But instead of deal with NWA and the distress that is our airline network, I just hop on the Amtrak. If it's late, it's expected. At least I can walk around, get a seat that's bigger than a thumb tack, grab a snack for a slightly more reasonable price, and enjoy a better view! | ||
Scs100 Member Username: Scs100 Post Number: 1193 Registered: 12-2006 |
"(Korean Air experiences were business class. Coach on KAL looked like a sardine can.)" It wasn't too bad. Great flight over here. I've got a fond memory of flying on a DC-10 from Cincinatti to Detroit. Whole middle row was empty, so i slept in that row. SCS100- Reporting from Seoul and unable to quote properly because of a keyboard missing one of the needed keys. | ||
Aiw Member Username: Aiw Post Number: 6299 Registered: 10-2003 |
Wrong side of the Atlantic jjaba. That's London's Gatwick airport. | ||
Jjaba Member Username: Jjaba Post Number: 5420 Registered: 11-2003 |
London Gatwick was jjaba's second choice. I knew it wasn't USA. jjaba, Long live the Queen and the Memory of Diana. |
