Aircraft – Boeing 757-300

Northwest found the 757-200 to be a versatile replacement for its 727-200 fleet, as did many carriers, and after top-up orders, brought 45 examples to the merger with Delta. Northwest was courted by Boeing for the extended -300 version, and unlike many carriers, actually ordered it.

NWA’s decision to cancel its first A330 order in the early 1990s to conserve cash, led to continued reliance on the DC-10 on heavy domestic and Hawaii sectors for the rest of the decade. Picking up used trijet frames may have been good on the balance sheet, but they weren’t getting any younger and despite their amortized costs, they didn’t have the communications and reporting abilities of newer aircraft that helped maintenance activities be focused, nor the newer-generation engines that would need less work for decades to come.

On January 17, 2001, NWA announced an order for 20 copies of the 757-300 (along with two dozen A330s and small top-up orders for A319s and 747-400s) which would allow the carrier to finally replace the DC-10. Northwest selected the Pratt & Whitney PW2040 engine for the fleet, keeping in line with P&W power for its 757-200s.

After 9/11/2001, Northwest trimmed the order to 16 frames. The first came off the production line in July 2002 and the last in October 2003. This would be the extent of the fleet, although management would later express the regret of not buying more before 757 production closed for good, as they were very efficient at their job and well-integrated into the company’s workflows thanks to commonality with the -200 series. The -300s saw heavy rotation on West Coast trunk routes as well as to vacation destinations like Hawaii, Las Vegas, and Florida. Delta retained the subfleet in essentially the same role in the 2010s.

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