Northwest Airlines Fact Sheet

November 1994

Background

Northwest Airines is the world's fourth largest airline and America's oldest carrier with continuous name identification. Northwest began operations in October 1926, flying mail between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago. Passenger service began the following year. Northwest pioneered the "Great Circle" or polar route to the Orient and has operated in the Pacific longer than any other U.S. or foreign airline. Northwest is publicly traded on the NASDAQ exchange under the symbol NWAC.

Service

Northwest serves more than 240 cities in 22 countries on four continents -- Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The U.S. system spans 45 states.

Hub Cities

Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo.

Facilities

World Headquarters/Main Base

Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Reservations Offices

Baltimore, Detroit, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa and in all international cities.

Maintenance Bases

Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Crew Bases

Anchorage, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, San Francisco, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Seattle/Tacoma, Boston, Los Angeles, Honolulu and several international cities.

Employees

43,000

Developments

Northwest strengthened its U.S. route system by acquiring Republic Airlines in 1986. In 1989, Northwest became privately held in a $3.65 billion transaction by a group of investors headed by Alfred Checchi, Gary Wilson and Fred Malek. In 1992, Northwest added Beijing, China; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Richmond, Va., to its route network. In 1993, Northwest added Raleigh/Durham, N.C., Greenville/Spartanburg, S.C., and Reno, Nev., to its route network, and in 1994, Charlotte, N.C. and Boise, Idaho were added.

In March 1994, Northwest returned to the ranks of publicly traded companies.

Fleet

Northwest operates more than 350 aircraft, including Boeing 727s, 747s and 757s, McDonnell Douglas DC-9s and DC-10s and Airbus A320s. Northwest has on order 60 aircraft, including Boeing 747-400s and 757s, and Airbus A330s.