NWA Messing with USAirways and ATA

[storminpilot]

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040720/cgtu031_1.html

Press ReleaseSource: Northwest Airlines


Northwest Announces Major Expansion From Indianapolis
Tuesday July 20, 12:00 pm ET Carrier Adding 19 New Flights to 10 Popular Business and Leisure Destinations

INDIANAPOLIS, July 20 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Northwest Airlines (Nasdaq: NWAC - News) today announced a major expansion of its Indianapolis schedule that will more than double the number of departures it offers by adding new nonstop service to Boston, Ft. Myers, Fla.; Hartford, Conn.; Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, N.C. and Washington. All 19 of the new flights begin October 31, 2004.

When combined with its existing schedule of 17 daily flights to its three domestic hubs of Detroit, Memphis and Minneapolis/St. Paul, the airline will offer an all-jet schedule from Indianapolis International Airport totaling up to 36 flights a day to 13 destinations, more jet aircraft departures than what's offered by any other airline. In addition, through its three hubs, Northwest and its marketing partners offer Indianapolis travelers connections to another 436 destinations.

"Northwest is proud to be the leading choice of travelers in America's Heartland," said Fay Beauchine, vice president of sales and customer relations. "Our Indianapolis expansion builds on successful schedule enhancements we have made in other key Midwestern markets for Northwest such as Milwaukee and Grand Rapids."

Northwest's new flights to Hartford and Raleigh/Durham will be the only nonstops offered to those destinations from Indianapolis. Flights to many of the new destinations are ideally timed for a one-day business trip.

"Our new Indianapolis schedule will provide business and leisure travelers with a schedule, array of services and network reach that only a world-class airline can provide," Beauchine continued. "When combined with the scope of our domestic marketing partners, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines, Northwest offers Indianapolis travelers unmatched access to the world. In fact, we carry more international travelers from Indianapolis than any other airline."

Northwest will offer daily flights from Indianapolis to Ft. Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando. The Las Vegas and Los Angeles flights will be operated with a 124-seat Airbus A319, with 16 seats in first class and 108 seats in coach class. Northwest's new Ft. Myers and Orlando flights will be operated with a 100-seat DC9, with 16 seats in first class and 84 seats in coach class.

Through its Northwest Airlink partner, Pinnacle Airlines, Northwest will offer two departures to Hartford, Philadelphia and Raleigh/Durham. Northwest Airlink will also offer three departures to the key business destinations of Boston, New York (LaGuardia Airport) and Washington (Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport).

All of the Northwest Airlink flights will be operated with 44-seat Canadair Regional Jets (CRJs). Some of the Northwest Airlink flights will operate six days per week, with exceptions being Saturday or Sunday.

Indianapolis travelers using Northwest's new nonstop service will also be able to take advantage of: -- WorldPerks. Northwest's WorldPerks program offers Indianapolis travelers a wider array of options to both earn and redeem frequent flyer miles. WorldPerks members can earn or redeem miles to any of the 236 cities served by Northwest and Northwest Airlink carriers worldwide, as well as the many hundreds of cities served by WorldPerks partner airlines such as KLM, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines. -- First class availability. Northwest offers more first class seats from Indianapolis than any other airline. The airline's new flights to Ft. Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Orlando will offer 16-seat first class cabins. WorldPerks members who achieve "Elite" status enjoy unlimited complimentary upgrades to first class. -- The most self-service functionality. Northwest's self-service check-in program is the most developed in the airline industry, offering customers more functionality including the option of checking-in, obtaining a boarding pass, changing seats, and performing many other functions over the Internet at nwa.com or through one of the airline's 903 self-service check-in kiosks in 193 airports, more than any other airline in the world. At Indianapolis International Airport, Northwest customers wishing to take advantage of the speed, convenience, and control of self-service check-in can use nwa.com to obtain their boarding pass, or visit one of 12 self-service check-in kiosks.

Customers currently holding tickets for travel October 31 or beyond on connecting itineraries from Indianapolis will be able to change to Northwest's new nonstop services without paying an administrative change fee, provided changes are made by July 31, 2004.

Northwest's new Indianapolis nonstops are currently open for sale via the Internet at http://www.nwa.com , by calling Northwest Airlines Reservations at 1-800-225-2525, or through some travel agencies. All of the flights will be widely available for sale on Saturday, July 24, 2004.

NORTHWEST COMMEMORATES NEW INDIANAPOLIS SERVICE WITH FREQUENT FLYER MILE BONUS OFFER

From October 31 through December 31, 2004, members of Northwest's WorldPerks frequent flyer program will receive a bonus of 1,000 WorldPerks miles for flying round-trip on the airline's new nonstop service between Indianapolis and Boston, Ft. Myers, Hartford, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, or Washington. Registration is required prior to travel and must be completed no later than November 30, 2004.

Fast and easy online enrollment in the WorldPerks program is available at http://www.nwa.com/freqfly/direct/enrol , or by calling 1-888-955-7878. For a complete list of terms and conditions, and to register for this bonus offer, WorldPerks members should visit http://www.nwa.com/IND04 .

Northwest currently offers 17 jet flights per day from Indianapolis, including eight to its WorldGateway at Detroit hub, three to its convenient Memphis hub, and six to its hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Northwest Airlines is the world's fifth largest airline with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,500 daily departures. Northwest and its travel partners serve nearly 750 cities in almost 120 countries on six continents. In 2003, consumers from throughout the world recognized Northwest's efforts to make travel easier. Northwest's WorldPerks program was named the most popular North American frequent flyer program by readers of TIME Asia in the 2003 TIME Readers' Travel Choice Awards. A 2003 J.D. Power and Associates study of airports ranked Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit, home to Northwest's two largest hubs, in second and fourth place among large domestic airports in overall customer satisfaction.




Source: Northwest Airlines

 

[storminpilot]

http://www.indystar.com/articles/4/164089-4244-092.html


Northwest will double daily flights
Airline's expanded service should benefit the city, business and passengers, observers say.



By Chris O'Malley
[email protected]
July 21, 2004


Passengers at Indianapolis International Airport will get new nonstop flights to two cities, more flights to eight other locales and possibly lower fares as Northwest Airlines doubles its local departures and ties ATA Airlines as the city's busiest carrier.

Northwest announced Tuesday that it will offer 19 new daily flights starting Oct. 31, including the first nonstop service to Raleigh-Durham, N.C., and Hartford, Conn. Those additions, combined with ATA's decision Monday to add six flights, will increase total daily departures at the airport by 15 percent, to 193.

Travel agents said increased competition on some routes -- particularly to Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Fort Myers, Fla. -- might drive down fares at an airport that last year handled 7.4 million travelers, or 7 percent more than in 2002.

"This is huge for the passengers, especially the businessperson," said Jeff Merritt, president of Ross & Babcock Travel in Indianapolis, noting Northwest's niche among business passengers who also are itching to cash in their frequent-flier miles for leisure travel.

Northwest's announcement is bad news for financially struggling ATA, which said Monday it would boost flights here by 20 percent, to 36 daily departures, starting Oct. 1.

Northwest also will have 36 daily departures, compared with 17 today.

And Northwest will bump ATA for the airline with the most jet service out of Indianapolis. All of Northwest's flights are on turbofan airplanes, ranging from 44-seat Canadair regional jets to 124-seat Airbus 319s.

ATA still carries passengers on many flights aboard Saab turboprops to its Chicago Midway Airport hub; otherwise, it flies new Boeing 737s and 757s.

Northwest said it also would offer more first-class seating, even after ATA introduces upscale business-class seating on most of its planes late this year.

Northwest is adding nonstop flights to Boston, Fort Myers, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York LaGuardia, Orlando, Philadelphia and Washington's Ronald Reagan National.

ATA now dominates service to Fort Myers. Competition from Northwest almost certainly will bring down fares, Merritt said.

Northwest's new flights also bring more competition to ATA in the Los Angeles market and will challenge US Airways, especially for Washington service. "They're going after what US Airways has pulled back on, out to the East," Merritt said.

The introduction of nonstop service to Hartford and to Raleigh-Durham fulfills a goal of the mayor's air-service task force. It's been trying to add more direct flights to key cities that complement the city's emphasis on developing technology and biotech companies.

"This is huge from a business development standpoint," said Mayor Bart Peterson. "One of the raps on Indianapolis has always been finding nonstop flights to other cities."

Among the businesses that will benefit from the new nonstop service is Eli Lilly and Co, which has a drug research facility about nine miles from the Raleigh-Durham airport.

Benefits for employees would include fewer delays and increased productivity, said Lilly spokesman Ed Sagebiel.

Peterson also applauded Northwest's growth in Indianapolis as a boost to the city's convention business, which he said is larger than the convention business of Charlotte, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and St. Louis combined.

"Our new flights will bring (more) convention, and tourism, business into the region," said Fay Beauchine, vice president of sales and customer relations for Northwest.

She said the expansion, which will create 14 jobs at the airport, stemmed from a re-evaluation of Northwest's route structure dating to 2001. Much of the service had been focused on its three large hubs: Detroit, Memphis, Tenn., and Minneapolis.

The airport will make some gate reassignments to make room for Northwest, which will add a gate at the airport, where it operates out of Concourse A.

The airline's busier flight schedule is projected to generate an additional $2.5 million a year for the airport, said Patrick Dooley, airport director for BAA Indianapolis. The airport is funded largely through rents and landing fees charged to airlines, along with the airport's cut of beverage and retail sales. It is building a $974 million midfield terminal.

Dooley stopped short of predicting that Northwest's growth would spur competitors to slash fares at the airport. "I wouldn't say to expect lower prices (necessarily). I think what passengers will see is increased frequency and connectivity."

Northwest officials did not disclose fares for the airline's new routes, saying they would be available today. Northwest's new flights are believed to represent the largest service expansion at the airport since 1992, when US Airways added 30 flights.

Airlines operating out of Indianapolis will see even more competition in the weeks ahead. Indianapolis will get another low-fare carrier Aug. 15, when Independence Air plans to launch service to Washington Dulles International, which has been a United Airlines bastion.

The airport also is trying to draw JetBlue and AirTran to Indianapolis. New York-based JetBlue likely wouldn't land here until 2005 at the earliest, if it decides to come, Dooley said. That's when it plans to add Embraer regional jets seating 70-plus passengers to its fleet.



Call Star reporter Chris O'Malley at (317) 444-6081.

 

[pilotyip]

Management trying to save company

NWA has no choice; they have to increase market share and going after weak competition is a game plan that may lead to NWA’s survival and eventually recalls for all the NWA lay off’s. It has been said NWA will put itself out of business before it gives up market share to the competition. I just bought round trip ticket on NWA DTW-TPA-DTW for $106, $58 under Spirit for the same travel days.

 

[SWA/FO]

SWA flys to TPA?

 

[pilotyip]

could not match price

SWA was more on Monday when we are traveling, plus I had to go through BNA or MWD. So NWA was non-stop and cheaper better deal. However goingto RDU it will be SWA because they are cheaper