2000
- January 26: Northwest’s WorldPerks frequent flyer program was the highest rated U.S. based program reviewed by InsideFlyer magazine and received the “Industry Impact Award” at the 12th Annual Freddie Awards.
- January 28: Northwest receives Air Transport World’s “Airline Technology Management System” award for Turbulence Plot System.
- February 2 : Based on statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Northwest was the most on-time U.S. airline among the seven largest network carriers for the period 1990-1999.
- April 2 Northwest Airlines and Alitalia launch new service between Detroit and Rome and Detroit and Milan.
- April 6: Northwest begins twice weekly Detroit-Shanghai roundtrip service with Boeing 747-400 aircraft, thus expanding the NWA/ Air China alliance.
- July 5: Northwest Airlines Cargo acquires two Boeing 747-200 series wide-body aircraft, bringing the number of main-deck 747-200 freighters to 12.
- August 9: Work crews building the new $1.2 billion Detroit terminal at Wayne County’s Detroit Metro Airport place the final 80 foot long, 9.5 ton steel beam.
- September 11: Northwest and KLM announce the launch of an improved international business class service. The new World Business Class seats will feature 60 inches or greater of personal space and 150 degrees of recline.
- October 25: Work crews building the new $1.2 billion Detroit terminal install the Tram cars for the Terminal’s Express Tram system – the elevated train system that will provide fast transportation inside the terminal’s mile-long main East Concourse.
- November 21: Northwest and Malaysia announce that they have been granted antitrust immunity by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The approval represents the first immunized alliance between a U.S. and Asian carrier.
- December 1: Northwest is the first major network carrier to offer an Internet check-in program through its website, nwa.com. The service is available for all customers flying domestically.
2001
- Jan. 4: Northwest completes its year-long program of equipping its fleet of more than 400 aircraft with LIFEPAK® 500 automated external defibrillators (AED) and BiologTM 3000 electrocardiograph (ECG) monitors.
- Jan. 16: Northwest announces it will acquire 24 Airbus A330-300 aircraft, 20 Boeing 757-300 aircraft, two 747-400s and six A319s. Deliveries of the A330s will begin in 2003 and continue through 2006 deliveries of the 757s will begin in 2002 and continue through 2004 the A319s and 747s will be delivered in 2002.
- Jan. 22: Cargo division is incorporated as a wholly-owned subsidiary, Northwest Airlines Cargo Inc., doing business as “NWA Cargo.”
- Feb. 13: The airline unveils its new 9,200-square-foot WorldClubs facility at Memphis-Shelby County International Airport, signifying the completion of more than $52 million in renovations completed at the airport in 2000.
- Feb. 19: Northwest’s Board of Directors elects Richard H. Anderson to the position of chief executive officer, and Douglas M. Steenland to the position of president.
- May 9: Northwest and the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) ratify a tentative contract agreement.
- May 10: Northwest announces it will suspend three Asia/Pacific routes at the end of September 2001 due to poor economic performance: Seattle-Osaka, Japan; Osaka-Kaohsiung, Taiwan; and Osaka-Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
- May 29: Alliance partners Northwest and KLM complete the reconfiguration of their intercontinental fleets in the new World Business Class design. The new configuration features a 60-inch pitch (distance between seat rows) and up to 50 percent additional legroom, creating more personal space. The angle of recline was also increased to 150 degrees, enhancing relaxing and sleeping comfort.
- June 25: Northwest and Continental will open the first combined Northwest WorldClub and Continental Presidents Club to be jointly built and operated by Northwest and Continental, at CO’s Houston-Intercontinental hub. The new club features a new, upgraded design standard, which Northwest introduced at two new WorldClubs it opened at Minneapolis/St. Paul and Memphis late in 2000.
- July 9: Northwest enters into an agreement with Bombardier Aerospace to acquire 75 forty-four seat Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ). Deliveries are expected to begin in mid-2002 and continue through 2005.
- Aug. 1: Northwest celebrates the opening of two new facilities at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. A 151,000 square foot aircraft maintenance building with 86,000 square feet of hangar floor, and a 55,000 square foot cargo facility were built to replace Northwest’s existing buildings, which were located in an area designated for passenger terminal expansion.
- Aug. 2: Northwest takes delivery of the 100th Airbus aircraft into its fleet. The July 27 arrival of Northwest’s 30th new A319 at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport marked the 100th Airbus addition to the airline’s growing fleet. Northwest has rapidly built its A319 fleet from zero to thirty in less than two years. The airline plans to accept delivery of a total of 74 A319’s by 2003.
- Aug. 16: Northwest receives, for the second time, the 2001 CIO-100 award presented by IDG’s CIO magazine. The award program recognizes organizations around the world that excel in positive business performance through innovative practices and products.
- Sept. 11: Northwest joins the nation in expressing deep sympathy and concern for the victims and their families involved in the tragic incidents in New York City, Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. Northwest also announces that all flights are cancelled indefinitely. All domestic and international Northwest Airlines flights are accounted for and safe.
- Sept. 14: Northwest Airlines resumes limited commercial service.
- Sept. 15: Northwest reduces its system-wide flight schedule by 20 percent as measured on an available seat mile basis, and furloughs approximately 10,000 employees. The carrier takes this action because of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and the resulting reduction in passenger demand and new airport and airline security measures.
- Oct. 9: Chief Executive Officer Richard Anderson and President Doug Steenland are elected to the Board of Directors for Northwest Airlines.
- Oct. 19: Northwest completes installation of new flight deck door security devices on its fleet of aircraft ahead of schedule. Northwest’s mechanics completed the door enhancement program in 17 days.
2002
- January 23: Northwest reported that it had checked in over 1 million customers via the Internet at its website, nwa.com.
- February 24: Northwest and Wayne County open the Edward H. McNamara Terminal/Northwest WorldGateway, setting a new standard for airport design by placing a premium on customer-friendly features.
- February 25: Northwest Airlines Corporation announce that a registration statement has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission relating to the initial public offering of its regional airline subsidiary, Express Airlines I, Inc., which will be renamed Pinnacle Airlines Corp. All of the shares are being offered by an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines Corporation.
- March 7: Northwest expands the number of locations where it offers security checkpoint express lines from 6 to 19 airports nationwide. Northwest’s express lines, which lead up to airport security checkpoints, are available to customers traveling in First Class, World Business Class or customers who have achieved either Platinum Elite or Gold Elite status in the airline’s WorldPerks frequent flier program.
- March 15: Panama City-based Copa Airlines joins the Northwest WorldPerks network of airline partners.
- March 19: Northwest changes its travel agent commission structure to eliminate the payment of “base” commissions to travel agents for tickets issued in the United States and Canada.
- April 1: Northwest provides business and leisure travelers with more flights on the popular Minneapolis/St. Paul – Chicago O’Hare route than any other airline. Northwest’s “FASTrak” service offers flights on the hour in each direction from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., and an additional flight in each direction at 10 p.m. Northwest will offer 16 flights in each direction during the business week.
- August 21: Domestic usage of electronic tickets by Northwest customers reaches an all-time high of 80% during July, as the airline continues its push toward phasing out paper tickets.
- August 23: Northwest, Continental Airlines and Delta Air Lines sign a cooperative marketing agreement. The agreement, when fully implemented, will connect the three carriers’ domestic and international networks, and include code sharing, frequent flyer program reciprocity, and a reciprocal airport lounge program.
- October 9: Flight 85 from Detroit to Tokyo, operated by a Boeing 747-400, experiences a failure of its lower rudder due to metal fatigue while over the Bering Sea. The flight crew struggle to maintain control and successfully perform an emergency landing at Anchorage with no injuries to passengers or crew.
- October 15: Northwest announces it will close its Atlanta aircraft maintenance and engine facility, and its reservations center in Long Beach, Calif.
- November 13: Northwest adds another industry first to its self-service check-in products: nwa.com Check-In and E-Service Center airport kiosks by expanding self-service check-in to customers traveling with an electronic ticket from the United States and Canada to Europe and Asia, including connections through Tokyo’s Narita Airport.
- December 13: Northwest and its pilots, represented by the NWA unit of the Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), announce an agreement has been reached enabling the airline to proceed with its marketing agreement with Delta Air Lines.
- December 17: The convenience of the Northwest WorldGateway at Detroit is heightened further with the opening of The Westin Detroit Metropolitan Airport Hotel.
2003
- January 7: Northwest Airlines retires the last aircraft of its Boeing 727 fleet from scheduled service when flight 560 arrives at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport from Denver at 9:38 a.m., CST.
- March 21 : Northwest announces it will temporarily remove 20 aircraft from service and reduce its systemwide flight schedule by approximately 12 percent, as measured on an available seat mile basis, due to a drop in passenger demand because of the hostilities with Iraq.
- March 31 : Northwest, Delta and Continental receive final U.S. regulatory approval for alliance.
- April 3 : Northwest introduced its first new aircraft paint scheme since 1989 at its Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit and Memphis hubs. The new livery was presented on three different aircraft types, a Boeing 747-400, a Boeing 757-300 and an Airbus A319.
- May 12 : As part of its “Heartland Strategy,” Northwest announces nonstop flights from Milwaukee to Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York (LaGuardia), Orlando, Fla., and Washington, D.C. (Reagan National) beginning July 1, 2003..
- June 23 : Delta and Northwest begin placing their codes on each other’s flights.
- July 1 : Northwest announces the sale of its interest in Worldspan L.P. to Travel Transaction Processing Corporation, a corporation formed by Citigroup Venture Capital Equity Partners L.P. and Teachers’ Merchant Bank of Canada.
- August 6 : Northwest unveils its first Airbus A330 widebody aircraft. The A330 is the first entirely new aircraft type to join the airline’s fleet in 14 years. The A330 also debuts new seats in Northwest’s World Business Class and coach class cabins, as well as a new in-flight entertainment system.
- August 26 : Northwest completes its first scheduled flight of its new Airbus A330 widebody aircraft.
2004
- January 11: Mesaba Aviation, Inc. advises Northwest Airlines that it reached a tentative agreement with its pilots represented by the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), thus averting a strike.
- February 19: Northwest Airlines announces it will close all its remaining U.S. city ticket offices in late March.
- June 10: Northwest Airlines debuts daily nonstop flight between Portland, Oregon and Tokyo.
- July 20: Following up on its “Heartland Strategy,” Northwest Airlines announces a major expansion of its Indianapolis schedule to double its departures with new nonstop service to Boston, Ft. Myers, Fla.; Hartford, Conn.; Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York, Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia, Raleigh/Durham, N.C. and Washington.
- September 1: Northwest Airlines launches its first flight between the West Coast of the United States and its Tokyo hub using its new Airbus A330-200 aircraft with the departure of flight 5 from Portland, Oregon.
- September 13: Northwest, Continental and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines join as full members of the SkyTeam airline alliance.
- September 21: Northwest Airlines announces new executive assignments for the Asia-Pacific region as part of its continuing effort to improve operating efficiencies. Jun Mokudai, president of Northwest Airlines Japan, is named chairman, NWA Japan.
- October 1: Northwest Airlines Corporation’s board of directors elects Doug Steenland, then Northwest’s president, to the additional position of chief executive officer.
- October 14: Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701, an overnight ferry flight of a Northwest Airlink CRJ-200 jetliner from Little Rock, Arkansas to the Twin Cities, crashes near Jefferson City, Missouri. Both pilots are killed.
- November 1: Northwest Airlines begins passenger service from the Pearl River Delta metropolis of Guangzhou, China to its Tokyo hub.
- November 23: Northwest Airlines announces successfully restructuring its $975 million revolving bank credit facility.
2005
- May 5: Northwest announces a firm order for 18 Boeing 787-8 new-generation jetliners, plus 50 options. The 787 will be up to 50% more fuel-efficient than its current 747 and DC-10 fleet, with excellent cargo capacity and revolutionary passenger comfort features, including better pressurization and humidity control. NWA will be the first airline in North America to fly the Dreamliner, with new routes and extra frequencies across the Pacific envisioned. Six aircraft per year are to be delivered in 2008, 2009, and 2010.
- May 10: Flight 1495, a DC-9-51 arriving at Minneapolis/St. Paul from Columbus, Ohio, experiences a hydraulic system failure during landing. The flight lands without incident, but during taxi the aircraft’s brakes and thrust reversers become inoperable. Before the engines can be shut down, the aircraft noses into a parked and empty A319. All 94 passengers and 5 crew deplane the DC-9 safely.
- August 19: Flight 74 from Tokyo to Guam, operated by a Boeing 747-251, fails to extend its nose gear upon landing, and the aircraft grinds to a halt on the runway. All 318 passengers and crew deplane safely.
- September 14: Despite far-reaching money saving initiatives, Northwest files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for the first time in its 79-year history. The filing takes place in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.
- October 13: Mesaba files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as a result of missed payments from Northwest.
2006
2007
- April 12: Flight 4712, a Canadair Regional Jet operated by Pinnacle, over-runs the runway at Traverse City, Michigan (Cherry Capital Airport). There are no injuries among the 49 passengers and 3 crew members. The NTSB determines the incident was caused by pilots’ failure to perform a landing distance assessment required because of deteriorating weather conditions.
- May 31: Northwest completes its bankruptcy plan and resumes trading as a public entity on the New York Stock Exchange.
- July 16: NWA files for nonstop authority on the Detroit-Beijing and Detroit-Shanghai routes. The Beijing route would start in 2010 using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, and Shanghai would start as soon as clearance was granted, using Boeing 747-400s.
- August 17: Northwest (via a stake in private equity group TPG Capital) becomes a passive investor in Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines (formerly Midwest Express).
- September 25: The U.S. Department of Transportation grants Northwest authority to run Detroit-Shanghai nonstops, with a targeted start date of March 25, 2009.
2008
- January 9: Flight 853, an Airbus A319 inbound to Detroit from New York-LaGuardia, experiences a fan cowling separation on its #2 engine on final approach to DTW. All passengers and crew deplane safely, but the aircraft suffers damage to engine and control surfaces on its right side. Another aircraft collides with the cowling on the runway. The cowling had not been properly latched during evening maintenance at New York.
- April 15: Northwest announces it has agreed to merge with Delta Air Lines, forming the world’s largest air carrier. The combined company will use the Delta name.
- September 26: Shareholders from both Northwest and Delta approve the proposed merger between the companies.
- October 29: The U.S. Department of Justice approves NWA-Delta merger plans.
2009
- March 25: Northwest receives US government authority to resume Detroit – Shanghai nonstop service.
- Spring – Summer: Northwest and Delta facilities such as gates, ticket counters, and baggage claims, are gradually integrated. Customer-facing staff don Delta uniforms, and WorldClubs are converted to Sky Clubs. Northwest aircraft start to cycle in for repainting in Delta colors.
- June 23: Republic Airways Holdings (no relation to the Minneapolis-based Republic Airlines) purchases the Northwest/TPG Capital stake in Midwest Airlines. The total loss of investment by TPG and Northwest is 93% or $419 million.
- October 1: NWA WorldPerks accounts are combined with Delta SkyMiles accounts.
- October 21: Flight 188 from San Diego bound for the Twin Cities infamously overshoots its destination by over 150 miles due to both pilots’ distraction from the use of personal computers. Federal rules for pilots as well as air traffic controllers are updated to prevent future occurrences of this type.
- December 25: Flight 253, a Airbus A330-300 on finals to Detroit after a flight from Amsterdam, is subject to an attempted act of terrorism by a follower of al-Quaeda: the “underwear bomber” is thwarted by his own incompetence and by the heroic actions of passengers who tackle the man and extinguish his explosives.
- December 28: NWA Cargo ceases operations. Delta does not continue the use of dedicated cargo-only aircraft.
- December 31: The Northwest operating certificate is combined with Delta’s; from this point on the carriers are technically one company.
2010
- January 18: The final ticketing counters and kiosks are converted from Northwest to Delta, at Philadelphia.
- January 30: Final regularly scheduled Northwest flight, NW2470, departs Los Angeles for Las Vegas, January 30 at 8:45 p.m. PST.
- January 31: Northwest’s ground operations and reservations systems, the last remaining operating entities of NWA, are completely integrated into Delta. nwa.com redirects customers to delta.com.
Timeline Navigation
Click on the links below or use the top navigation to read through the Northwest Family history, decade by decade:
