I'll be flying one way from Washington DC to St. Louis next month, and found NWA has the cheapest rates. They have a flight for 140ish with a short layover in Detroit (out of the way, but meh, I don't mind being in the air 😀) but....they're not as big of an airline, as say, American. What's their service like? Would you recommend them? Or is it worth spending the extra for American? Thanks
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Northwest Airlines
- Thread starter yg17
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Northwest is a big airline...no, not as big as American, but plenty big.
All things being equal, I've generally tried to avoid Northwest because they have one of the oldest fleets of aircraft. The airplanes I've been on have always seemed old and dingy, especially when compared to other airlines flying brand-new Airbus fleets.
But if Northwest were markedly cheaper than the other airlines, I would certainly fly them.
All things being equal, I've generally tried to avoid Northwest because they have one of the oldest fleets of aircraft. The airplanes I've been on have always seemed old and dingy, especially when compared to other airlines flying brand-new Airbus fleets.
But if Northwest were markedly cheaper than the other airlines, I would certainly fly them.
yg17 said:
I'll second WildCowboy in that NW is a pretty big airline, I've never flown them myself, but if it's the cheapest, why not.
And speaking of layovers, that reminded me of flying from Baltimore to Nashville with a layover in Columbus, which seemingly doubled the length of the flight. And while I also don't mind being in the air, I had spent the past 5 days traveling from Baltimore to D.C. then on the Philly, then to Newark and NYC, and then back to Baltimore. Needless to say I was tired, but the worst part was the seemingly never ending drive from Nashville back home.
xsedrinam
macrumors 601
My 2¢. If the price beats anything else by or above US$75 and, if you don't mind the stopover, and schedule, I've never had any bad experiences with NW domestic. I don't think either St. Louis or D.C. Dulles is a hub for NW. Lambert used to be a hub for TWA, then took on American and I think D.C. is an American hub, if that makes any difference. If you're not Gold or Platinum with AA, or don't have Admirals Club membership or any of the AA perks, stick with the better priced ticket with NW.
xsedrinam said:
American's only flights between Dulles and STL are on the tiny ass 50 seater planes, which I refuse to fly on, as it seems like the small planes are the ones that crash more often. American has a couple flights between Reagan and STL on actual jets, which are only about $20 more than NWA.
Superdrive
macrumors 6502a
My signature tells you who I prefer, when it comes to airlines. But being from Minneapolis (and somewhat in the industry) I can tell you all about NWA.
First of all, their mechanics are on strike. They have been on the picket line since August of 2005 when NWA threatened to outsource over 50 percent of their jobs. Pilots are currently voting whether or not to approve a tentative agreement with the company to outsource small jet flying and wage concessions larger than Delta's pilots. The NWA pilots union has overwhelmingly approved a strike if the company voids their current contract.
As for in flight service, you get what you are paying for. Your online ticket gets you a seat in the coach section of the airplane. NWA now charges $15 for preferred coach seats such as aisles and exit rows, so if elbow room is an issue, be prepared to pay. There is no video or audio entertainment on NWA aircraft. Unlike carriers offering tv, movies, or audio only programming, you are left to look out the window or read a book. If food interests you, you can spend $1 on a 3oz bag of trail mix. Longer flights may offer larger box meals for $5, but you will not get any free pretzels, peanuts, or cookies on any flight. Of course, beverage service is still complimentary, but NWA is known to make some shorter flights limited to 6oz of frozen OJ or a glass of bottled water.
With NWA, you get what you are paying for...there is a reason they are one of the cheapest ways to fly right now. I would strongly suggest taking American over NWA any day of the week. A quick look shows low fares out of Reagan on US Airways and Midwest, both of which are decent companies. If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM.
Edit: Re: 50 seaters
On nearly any major carrier you will come across these regional jets. These are pure jet powered planes just like your A320 or B737, only much smaller. You are sacrificing cabin comfort and overhead bin space when flying these planes, but not safety. These planes are held to the same maintenance standards as the mainline aircraft, and typically have better safety records over mainline (all of which are stellar).
First of all, their mechanics are on strike. They have been on the picket line since August of 2005 when NWA threatened to outsource over 50 percent of their jobs. Pilots are currently voting whether or not to approve a tentative agreement with the company to outsource small jet flying and wage concessions larger than Delta's pilots. The NWA pilots union has overwhelmingly approved a strike if the company voids their current contract.
As for in flight service, you get what you are paying for. Your online ticket gets you a seat in the coach section of the airplane. NWA now charges $15 for preferred coach seats such as aisles and exit rows, so if elbow room is an issue, be prepared to pay. There is no video or audio entertainment on NWA aircraft. Unlike carriers offering tv, movies, or audio only programming, you are left to look out the window or read a book. If food interests you, you can spend $1 on a 3oz bag of trail mix. Longer flights may offer larger box meals for $5, but you will not get any free pretzels, peanuts, or cookies on any flight. Of course, beverage service is still complimentary, but NWA is known to make some shorter flights limited to 6oz of frozen OJ or a glass of bottled water.
With NWA, you get what you are paying for...there is a reason they are one of the cheapest ways to fly right now. I would strongly suggest taking American over NWA any day of the week. A quick look shows low fares out of Reagan on US Airways and Midwest, both of which are decent companies. If you have any questions, feel free to ask or PM.
Edit: Re: 50 seaters
On nearly any major carrier you will come across these regional jets. These are pure jet powered planes just like your A320 or B737, only much smaller. You are sacrificing cabin comfort and overhead bin space when flying these planes, but not safety. These planes are held to the same maintenance standards as the mainline aircraft, and typically have better safety records over mainline (all of which are stellar).
Northwest is probably the best airline I've ever flew in. Much Much MUCH better than Delta. I dont have a huge opinion on American because I've only flew with them once. But really Northwest is a great airline. But really I dont think it matters what airline, I think it matters more on whether its Boeing or airbus. I personally like airbus because they seem cleaner, bigger bathrooms, and tvs even in the coach class! and also the seats seem nicer and bigger.
floriflee
macrumors 68030
I've only flown Northwest once or twice, and from what I remember their service was all right, but now all of the amenities are no longer free it seems. As has been mentioned, there is the strike going on, which makes me wonder about their service and such. I prefer Delta or Continental myself--mostly because the hubby and I have lots of miles with those airlines. Of the two I'd say Continental has the better service--not to mention that it seems to be one of the few still profitable major airlines.
calebjohnston
macrumors 68000
NorthWest does have some old suckers, but they wouldn't fly anything unsafe.
With the rediculous price of air travel, I pick the cheapest airline.
With the rediculous price of air travel, I pick the cheapest airline.
floriflee
macrumors 68030
calebjohnston said:
Good point. At the very least you can be thankful that the older planes don't feel like they're going to fall apart in-flight. We flew Alliance Air while in India (the government-affiliated airline), and I prayed the whole time we were in the air that the plane would stay together as I listened to it rattle and shake. When we were getting off after we safely landed (a miracle!) I noticed that half of the chairs tops wouldn't lock into place and would fold completely forward like a car seat (the passengers had pushed them forward as they were getting out) and some had duct tape on them. By far a very scary flight and very scary airplane. I guess there is some merit in the FAA safety regulations here in the U.S. 🙂
Superdrive
macrumors 6502a
jakochampolska said:
Boeing or Airbus doesn't matter in this because the OP will probably get to ride on one of the ubiquitous Douglas DC-9s. Truthfully, the interiors of the planes are decided on by the airline, not the manufacturer. Northwest's Airbus fleet has no video or audio entertainment while Frontier and jetBlue have personal televisions at every seat (one class configuration).
For further information on what all airlines offer on board, including seat configuration, check out http://www.seatguru.com/