Fleet strategy for a network carrier is always a moving target, because no single aircraft can execute every desired mission at an ideal cost. Even Southwest with its all-Boeing 737 fleet may enjoy the ultimate in common parts inventory and standardized training, but it prevents them from providing frequent service to small communities, or starting trans-Pacific nonstops to Korea. An advantage in one context can be a liability in another context, and the competitive situation is always changing.
Northwest had inherited a sizable fleet of short-body (and fully paid-for) DC-9-10 series jets and Convair 580 turboprops from Republic. At the start of the 1990s these lower-capacity mainline aircraft were used to serve smaller Heartland and Southern locations out of the Memphis, Detroit, and Minneapolis hubs, and to supplement frequencies to important stations. Even smaller cities were connected with propeller aircraft operated by Mesaba and Express I. This allowed NWA to offer high frequencies with a better-than-industry-standard level of comfort, as competitors like Delta, United, and American had to make do with only propeller-driven commuter aircraft into small towns.
That situation changed in 1992 as the 50-passenger Bombardier Canadair CRJ entered service, as Delta (via its partners Comair and ASA) could now schedule fast, all-jet service into many Heartland markets from its Cincinnati hub, and Southern markets from Atlanta. In 1996, Embraer’s similarly sized ERJ-145 arrived, and in short order most of NWA’s high-margin markets were being infiltrated with all-jet service. NWA’s Convairs and its Airlink Jetstreams, Metroliners, Dash-8s, Fokker 27s, and Saab 340s were perceived as slow, bumpy, and even less safe, and general “traveler fatigue” toward Northwest was at a high point – when Continental, American, or Delta introduced service with flashy new jets, NWA market share suffered.
Northwest’s DC-9-10s were much more expensive to operate on a per-trip basis, despite offering more cabin comfort, and were already 30 years old. NWA needed a regional jet solution to regain competitiveness but were late to the party – its competitors had locked up the CRJ and ERJ order books for most of the rest of the 1990s.
British Aerospace had recently revamped its older BAe 146 four-engine jetliner into the Avro RJ series and needed a good sized order from North America – the airplane was larger than the CRJ and ERJ offerings in the late 1990s and its standard configuration tripped over the “scope clause” in NWA pilot contracts – its seating capacity of 85 would require mainline staffing, instead of being able to be flown by lower-cost contracted commuter carriers. NWA got around this issue by taking out seats and installing a First Class section – resulting in capacity of only 69. With that resolution, Northwest ordered 12 Avro RJ85s in October 1996 for deliveries to begin in April 1997, to be operated by its partner Mesaba.
Passenger reaction was positive – and offering First Class service was a strong selling point. The ARJ cabin was much more comfortable than the cramped CRJ and ERJ tubes (even Coach seats had better legroom than many mainline aircraft), and NWA was able to begin retiring Convair and DC-9-10 airframes. A further order for 24 frames was placed, with deliveries from May 1998 through May 2000. Northwest was ultimately the largest Avro RJ customer.
But the four-engined jet was always at a long-run disadvantage, as the CRJ and ERJ jets had only two engines – maintenance and spare parts expenses would always be higher than other aircraft. In 1999, NWA ordered 124 copies of the CRJ to be operated by Express I (later Pinnacle), and after the September 2001 attacks and subsequent airline industry crisis, the decision was made to cut out the RJ85 fleet in favor of standardizing on the CRJ. Mesaba declared bankruptcy in 2006 and the Avros were disposed of – heading to Europe, South Africa, Dubai, and even being converted to firefighting use.
Their time sporting the Red Tail was short, but the Avros helped Northwest transition its fleet from the 1980s post-merger hodgepodge into a flexible, competitive, cost-effective portfolio for the 2000s. Its comfort for regional routes would not be equaled until Embraer E175s came on the scene.
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