Nov 22nd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Maybe the flight attendants should start talking to the cockpit, too. When a plane overshot Minneapolis last month because the crew was playing around with personal laptops, national attention turned to what actually goes on in the front of the plane. Congress is kicking around the idea of a new bill that would kick personal electronic devices from the cockpit.
Unsurprisingly, the pilots and ...Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
northwestairlines posts
Only approved electronic devices allowed in the cockpit?
Nov 22nd, 2009 at 8:00AM: Maybe the flight attendants should start talking to the cockpit, too. When a plane overshot Minneapolis last month because the crew was playing around with personal laptops, national attention turned to what actually goes on in the front of the plane. Congress is kicking around the idea of a new bill that would kick personal electronic devices from the cockpit.
Unsurprisingly, the pilots and ...Delta joins the ranks of "cashless cabins"
Nov 15th, 2009 at 12:30PM: I can't remember the last time I paid with cash for a drink on a domestic flight. Even on my last few international flights, I pulled out the plastic when it was time for a nerve-calming vodka-cran. So I was actually kind of surprised at the announcement that Delta Airlines would no longer be accepting cash on flights in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. I didn't even realize cash ...Greyhound bus driver heads wrong way: Where's a GPS when you need one?
Nov 6th, 2009 at 2:30PM: tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/11/06/greyhound-bus-driver-heads-wrong-way-wheres-a-gps-when-you-nee/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
Greyhound bus drivers generally don't make national news. Pilots who overshoot airports, however, end up having their story told over and over again on about every entertainment vehicle there is. How many places did you hear or read about the ...Ten pilots you DON'T want in your cockpit.
Oct 28th, 2009 at 12:30PM:
tweetmeme_url = 'http://www.gadling.com/2009/10/28/ten-pilots-you-dont-want-in-your-cockpit/'; tweetmeme_source = 'Gadling';
When it comes to making fun of airline employees, pilots are usually off limits. Screw with a flight attendant, and you may not get your drink, screw with the TSA, and you may end up missing your flight. But screwing around with a pilot just doesn't feel right. In ...Irony: NWA pilots land late because of scheduling discussion
Oct 27th, 2009 at 4:00PM: The investigation into the overshooting Northwest Airlines flight continues. The National Transportation Safety Board has found that the pilots were distracted by conversations and the use of personal laptops when flying 150 miles past Minneapolis. One of the topics being bandied about was scheduling, though I suspect it didn't involve the impact of a late arrival because of a missed airport. ...NWA pilot: lots of misinformation, but can't talk about it
Northwest pilots fly plane miles past airport where plane was supposed to land
Oct 23rd, 2009 at 2:30PM: Missing a highway exit, thus driving well past it and needing to turn around may be common, particularly if a driver is feeling spaced out and road hashed. Missing an airport, thus flying past it, is unusual. Even so, it happened this past Wednesday. A Northwest Airlines Airbus A320 overshot Minneapolis where it was heading.
Luckily, the plane only went 150 miles further before the pilots ...Delta announces new Elite Elite status, loyal passengers retch
Jul 28th, 2009 at 1:30PM: It's difficult making both parties happy during a merger, especially when the old dogs in one way of life have to learn all of the new tricks in another. Where this appears to be particularly scathing is in the frequent flyer programs, where loyal passengers to both Worldperks (Northwest) and Skymiles (Delta) are starting to get mashed together. To appease some of the most frequent Skyteam ...Extra seat charges: big bias or svelte snobbery?
Apr 28th, 2009 at 8:00AM: As airlines are scrambling for any shred of extra revenue they can find, some policies are getting more attention than others. The so-called "fat passenger policies," which govern the accommodation of passengers who require more than one seat, have attracted the ire of the NAAFA. Never heard of it? It's a new one on me, too: the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance. On the other hand, ...Fake bomb threat leads to probation
Apr 22nd, 2009 at 3:00PM: Mark Randall Rayborn will be on probation for the next four years. He was accused of telling an off-duty Northwest Airlines pilot that he had five pounds of explosives in his carry-on.
The plane was pulling back from the gate at Denver International Airport last year when Rayborn broke the news to the man sitting next to him while grabbing his bag. As a result of this episode, the flight was ...Uniform changes, soft drinks wait for Delta and NWA
Apr 2nd, 2009 at 9:00AM: This week, Northwest employees will get some new threads. Delta has announced that the vanquished will don the mother ship's uniforms this week, calling it "one of the first outwardly visible signs that the two airlines are now one." More important than the employees' new sartorial splendor, free snacks are coming back to all flights! But, one important question remains: Coke or Pepsi? Delta and ...Northwest flight attendants go retro before assimilation
Mar 18th, 2009 at 1:00PM: Rumor in the underground has it that Northwest Airlines' flight attendants will be going retro during the last week of March, in a throwback to all of the old Northwest and Northwest Orient garb over the ages. Apparently April 1st marks the first day that staff are required to wear the new Delta uniform, so employees will be digging back into their closets to pull out the vintage gear. And as one ...How one minute can cost you $530 at Calgary International Airport
Mar 17th, 2009 at 11:30AM: Last Friday at Calgary International Airport (right), 22-year-old Florida student Samantha Hydes learned a new lesson: Northwest Airlines is a bunch of jerks Be on time. Hydes arrived at 7:01 AM for her 8:00 AM flight home to Tallahassee and was unceremoniously denied. She had driven in from Banff. Guess she should have driven just a hair faster, not paused so long at stop signs, and walked faster ...Your paltry Delta miles aren't accepted here
Feb 20th, 2009 at 2:00PM: If Delta Skymiles could be equated to a currency, they would be Zimbabwean Dollars. Over the past several months, numerous changes at the Atlanta based company have brought significant detriment to the joint Delta and Northwest frequent flyer program. These modifications range from an increase in mileage fee for economy tickets (tickets to Europe, for example, went from 50K to 60K miles,) ...Passengers protest peanuts, prefer pretzels
Feb 17th, 2009 at 9:00AM: Blame Northwest. Or, blame the merger with Delta. Either way, peanuts are back, and some passengers are pissed. On February 1, Northwest began dishing out peanuts on flights, which Delta has been doing since dirt was new. The timing isn't all that hot, given a national salmonella outbreak involving Peanut Corporation of America. And then there are the people who are allergic to peanuts ... they're ...Too good to be true: $0 fares not for real
Feb 11th, 2009 at 2:30PM: Part of me thinks: They should've known better. Then another part thinks: But it was in writing. It's fair game. Free fares on Northwest Airlines posted last Thursday were snatched up by happy travelers, then reneged a few days later. The spokesman from Delta Airlines (who bought out Northwest back in October) confirmed that it was an error and said that the only people he would honor would be ...Merge your Delta and Northwest frequent flyer accounts -- get 500 miles
Feb 1st, 2009 at 11:00AM: In this week's chapter of "Merger Mania, Delta Devours Northwest," lots of changes have happened to each respective frequent flyer program. To merge the two programs, small changes in mileage earning, spending and transfer have been implemented, largely to make Northwest's program emulate Delta. System Wide Upgrades, a feature that many Northwest flyers briefly enjoyed, will now be translated to ...Northwest flight hits extreme turbulence, injures 9
Jan 23rd, 2009 at 3:30PM: Nine out of 10 times, when the captain turns on the fasten seat belt sign, citing turbulence, it's no big thing, right? A few bumps, maybe a spilled drink, and then the plane pulls out of it. But turbulence is no joke, as passengers on a Northwest Airlines flight yesterday from Tokyo to Honolulu know. The flight encountered extreme turbulence over Midway Island and the result was nine injuries, ...Update on your Northwest and Delta miles
Jan 2nd, 2009 at 2:30PM: As we barrel forward into 2009 and the processing merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines, small facets of the company are slowly being integrated. Just a few weeks ago, the first NW 747 was repainted in DL colors, and ever so gently the NW routes are starting to disappear. Throughout the year, mileage accounts between the two airlines will also be integrated, with the joint rules pulling from ...Update: new Canadian weighs 6 lbs and is Ugandan and (maybe) American
Jan 1st, 2009 at 4:00PM: The Canadian born on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 yesterday is the daughter of a Ugandan ... who is also a permanent resident of the United States. So, at least we know that the newly-minted citizen of our northern neighbor is not Dutch. Sasha, the newest NWA passenger, was delivered mid-flight by Dr. Natarajan Raman and Dr. Paresh Thakker. Raman is a radiation oncologist who hadn't delivered a ...
