NORTHWEST AIRLINES review : 11 May 2008 : by Brian Bush
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Customer Rating : 4/5 |  |
DLH-MSP-AMS-TXL. Outbound flight A330 was clean and had Personal Entertainment in seat backs.
Everything on time. Food was very good, as I don't expect much in coach, but gotta love the free
booze! Flight crew was better then FAs working on their domestic flight. TXL-AMS-DTW-DLH. Return
flight old 757 from AMS-DTW. No personal entertainment systems. Very hard to see monitors down
single aisled aircraft. System didn't seem to work very well, FA's seemed clueless on how to make
it work, and showed one terrible movie I have never heard of. Food again was good, again, low
expectations. From Minnesota, so I don't have much choice but to fly NWA and most of my trips are
free using miles, but have gotten some great deals from them. Paris $99 round trip and Berlin was
$325, so as a whole, I like NWA.
Northwest Airlines review - by M Pflafer
23 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
Fly twice a year from NYC-Asia, via NRT. As an elite member, I usually get first class upgrades on
the domestic route. I always avoid the DTW or MSP-NRT flights as they use the old 747's that do not
have personal entertainment systems, instead connecting in Seattle or Portland, thus flying on the
new 330's which is like night and day. Cost is about the same and you get more miles.
Northwest Airlines review - by Dave Howson
15 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Flew to Denver from LGW. The flight changed at Detroit, and the first leg was not bad. The inflight
entertainment was good, though food was poor. However, it was good value for money. The flight from
Detroit to Denver was limited with no IE - but it was cheap!
Northwest Airlines review - by A Paragoso
12 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Honolulu - San Fransisco return first Class, seat 1B. This is probably on of the best seats given
there is no one in front of you and the cutout in the bulkhead allows for extra legroom. The
service was adequate, food awful. The return flight was quite good. The flight attendant in first
class worked alone and saw to the needs of everyone. She came by with refills of wine, and water
many times. The food in first class was mediocre at best. I liken the present first class meals to
be what economy class had years ago. You don't get proper linens and they have all but done away
with the linen tray cloths that they had years ago. 757's are showing their age. Although the
plane was clean, the seats are well worn and the blanket and pillows were also used. I never use
the pillows and blankets because of health concerns.
Northwest Airlines review - by P Torrents
11 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
BCN-AMS-MSP-LAS and LAS-MEM-AMS-BCN in Economy. Booked through KLM's site and chose seats on NWA,
being an Elite Plus member had the option of choosing Emergency Exit seats on the intercontinental
legs which I took on row 29 and enjoyed with plenty of room, good IFE but very cold on the A330 and
the usual chicken or pasta options given. Flights arrived in time for pretty tight connections
except for the MSP-LAS leg with one hour's delay caused by the fact that the plane needed to be de-
iced due to some pretty heavy snow storms. Flights between BCN-AMS on pretty new 737's. Overall a
good experience with seats and IFE but catering needs to be taken care of.
Northwest Airlines review - by C Hondsen
9 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : n/a
Have just flown Amsterdam - Detroit on NWA. Arrived at the airport to be told that WBC was oversold
and I would likely be downgraded to economy. This, in spite of Platinum Elite status and a fully
flexible full fare business class ticket. Luckily got my seat in the end. During the flight I helped
myself to a sandwich that was left out in the galley and that I thought was part of the self service
bar, but was apparently part of a special meal. For this I was yelled at by a male Chinese flight
attendant who accused me of stealing. An honest mistake on my part and absolutely disgraceful
conduct by crew. Cannot imagine this happening on any Asian carrier. Avoid this airline and its
rotten cabin crew if you can.
Northwest Airlines review - by J Yung
8 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
LAX-NRT-HKG. Avoid this airline like the plague. Firstly, this is the only airline I know that
charges passengers for an aisle seat. I understand if you have none left but when you request an
aisle seat and they ask for a premium seat fee, that's just ridiculous. The planes are outdated and
have no amenities. The staff were rude and arrogant. A family of vegetarians sitting right behind me
requested their vegetarian meal at check in, but when the attendants came around they said they had
run out. This is a 14 hour flight and you run out of your vegetarian meals. To make matters worse,
the crew kept insisting they have the fish option and kept asking the family "Well what do you want
us to do?". In the end they settled for 5 fruit bowls and some nuts, absolutely insane. I understand
NW just gave crew pay cuts, and they have horrible job security but with that attitude, its no
wonder why NW is in trouble.
Northwest Airlines review - by Leslie Tan
1 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
On my return flight back home, I was unfortunate enough to be on a 10 hour Northwest Airlines flight
from Detroit to Tokyo. Overall, the service was at a bare minimum. But what got me, was that for the
2 main meals on the flight, me and my companion were unable to get the choice of food that we wanted
as we were among the last few passengers that were served - we informed the stewardess of our
displeasure over this, and she replied that it was the case as always in the seats that we were
seating and that we should choose other seats the next time. What strikes me was the unprofessional
response of the stewardess in question, "choose other seats next time". It seems that the stewardess
have no notion of managing customer perception. To me, with so many choices of airlines nowadays, it
will be highly unlikely that after such a disappointing experience, that I would even consider
choosing Northwest Airlines. The second point was poor operations process that Northwest has in its
service - could they not swap the order of the passengers served?, or could they have gauge the
popularity of meals, or could the training of its stewardess be better?
Northwest Airlines review - by E Taylor
1 April 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Domestic services seems to be lacking at Northwest. My flight from SMF to MSP was what I expected -
minimal service and beverage. But my connection to DTW was delayed and seating assignments were
changed at the last minute. This seems to be the norm rather than the exception - which can be
disappointing.
Northwest Airlines review - by T Dietrich
31 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
DTW-FRA-DTW Economy. I've been flying this route on NW maybe 10 times during the past two years. As
NW is always using the A330-300, you can't do much wrong. Seat pitch is 31-32" which is not great
but acceptable (I'm 6 feet) for a 9 hour flight. Seat width is ok. AVOD worked mostly fine, the
selection of movies is simply great, most of them even in three or more languages. Also, from a
variety of games and music can be chosen. However, service is something NW definitely needs to work
on. Although food is edible and alcoholic drinks are (at least on international flights)
complementary - after two years I'm simply tired of having the choice between chicken and pasta. FAs
are as outdated as NWA aircraft on domestic routes and some of them are extremely annoyed if a
passenger calls for them - just as feeling threatened by a customer who wants to place an order.
Leaving DTW, this flight tends to be delayed, but rarely more than an hour. Flights from FRA are
often a bit early. Still early enough to end up in a one-hour waiting line to get harrassed by the
CBP at DTW.
Northwest Airlines review - by A Fesler
25 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Flying Northwest was the absolute worst flying experience we have ever had! My husband and I, along
with his parents, planned a trip for our 4 young children to Disney World. We were scheduled to fly
out of Tulsa at 4:30 on Sunday and 30 min before departure were told that our flight was cancelled
and no other flights were available for 3 days. They then told us we could drive to Fayetteville, AR
and fly out at 6 am the next morning. They got confused and told us Fayetteville, then Ft. Smith and
then Fayetteville again. Finally, they got their stories straight and said we would fly out of
Fayetteville. They got a hotel set up and gave us the phone number and directions. We left Tulsa
Int. at 7 p.m. We arrived at our hotel only to find that they sent us to the wrong one and we were
supposed to be at Bentonville. So we backtracked 30 miles to our "correct" hotel. The next morning
we got on our flight and headed to Memphis. Let me say that the NWA staff were rude and unhelpful
most of the trip! We finally arrived in Orlando a day late and extremely exhausted. We waited for
our luggage but ..... it was still in Memphis. So, they did give us money to go buy necessities for
our kids, etc. They had to loan us carseats because our 4 seats were stuck in Memphis. We got our
luggage at around 9 pm that night. Then on our way back home from our trip we experienced another
hour and a half delay in Memphis, finally boarded our plane to wait yet another 45 minutes for some
mechanical log to be filled out. I asked the FA if mechanical problems were common because I had
spoken to several other passengers for other NWA flights and many had issues with the airline. She
said that the company had gotten so cheap that they will not buy parts to have on hand and therefore
many times they have to wait for parts to be ordered. We got back to Arkansas and still had to drive
the 2.5 hours home! Northwest - rude, hateful, inefficient, and the most inconvenient flying
experience ever.
Northwest Airlines review - by Marie Ward
19 March 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
OMA-MSP-LGW. Disastrous experience. Excited and ready for trip of a lifetime with our two adult
children. Arrvd Eppley Air in Omaha 12/23/07 at 2:30p for our 4:00p flight to Mpls. Monitor showed
flight delay to 5:30p. Our concern was making the connection to London at 7:10p in Mpls. No gate
agent in Omaha, and flight disappeared from monitor. Terrible lack of info available to a whole
gate of travelers waiting for flight. Called NWA only to be put in queue indefinitely. Security
Guard finally went to Ticket Counter for me to get info. Flight would take off, didn't know when,
but would hold connections in MSP. Finally took off at 7:45p. Arrive MSP only to find our London
connection took off on time at 7:10pm. Agent extremely rude, told us to go upstairs and get "cots"
for the night, and we were re-booked 24 hours later! Why did they fly us to MSP to sleep on cots?
Our Omaha flight departed after the London connection had already taken off. We were starving &
cots were unacceptable, so stood in NWA line 3 hours only to face yet another rude agent. Long story
short, flight delays, no communication, rude NWA agents, FA's owly, etc. My research has concluded
delay in Omaha was due to crew "no show". Overall, worst travel experience of my life! NWA employees
need to abide by their Vision Statement "with the best people; each committed to exceeding our
customers expectations every day."
Northwest Airlines review - by Aldo Jaworski
26 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating : 
AMS-MSP-LAS-BOS-AMS . A330 with good IFS although food needs attention in economy. On transatlantic
sectors crew were very attentive. Outbound seats 11A/B comfy enough for an 8+ hour flight and
return from Boston seats 10A/B a dream (exit seats) - flight was short only 5hrs 40 mins. MSP-LAS a
tired old 757 that had seen better days although got up graded to first. Crew efficient but very
surly.
Northwest Airlines review - by L Hurst
25 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
YYZ-MSP-LAX with connection to an international flight. On my first leg of flying, my FA was
hilarious. Got through safety procedures while have a good chuckle about seatbelts. Even the
announcements from the flight deck were good for a laugh. Overall, pleasant experience - until I got
on the second leg of flights. A one hour delay out of MSP which meant we landed late into LAX (I had
another flight to check in to - really pushed missing the next flight). Overbooking played a huge
role. On the flight, the man sitting in front of me was rude and kept pushing his seat back even
when I asked him not to (I was doing work on my laptop which was on the seat back tray). I
approached an FA to do help me and was refused assistance because the gentleman had a right to push
his seat back as far as he wanted. Upon landing in LAX, FA were unsypathetic to those who had
connecting flights with one comment overheard that stated "Well maybe you should have booked your
flights with more time in between". In my case, I had initially had 4 hours between flights but by
the time they let us disembark (we sat at the gate for at least 20 minutes) I only had 2 hours to
check in and go through international security.
Northwest Airlines review - by Laura Crampton
21 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
If you don't have a seat assignment, you're likely to be involuntarily removed from the flight,
thanks to Northwest's habit of overbooking flights. This just happened to us on February 15 when
were booked to fly from Indy to Fort Myers. We did get a refund and a later flight to Fort Myers via
Detroit getting to our final destination at midnight. Another family of 3 was given the option of
flying to Fort Lauderdale with a complimentary limo ride to Fort Myers, but we weren't given that
option. The flight crew from Detroit to Fort Myers was rude to a number of passengers. I will not
fly this airline again if I can help it. If I had bought last minute tickets, I'd be more
understanding, but we bought these 2.5 months ago through Expedia. Take home message - do the online
check in 24 hours ahead and make sure you have seat assignments.
Northwest Airlines review - by C Merchant
21 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
DEN-MEM-PNS : the worst experience I've ever had. Delays, crew issues, incompetent gate agents, the
list goes on and on. Sat on a small airplane after diverting to Jackson MS (instead of Pensacola),
then waited for 2 hours for a fuel truck, which never arrived, by which time the flight crew had
worked their maximum allowed hours for the day, so we were unceremoniously dumped off in a small,
closed airport at midnight and told nothing. No hotel rooms provided, no food, nothing. Finally made
it to our destination the following day by lunch time. Fortunately, Northwest has a minimal presence
in Denver, so I rarely have the "opportunity" to fly them. Just an all-around dreadful experience.
Northwest Airlines review - by A Hiransomboon
12 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
I purchased an economy class ticket, B fare, for travel BKK-NRT-PDX in July. With this B-fare
ticket, I qualified for what they call Coach Select (SM) benefits. These supposedly include access
to NWA WorldClub lounges, use of priority security lines, and 1,000 FF miles (called "Coach Select
Bonus"). The 1,000 miles were credited to my account. However, as for the other "benefits". Priority
security line. Lounges: BKK doesn't have a WorldClub, but in both PDX and NRT I was initially denied
entry. I was only allowed in PDX after showing the receptionist a printout of the website notice
(which was printed inadvertently - I didn't even realize I had it until I was forced to look for my
e-tickets). NRT was even worse: I was prepared with the document but still was met with an
inordinate amount of skepticism and bad attitude, and it took a lot of stubbornness on my part to
finally get in. In the end I was allowed in the lounges, so why am I still annoyed? One, because if
I hadn't printed that page out, I would have been out of luck. Two, because of the response I
received from NWA after I wrote a letter to their Customer Care dept. Coach Select is a nice idea,
but apparently it exists only on some page of nwa.com that is in another dimension, and is only
viewable by a privileged few. If you should be so fortunate, make sure you print your list of
benefits and carry it with you on your trip - and cross your fingers that the document doesn't
dissolve into dust as you hand it over to the WorldClub receptionist.
Northwest Airlines review - by O Banderas
4 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
Just when NWA transatlantic services took leaps forward from DC10's to A330's they decide to sneak
in B757's which offer a very basic and uncomfortable for the same fares. Be careful which aircraft
is operating the particular flight on your route.
Northwest Airlines review - by A Jafarzadeh
4 February 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
SIN-NRT-DTW-BOS return Economy. A330 between Tokyo and Singapore one of the most pleasant
experiences I've had - very new, bright and comfortable. Excellent AVOD system. Trans-pacific
flights meanwhile were a total nightmare. Getting off a NW A330 and onboard their ancient 747s is
like stepping from first-world to third-world. Seats are so old and worn you can feel the knees of
the passenger behind you digging right into your back. On NRT-DTW leg my seat recline was broken so
on take-off had to sit right forward to prevent from being pushed all the way back. Due to delays
out of Boston was changed to later DTW-NRT flight and lost my aisle seat that I requested several
weeks in advance. Was given a middle bulkhead seat but still extremely uncomfortable. Back still
suffering after more than a week. Domestic flights between Boston and Detroit weren't too bad. One
can put up with an hour or so of NW's economy class. Overall I would avoid NW until they update
their transpacific product, or fly via Portland to ensure getting the new A330 for another ten or so
hours.
Northwest Airlines review - by R Brooks
24 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
How cheap can you get? Should be the new motto of Northwest. I've logged over 600,000 miles with
them and while not all bad, when it comes to food and friendliness they have been going down hill
the past few years. Economy service has become so poor it's like riding a public bus. On shorter
flights, no free food, not even a mini bag of pretzels. You may get a drink, but if you ask for a
refill, the odds are not in your favor. First-class domestic is a little better, but still bare
bones. Pillows and blankets are no longer offered on most of the domestic flights including first
class! While 'customer service' appears to have been removed from their vocabulary, they still one
of the best for doing the main objective - get me and my luggage to a different location on time.
Northwest Airlines review - by J Baker
17 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW-MSP-LAS-LGW. Gatwick to Minneapolis on A330 very good - plenty of legroom, good food and good
entertainment. Flights to and from Las Vegas on B757 cramped, no entertainment, no food and pilots
do not update on weather as they did on the transatlantic routes. To summarise, transatlantic
flights good but internal flights need improving.
Northwest Airlines review - by Michael Oakes
13 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW-MSP-ORD out, MDW-MSP-LGW way back - all economy. Check-in online on way out and got great exit
row seats. Check-in at Gatwick not bad. A330s clean, modern and spacious. The seats in economy are
quite wide and comfortable too. Cabin crew horrendous - transatlantic flights staffed by jaded
personnel - the most miserable I've ever seen. They made it clear that they didn't want to be there
or help anyone. I personally thought the food was great (except for the solid bread rolls) but the
service was poor. IFE pretty good - better than many. The domestic flights to and from Chicago were
fine - only an hour long so can't go that wrong. I was concerned that they are still using DC-9s on
the MDW-MSP route. The flight back MSP-LGW was also on an A330 - we were stuck in the middle - had
aisle seats on either side - and had NO leg room as the IFE boxes underneath the seats in front of
us were huge and took up all leg room. All-in-all I liked NWA - the aircraft are great (except the
DC9s) and it is what I call a 'good vibe' airline. However, the middle seats in economy are
disgustingly small and cramped and the cabin crew are the worst I've ever come across - and I've
flown Saudi Arabian Airlines.
Northwest Airlines review - by C Doran
13 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
LGW to LAS on Northwest - outbound trip via MSP, return via DTW. The transatlantic flights on
Airbus A330 were excellent - the best of the US carriers I have used over the years. Cabin crew
efficient and only real complaint was the food - not very good at all. MSP is very easy to change
flights at, but Immigration was very slow. MSP to LAS was Airbus A319 and was old but did the job.
LAS to DTW was on a 757 and was in better shape but don't expect anything other than a drink and
some not particularly healthy food for sale. DTW is another good hub for changing which really
helps my rating of the airline. Transatlantic flights have AVOD which gives a good selection of
movies, especially for kids, and I think Northwest are the only US carrier to give you drinks free
of charge in coach. Would recommend and will use Northwest again - but don't expect the same level
of service on domestic flights.
Northwest Airlines review - by Fraser Campbell
10 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
AMS-BOS return economy. Travelled with family of three young children. AVOD was a hit. We were
sitting in the front section of the economy cabin on A330 both ways which has 32-33" pitch and
decent width of seats and good foam/padding. Food acceptable, liked the free bar service - becoming
rarer in economy these days with US carriers. Service unenthusiastic but efficient. All in all
very acceptable (price $700 per seat including connecting flight from UK to AMS) and would travel
again with family.
Northwest Airlines review - by A Bansal
10 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
CLT-DTW-AMS-DEL return on the same route. NWA from CLT-DTW-AMS and KLM from AMS-DEL. Boarding on NWA
was quick and A330's are surprisingly comfortable and staff helpful, better than KLM. However the
food quality is average. Overall a pleasant experience.
Northwest Airlines review - by B Grouitch
9 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
CDG-DTW-LGA and EWR-DTW-CDG economy. Both transatlantic flights good. A330 seats comfortable. Poor
amenities. Meal arrived too late after take off on CDG-DTW, return flight OK. Meals OK. The product
is great for the price. DTW is a great modern airport, so much better than CDG ; however the customs
are a little rude, they yell at you. DTW-LGA flight on A320 fine, no meal, only refreshments.
Return flight from EWR ran almost 2 hours late. Flight was on a DC9-40, very noisy airplane. EWR-
CDG, on A330 again, crew friendlier.
Northwest Airlines review - by Malcolm Young
1 January 2008 Customer Trip Rating :
My travel on NWA is usually commuter and regional. Unfortunately, two trips by family to and from
Washington - South Bend via Detroit were poorly handled. The travelers managed to avoid the truly
bad weather days and so we looked forward to on-time flights and made connections. No such luck. On
a day when weather nationally was clear, Detroit experienced some fog in the morning and NWA
promptly cancelled all its flights to South Bend. My family members rented a car and drove. Then on
their return, the flight from South Bend was delayed, no explanation, certainly not weather. NWA
permitted my family members and others to board and their plane departed from South Bend with,
possibly, enough time to make connections in Detroit. But further delays led to a missed
connection. There were few available flights out of Detroit, my family members were rerouted to
Delta for a connecting flght to Washington that arrives hours after schedule. What I fail to
understand is why the airlines, NWA in particular, cannot let passengers know that they are likely
to be delayed or stranded before they leave the originating city. In our case, my family could have
delayed a day or taken flights that would have been more convenient the next day, if they had the
option. But NW let them board, landed them in Detroit, and then told them they'd missed their
connection and would have to wait for hours, and arrive more hours later. There is a terrible lack
of information available to the traveler. And of course, if the traveler telephones NWA, they are
put into an impossible telephone queue. I continue to rate NWA poorly for service, lack of
information, and basic poor treatment of passengers.
Northwest Airlines review - by Peter Margolin
31 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
BOS-AMS Economy return. A330, aisle bulk head seat. It was fine for economy. Great AVOD inflight
entertainment. The food going to AMS was good but not great, it was better going back. A pretty
good for a transatlantic flight.
Northwest Airlines review - by Ron Powers
29 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Tampa to Detroit to Green Bay. Another (expected) bad experience with the airlines. Flight delays,
no communication. TPA to Detroit- 45 minutes late, leaving 15 minutes to run (with kids) all the way
to other concourse (in Detroit). Detroit, NW terminal; walk a mile from arrival gate to departure
gate. Arrived at designated G2-gate, told to go to another gate G4. Short walk to this gate, (kids
crying) informed by monitor departure flight (from Detroit to Green Bay) running one hour late.
Plane arrived, customers informed pilots need to step out for a sandwich break. Stewardess looked
tired, said she has been going 13 hrs (single attendent plane). Departed to GB, waited for luggage,
only two of four pieces of luggage arrived, initially thought carousel was broke as there was no
mention of delayed luggage to the many waiting from this flight. After 45 minutes, went to Northwest
counter, attendant looked up the luggage and "found it". Today, December 27, online search shows
luggage found, no word yet when it will be delivered. NW customer satisfaction ratings for NW
mirrors our experience.
Northwest Airlines review - by M Gregory
24 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
BHM-DTW-MNL round trip economy. Have flown NW many times and this was the worst of it all. Planes
looked the same as they did 10 years ago, only more shabby now. Toilets were dingy, had antiquated
fixtures. Ground staff incompetent at BHM and rude in DTW. Flight attendants seemed to hate their
jobs and treated some passengers with contempt. IFE old and lousy. I'm not a freeloader but a
paying customer.
Northwest Airlines review - by C Chavez
11 December 2007 Customer Trip Rating :
Coach in NW is a crap shoot. The 757 has more room, but feels older, DC-9 has less room, but feels a
bit newer (still old, though). FAs nothing special - most are below par. Food is non-existent, and
drink selection could be improved. However they have been coming down on their prices, their FF
program has many alliances, and hub airports are good. I've transfered at MSP and DTW. MSP can
sometimes have quite a hike between the main terminal and NW Airlink flights, but if you take the
train it's not that difficult, plus the Mall of America is nearby, so if you have about 2.5 hours
you can go to the mall and back on the light rail. Security wait times are good. DTW has a better
inter-terminal train connection. You can easily make a connection of 30minutes and have time to get
something to eat (since again they don't serve food). Really if NW would improve FAs and interior of
the plane's it would be a much better airline.
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