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Future of Northwest Airlines


cdarr

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There are some promising tidbits in this article from today's CA:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/busine...4740819,00.html

For one thing, the Amsterdam flight will be upgraded from the old DC10 to a shiny new Airbus A330. This suggests that NWA plans on keeping the flight, and the new equipment should help keep the flight popular.

Service is also expected to be restored to major west coast cities where flights were cut back to once-daily.

The fact that NWA has bottomed out on capacity cuts, is building back up, and has not shut down the MEM hub would seem to indicate that Memphis remains a significant part of its post-bankruptcy strategy.

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One thing I've noticed about NWA is how much cheaper their flights have gotten. Its the only airline that services my town (4 flights daily to Detroit). The pilots and flight attendants have also gotten so informal. Its really a pleasure to fly even though we don't get inflight snacks anymore. I haven't flown out of MEM in about 6 years but a coworker of mine said MEM smells like BBQ and pee :blink: . I know Memphis International isn't a DTW but is it really that bad? I heard that they remodeled and have occasional live bands play and Memphis music playing on the PA. Is this true?

I have high hopes for NWA's future in Memphis, pretty much because of the weather issues. Its the only hub that doesn't get delayed regularly because of snow and is DTW and Minnenapolis getting ready for the new airbus?

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One thing I've noticed about NWA is how much cheaper their flights have gotten. Its the only airline that services my town (4 flights daily to Detroit). The pilots and flight attendants have also gotten so informal. Its really a pleasure to fly even though we don't get inflight snacks anymore. I haven't flown out of MEM in about 6 years but a coworker of mine said MEM smells like BBQ and pee :blink: . I know Memphis International isn't a DTW but is it really that bad? I heard that they remodeled and have occasional live bands play and Memphis music playing on the PA. Is this true?

I have high hopes for NWA's future in Memphis, pretty much because of the weather issues. Its the only hub that doesn't get delayed regularly because of snow and is DTW and Minnenapolis getting ready for the new airbus?

DTW and MSP have been using the A300 for quite awhile. I believe it's used on the MSP-Tokyo route.

NW is discontinuing all their Dc-10's.

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I definitely hope NWA keeps Memphis as a hub, esp. now that apparently prices have dropped significantly. I have flown the Amsterdam route before from Memphis and personally like the idea that there are direct flights from Memphis to Amersterdam, although my trip involved a switch in Atlanta going there, but was direct back.

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I definitely hope NWA keeps Memphis as a hub, esp. now that apparently prices have dropped significantly. I have flown the Amsterdam route before from Memphis and personally like the idea that there are direct flights from Memphis to Amersterdam, although my trip involved a switch in Atlanta going there, but was direct back.

There are AMS tickets going for under $800 from Memphis. A few weeks ago, they were around $1100. Which price is more typical (if you know)?

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Do any of you know if MEM ever bought an additional de-icer? I have a friend who connected through there a few years back, and her complaint was that it was icy outside, but there was only one de-icer; that created massive delays.

I know ice isn't normally a big issue for southern airports, but I have to believe ATL has multiple de-icers, and with FedEx, MEM should too.

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I haven't flown out of MEM in about 6 years but a coworker of mine said MEM smells like BBQ and pee :blink: . I know Memphis International isn't a DTW but is it really that bad?

BBQ? Yes. Pee? Maybe if you're standing at a urinal.

I think they've kept MEM in pretty good shape considering its age. They really need to widen and carpet the corridors of the B Concourse, and perhaps raise the ceilings. But otherwise, the airport works fine. The new rotunda at the center of B is very nice.

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I know ice isn't normally a big issue for southern airports, but I have to believe ATL has multiple de-icers, and with FedEx, MEM should too.

Yes, Memphis does have deicers. I don't know how many they have but it is a neccessity. I would think the air is humid and that can cause the runways to get a thick layer of frost on the concrete. And since the airport is basically a barren plain, the winds get the area pretty chilly.

There are AMS tickets going for under $800 from Memphis. A few weeks ago, they were around $1100. Which price is more typical (if you know)?

I would say the $1,100 is more typical. It was usually cheaper to take airtran to ATL then take a flight to AMS.

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Yes, Memphis does have deicers. I don't know how many they have but it is a neccessity. I would think the air is humid and that can cause the runways to get a thick layer of frost on the concrete. And since the airport is basically a barren plain, the winds get the area pretty chilly.

I would say the $1,100 is more typical. It was usually cheaper to take airtran to ATL then take a flight to AMS.

My understanding is that FedEx has several.

Thanks for the perspective on the AMS tix. It was for late September and October. November was even less. I'm thinking it gets mighty, um, nipply over there at that time.

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There are AMS tickets going for under $800 from Memphis. A few weeks ago, they were around $1100. Which price is more typical (if you know)?

I don' t honestly know. I would imagine though that tickets are cheaper now since the peak time to visit Europe is the spring and early fall, so tickets may have dropped because of this fact. In the instance of the Netherlands I believe their peak and primary tourist season in the spring, when their tulip and other flower fields are in full bloom. Flowers are a big business in the Netherlands.

OFF TOPIC: Here are some pics from 2001 I took that illustrate the importance of flowers to the nation:

Flower Fields waiting for harvest

Flowerfield-vi.jpg

Flowers at Keukenhof (Famous Flower Garden/Tourist Attraction)

Flowers1-vi.jpg

Flowers2-vi.jpg

Flowers3-vi.jpg

Sales Floor of a major flower market in Aalmeer where hundreds of buyers bid on carts of flowers wheeled out in front of gigantic review room where the buyers sit and bid.

Aalmeer1-vi.jpg

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I really hope that with revamped service comes a flight from Memphis to Portland...it's bizarre that there isn't one already. My only concern with Northwest is that they seem to be focused entirely on the Mid-West, which is foolish IMO. If you look at the hubs for NW, there is MSP, DTW, and MEM. For focus cities, you have MKE and IND...now, expansion is going on in MSP, DTW, MKE (to a lesser extent), and IND...does this not seem like a terrible idea to have overlapping airspaces for the same airline all expand at once? and furthermore...why would you expand every hub/focus city that is a clear target for bad winter weather and then REDUCE the traffic at the one hub where there is no worry for snow? Memphis is, IMO, one of THE most underrated hubs in the US b/c it is prime in location and weather. Let's hope NW realizes it and rumors come true that expanded international service is heading our way with the 787...according to my brother's friends who fly for NW, there are talks to make MEM a Carribean gateway for Northwest (similar to Charlotte and US Airways).

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I don' t honestly know. I would imagine though that tickets are cheaper now since the peak time to visit Europe is the spring and early fall, so tickets may have dropped because of this fact. In the instance of the Netherlands I believe their peak and primary tourist season in the spring, when their tulip and other flower fields are in full bloom. Flowers are a big business in the Netherlands.

The $800 tickets were for travel from Sept 15-Oct 31. Then the tickets go down to $700, probably b/c it's cold. Before 9/15, they're still $1000 and above. I heard they host a conference in early September. Maybe that's why they keep the rates that high into September.

I really hope that with revamped service comes a flight from Memphis to Portland...it's bizarre that there isn't one already. My only concern with Northwest is that they seem to be focused entirely on the Mid-West, which is foolish IMO. If you look at the hubs for NW, there is MSP, DTW, and MEM. For focus cities, you have MKE and IND...now, expansion is going on in MSP, DTW, MKE (to a lesser extent), and IND...does this not seem like a terrible idea to have overlapping airspaces for the same airline all expand at once? and furthermore...why would you expand every hub/focus city that is a clear target for bad winter weather and then REDUCE the traffic at the one hub where there is no worry for snow? Memphis is, IMO, one of THE most underrated hubs in the US b/c it is prime in location and weather. Let's hope NW realizes it and rumors come true that expanded international service is heading our way with the 787...according to my brother's friends who fly for NW, there are talks to make MEM a Carribean gateway for Northwest (similar to Charlotte and US Airways).

I agree and hope you're right. On another topic, any word on those candy factory towers? Not to be intrusive or anything :). Just curious.

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The other day I was in the airport waiting in line at Arby's, I heard a NWA pilot and a ramp agent talking and the ramp agent said that a rumor about bringing back the 4th bank for MEM should come back this summer. Not a very reliable source but according to him, I think he said this summer.

If this is true, that means more flights and possibly more jobs.

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The other day I was in the airport waiting in line at Arby's, I heard a NWA pilot and a ramp agent talking and the ramp agent said that a rumor about bringing back the 4th bank for MEM should come back this summer. Not a very reliable source but according to him, I think he said this summer.

If this is true, that means more flights and possibly more jobs.

I don't know much about airport management so can you explain what a bank is? Is it where the checked luggage is kept until it can be put on the plane?

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Its basically an increase in operations. Right now, Memphis has 3 banks or rush hours. This is when the airport is congested with departure traffic. Have you seen the airport with alot of planes lining up for takeoff? This is considered to be the bank or push. Memphis used to have a 4th bank before 9/11. B/c of 9/11 and the downfall of the industry, NWA decreased its operations in Memphis which lead to the demise of the 4th bank and some layoffs..

Memphis really relys on MEM International because the airport generates about 9 billion of income and over 100,000 jobs for the area. Pertaining to the topic, with NWA bringing in the very big and attractive A330 and discussing more operations for Memphis, is very good news..

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Pertaining to the topic, with NWA bringing in the very big and attractive A330 and discussing more operations for Memphis, is very good news..

I'll be sad though to see the DC10 taken out of service. I always thought it was wonderful to see it at MEM in the KLM colors.

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^Thanks for clearing that up. Here's a website I think is pretty intresting.

http://flightaware.com/live/airport/KMEM

According to the chart on that page, there seems to be four departure rush hours already @ 20:00, 4:30, 10:20, and 16:00.

That website also shows you the midsouth airspace and you can figure out where the plane is coming from, headed too, altitude, and duration of flight. Another intresting fact I found on this website is Tunica's airport code is UTA.

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I'll be sad though to see the DC10 taken out of service. I always thought it was wonderful to see it at MEM in the KLM colors.

DC-10s have always been one of my favorites. But those A330s are very nice replacements. In business class, the seats lean almost all-the-way back with a privacy bowl at the top..I think MEM is the smallest hub with a nonstop European flight..

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