Northwest Announces New Service between London Heathrow and Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle

Business Wire, Dec 10, 2007

New Heathrow Service and World Business Class Option Preferred by Business Travelers; Youngest Trans-Atlantic Fleet Signifies the "Greening of Northwest Airlines"

EAGAN, Minn. -- Northwest Airlines (NYSE:NWA), in cooperation with its joint venture partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, today announced an expansion of its trans-Atlantic route network with three new daily nonstop flights to London Heathrow Airport from Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Seattle.

Scheduled to begin in the Spring of 2008, Northwest's new nonstop services will conveniently connect London Heathrow with more than 250 destinations throughout the United States for customers traveling via Northwest's Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul hubs, and Seattle gateway. Heathrow is the busiest international airport in the world, and until earlier this year, was restricted to just two American carriers.

Global Economy, Global Travel Needs

In the increasing globalization of our economy, access to London's business and financial districts has become a must. The London Heathrow airport became available this year as part of an Open Skies agreement between the U.S. and the European Union -- which reduces regulatory constraints for air transportation services in the trans-Atlantic market.

Northwest and KLM will co-locate the airline's facilities in Terminal 4 at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR), providing more convenience and easier connections for the nearly 3.5 million SkyTeam Alliance passengers who travel through LHR each year.

"The new Heathrow service is great news for customers, both business and leisure travelers, who prefer the convenient location and accessibility of the Heathrow airport. This also gives Heathrow travelers the opportunity to experience our brand new A330 fleet and our premier World Business class service," said Doug Steenland, president and CEO. "Our Detroit and Minneapolis/St. Paul hubs are the most efficient and uncongested connecting airports in the U.S. and, together with our Seattle gateway, will link Heathrow to every point in America."

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Gatwick Service Continues from Detroit

In addition to the London Heathrow service, Northwest will also continue to operate daily round-trip flights between Detroit and London Gatwick, giving customers two great options from the Detroit Metro airport.

The Greening of Northwest Airlines: NWA has the youngest trans-Atlantic Fleet and has reduced carbon emissions by 25% since 2000

In addition to having the largest A330 fleet in the world, Northwest also operates the youngest trans-Atlantic fleet of any North American or European carrier with an average aircraft age of about 4 years. The fleet is 35% more efficient than the older aircraft it is replacing and has contributed to a 25% reduction in carbon emissions since the year 2000.

"Northwest Airlines is proud to be making bold steps in our commitment to the environment, having achieved Kyoto-like standards with our carbon emissions reduction," said Steenland. "Our $6 billion fleet modernization program is a significant part of the greening of Northwest Airlines and we will be expanding our campaign for a healthier environment even further with a forthcoming announcement."

The Kyoto protocol, adopted in 1998 in Japan, requires participating countries to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon, by at least 5% below 1990 levels before the year 2012. While the United States has not signed on to the Kyoto agreement, many leading companies, including Northwest Airlines, are voluntarily taking steps to comply with the standard.

Business Travelers Prefer Heathrow Route and Premier World Business Class Service

Northwest is launching the new Heathrow service with the business traveler in mind. In addition to preferring the Heathrow airport for its convenient proximity to London's business and financial district, business travelers also prefer the comfort and amenities of NWA's World Business Class service, a prominent feature of the A330 aircraft that NWA will be using to operate the new route.

The A330s are equipped with up to 34 World Business Class seats (176 degree lie-flat seats with a privacy canopy) and 264 economy class seats, which feature more personal space than any other aircraft in the fleet.

World Business Class travelers also enjoy an array of features including 60 inches of space between seats, 110-volt personal laptop power port, cycling lumbar support, a six-way adjustable headrest and four seat-back storage pockets.

An on demand in-flight entertainment (IFE) system is available in both cabins. The interactive IFE system offers travelers a choice of 40 movies, four short-subject video programs, 56 different audio selections, six games, shopping and in-flight information, allowing customers the freedom and flexibility to start, pause or stop their selection at any time.

In World Business Class, customers are able to view any of these features on a 10.4 inch/26.4 centimeter video screen. Customers traveling in economy class are able to view these features on a personal video screen in the seatback in front of them.