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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:

Cheryl of Glencoe MN (10/04/07)
Northwest airline! Our trip was set for 6-20-07 through6-24-07.

We bought 2 tickets on 4-9-07, they got paid 706.00 on 4-10-07 from our discover card.

We then decided to go in a day earlier then before. I went on line on 6-14-07 and it was to cost us another 100.00 Change Fee per ticket. Well they took out 1184.00 from my mom's checking account. They tried 3x's because she has a limit, they over road the banks system and took out the money. I told my mom to go to her bank and fight the amount. She did and won.

Now N.W. is suing us for the full amount on top of what we already paid. I feel this is triple payment to N.W. Is this legal? I have no problem paying the 100.00 per ticket but why would anyone pay another 984.00 for going in a day early?

Thomas of Arlington, TX August 26, 2007

Thomas of Arlington TX (08/26/07)
I am sitting in Bussan south Korea wearing the same clothes I had on my back when I left the USA three days ago. Northwest has lost my suitcase, doesn't know where it is, and has made no effort to help me in any way. Their only reply to my repeated attempts to contact them was a two sentance form letter which has a tracking number that doesn't work.

No one in their Asian office can speak english.

They have severely limited my ability to conduct business in the Asian market with their extreme incompetence. However, I think it is their complete lack of sympathy and assistance that makes me wonder how they stay in business. I will NEVER fly Northwest Airlines again. If you don't want to wind up like me, I suggest you avoid them.

Kesav of Memphis, TN August 9, 2007

Kesav of Memphis TN (08/09/07)
We booked an international flight from Memphis-Hyderabad. Thru Amsterdam. For two consecutive days, the flight was delayed. On the first day the flight was first delayed and then cancelled. On the second day the flight is delayed and right thats the current status. The days I am talking about is 08/08/2007 and 08/09/2007. My wife is traveling along with our infant child (8 months). We were and are mentally exhausted and my question is how can the airline be so negligent so as to have non scheduled maintenance every day? Does this not qualify for airline negligence?

Trudi of Blaine, MN June 7, 2007

Trudi of Blaine MN (06/07/07)
When making reservations with Northwest, no matter how far in advance, you can not choose your seats. They give special privilages to perks customers. I think that is a form of discrimination and all should be treated equal no matter what your income is. There are first class seats for those wanting special treatment. Anyway our group of 4 is now spread out throughout the entire plane, and we made reservatios 5 months in advance. This is the second time this has happened, last time our children were seated with strangers and no one was together. On other airlines you can choose your seats on a first come first serve basis. We will not be traveling with Northwest int he future.

Joan of Chelmsford, OTHER April 19, 2007

Joan of Chelmsford England (04/19/07)
Flight NW43 - Gatwick to Minneapolis Flight overbooked. Family separated -despite booking having been made nearly 12 months prior to flying. Samsonite Case damaged when retrieved at Minneapolis. Food inedible - Cabin crew rude when it was pointed out that they had given three vegetarian meals by mistake - one to a three year old and the family told - eat that as there is nothing else. Flight 576 Minneapolis to Orlando

Young children (3 years old) given seats separate from parents. One family - part of a larger group left in the departure lounge in a distressed state believing they would be separated. Children very distressed and crying as a result of the seating fiasco - especially as they had already endured a 8 hour flight from Gatwick.

Flight NW43 - Orlando - Detroit: Again young children seated apart from parents leaving cabin crew to sort out the mess and deal with the resulting distress.

Flight 32- Destroit - Gatwick: Food inedible. Cabin crew unhelpful - only came round once during the night with water. No Duty Free.

I have travelled frequently with many different airlines and never expereinced the choas and distress experienced when using Northwest airlines. I will never use Northwest again.

Brian of Springfield, IL March 5, 2007

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