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Northwest Airlines

Northwest Airlines • Ticketing snafus • Luggage lost, stolen, destroyed • General hostility • Disgruntled Employees • Northwest vs. KLM • Pray for food --- News • Delta, Northwest Complete Merger • Delta, Northwest Merger Faces Heavy Chop • Troubled Northwest Strikes New Deal With Pilots • A Seething Summer of Discontent for Northwest Airlines • Northwest Passengers Face Uncertain Summer • Pilot Shortages Plague Northwest Passengers • Machinists Pact May Head Off Northwest Airline Strike • Northwest Hopes to Cancel Employee Contracts • Delta, Northwest File for Bankruptcy • Northwest Flying Despite Strike • Northwest Warns Of Bankruptcy • Strike Looms At Northwest • Northwest Seeks Replacement Flight Attendants • Northwest Pushes Up Fares

An icy fossil that survives only because Southwest apparently dislikes cold weather, Northwest is perhaps the most rigid U.S. airline when it comes to making even the slightest accommodation to the customers who keep it in business.

The complaints in this section illustrate how unnecessarily miserable travel can be if one chooses the wrong carrier.

Here are a few of the more recent consumer comments:

Joel of Anchorage AK (08/14/08)
My wife and I were on a return flight from Wisconsin to Anchorage, Alaska and had to make a connecting flight in Minneaplois. The problem started as we were over an hour late in departing from Milwaukee which made us 20 minutes late for our connecting flight to Anchorage due to weather (or so they said). However, my anxiety began to grow as if we missed our connection we'd be stuck in Minneapolis until the following day (on our own dime) as our flight was the last flight of the day to Anchorage.

Upon our eventual arrival in Minneapolis our plane was held an additional 10 minutes at the gate before letting passengers off as they were having difficulties either locating someone to extend the walkway out to let passengers deboard, or they couldn't get the machine to work. All the while my wife and I were waiting for a flight attendant to let us know if our flight had been held or to give us some information. Of course none of that happened.

After being allowed to deboard, we realized that we would have to get to a complete different part of the airport if we had any chance to catch our flight (according to the gate information which was printed on our boarding passes). However, half-way dow the concourse we heard the final call for our flight at the gate which was right next to the one we had just arrived at. As it turned out we made the flight, but not by any help of Northwest. Additionally, when I mentioned our hardship to the head flight attendant, she said that it wasn't Northwests fault we weren't let off the plane, and chided me for somehow insinuating that Northwest would hold passengers Hostage on a flight (which I didn't do). However, when I mentioned in response to her comment that we were in a sense 'hostages because we could not demand to be release from the aircraft, she got angry and told me to take my seat.

It that wasn't bad enough, throughout the flight I overheard the lone male flight attendant mention to his co-workers how stupid the passengers on this flight were. I could easily hear this as my wife, son, and I were sitting in the last row of the aircraft next to where the flight attendants prepared the beverage service and sat during takeoff and landing.

I have never experienced such a lack of professionalism from an airline and flight crew, and in the future I will certainly pay the extra money to the other aircarriers flying out of Alaska rather than be subjected to the torture of flying on Northwest.

Suzanne of Weyauwega, WI August 12, 2008

Suzanne of Weyauwega WI (08/12/08)
I would like to take this opportunity to add to the growing list of dissatisfied customers who have had negative experiences with Northwest Airlines. I hope that eventually enough of us will complain and this organization will be forced to address their lack of business ethics.

Almost a year my husband and I flew on Northwest Airlines. I admit to having been uncomfortable about flying with this airline due to the recent strike but the time constraints on our trip made this our best option. Our flight to the wedding near Cleveland was great. We were returning from the event on a Sunday. After leaving the Cleveland airport we landed at Detroit. My husband and I were the last ones off the plane. As I passed the Gate directly in front of the deboarding tunnel I realized I had left my purse on the plane stowed under the seat in front of where I had been seated. I informed the attendant at the Gate who informed me that when the plane was checked the purse would be returned. She did not go to check the plane.

Some time later I was informed the purse was not on the plane. I insisted I had left the purse stowed under the seat but the employees insinuated that I must have left it behind at the prior airport. We had another flight to catch so I filed a claim with the airport police and he gave me the phone number of lost and found in Detroit. During the next few days I called lost and found at both airports, the luggage desks at both airports, the Gates at both airports and emailed to NWA reporting the loss. The purse had not turned up anywhere.

By Wednesday I was sure that I had left the purse on the plane but I could not get through to anyone in authority to tell them what had happened. The people I talked to made the assumption that I had left the purse in the prior airport and that it would turn up there. The kicker came on Thursday when a package was delivered to my home from Detroit with an odd anonymous note and no return address. The only plausible explanation is that someone with access to the plane stole my purse. The purse was not left at the prior airport. My purse was on the plane in Detroit when it was stolen. Between the time I departed the plane and when the plane was checked an employee stole my purse.

I have faxed, emailed, attempted to telephone this company and I have received responses which indicate that the airline will take no responsibility for the theft. I am certain this is what the thief was depending on. It is very disconcerting that it was this simple to commit a crime on a passenger. I cant help but wonder how easy it might be to get something on the plane. It is unbelievable that at the very least this organization would not initiate some type of legitimate investigation. I am sure that the brazenness of this theft will only embolden this employee. There are no safeguards for the passenger on this airline. Beware!

A loss of about 2000.

Evell of Chicago, IL August 6, 2008

Evell of Chicago IL (08/06/08)
I can sypathize with the guy Paul From Chicago Who had to sleep in the terminal while NWA agents laughed. It happened to my wife and I on our way to Las Vegas in '06 . We got to Midway airport in plenty of time to make our to Detroit. it was raining in Detroit so we diverted to Ronald Reagan air port We sat on the ground over 30mins. Then the pilot told us he was going to wait for some other passengers coming in on another flight! over an hour passed! by the time we got to Detroit we had missed our flight to Las Vegas by 10 minutes! You would think that the flight crew would have called ahead and had them wait afew minutes for us and others for that connecting flight, like they made us wait.

As a result we spent 11 hours in the airport as other flights to Las vegas were full. The NWA agent said all she could do was give us new tickets for a later flight. I complained but they(NWA) just don't care about anything but the MONEY!!! PLEASE,PLEASE PLEASE FLY SOUTHWEST AIRLINE!!! THE DIFFERNCE IS LIKE NIGHT AND DAY!!!

Andre of Bridgeport, CT July 31, 2008

Andre of Bridgeport CT (07/31/08)
I traveled to Paris for two days, I paid 1.203 for the ticket, the purpose of this travel was very important, my son got marriage, I should took fly from buffalo to Dettrois and Dettrois to Paris,at 6/19/08 i came to buffalo Airport and I found out that the fly was canceled, the proposed me to go to Boston and Boston Amesterdam, Paris.

I took the fly from buffalo to Boston and boston, Amesterdam, Paris, my luggage was registered from boston to Paris, From boston 6/19/08 up to now I never seen my luggage All gifts and personal affaires I never got Nothing. I spend almost 3000. I wrote to this compagny many time, never got Answer, I mad claim when i was in Paris,

Dennis of Bristol, VT July 24, 2008

Dennis of Bristol VT (07/24/08)
On the 13th of May 2008 I traveled from Burlington, Vt to Bismarck, ND via Northwest Airlines. I checked 2 bags in Burlington and when I arrived in Bismarck- 4 hours late- there were none of my bags to be found. I went to the ticket counter where an agent said on of my bags had come in 3 hours earlier and after checking my claim number she stated that my 2nd bag was still in Minneapolis and would arrive later that night. It did not-nor did it arrive in the 9 days I was in ND.

I filed a claim with Northwest for the value of my lost items and was informed that after careful investigation they were denying my claim- seems I forgot they lost my luggage 2 years earlier. I fly an average of 2-3 times per month and flew Northwest on 38 flight segments in 2007. Their response was that because they lost my luggage twice and I filed both times- I was guilty of repetitious claim filing and they felt they did not have to pay. I am in the process of filing in small claims court now.

I had to buy clothing for a 9 day trip and the only reimbursement was 150.00 which took me 6 trips of over 100 miles each to get!

Anthony of Norfolk, VA July 22, 2008

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