NWAC Northwest Airlines (MM)

Northwest to Offer Nonstop Service From Indianapolis to Four New Cities Airline Adding Gates to Accommodate Expanded Schedule INDIANAPOLIS, March 9 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Northwest Airlines (NASDAQ:NWAC) today announced another expansion of its Indianapolis flight schedule with plans to provide the only nonstop service to Seattle and Austin, Texas, new nonstop service to Denver and St. Louis, and an additional frequency to Kansas City, Mo. When the six new flights start on June 9, 2005, Northwest's Indianapolis schedule will grow to a record 52 flights a day to 21 destinations, providing more flights to more nonstop destinations than any other carrier. "Our new service to Austin and Seattle responds to the needs and preferences of our Indianapolis corporate customers and summer leisure travelers," said Fay Beauchine, vice president of sales and customer care at Northwest Airlines. "Northwest's new service to Denver and St. Louis, and additional service to Kansas City, offers Hoosiers the conveniences of flying Northwest nonstop to more cities, provides a greater choice of schedules and increases competition." The expansion was made possible by an agreement recently reached with the Indianapolis Airport Authority that will allow Northwest to increase the number of gates it utilizes from its current five to eight gates, more than any other airline serving Indianapolis International Airport. When the gate transition to Northwest is complete this June, the airline will use all eight gates on the A concourse (A1-A8). The additional gates will make it possible for all Northwest customers to board their flights from Indianapolis through enclosed loading bridges. Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson welcomed the news of air service expansion. "We are grateful that Northwest Airlines is continuing to increase the number of flights to important destinations for both our leisure and business travelers," Mayor Peterson said. "With our first nonstop service to Seattle and Austin, we can now meet travel demands to two key western markets. The additional service to St. Louis, Kansas City and Denver provides needed increased capacity to those cities. And, the new gate arrangement on Concourse A will enable Northwest to accommodate these flights efficiently with added convenience to all of their customers." On March 1, Northwest became the largest carrier serving Indianapolis, when its schedule included 49 all-jet departures to 22 destinations, more flights than any other airline. Northwest will offer daily seasonal service to Seattle from June 9 through August 22, 2005, as well as daily service from Indianapolis to Denver. The Denver and Seattle flights will be operated with a 124-seat Airbus A319, with 16 seats in first class and 108 seats in coach class. Through its Northwest Airlink partner, Pinnacle Airlines, Northwest will offer one daily departure to Austin and two departures to St. Louis. In addition, the number of flights Northwest Airlink offers from Indianapolis to Kansas City will grow from two to three. All of the Northwest Airlink flights will be operated with the Canadair Regional Jet (CRJs), seating up to 50 passengers. Some of the Northwest Airlink flights to Kansas City and St. Louis will operate six days per week, with limited exceptions on Saturday or Sunday. Customers currently holding tickets for travel to Austin, Denver, St. Louis or Seattle from June 9 or beyond on connecting itineraries from Indianapolis will be able to change to Northwest's new nonstop flights without paying an administrative change fee, provided changes are made by April 9, 2005. Northwest's new flights to Austin, Denver, St. Louis and Seattle, as well as its additional Kansas City flight are currently open for sale at http://www.nwa.com/ , through Northwest Airlines Reservations at 1-800-225-2525 or through some travel agencies. All of the flights will be widely available for sale on Saturday, March 12, 2005. BONUS FREQUENT FLYER MILES ON NORTHWEST In celebration of its Indianapolis expansion, Northwest is offering 1,000 WorldPerks frequent flyer program bonus miles for any travel on Northwest to or from Indianapolis. The bonus miles are being awarded for flying roundtrip on a paid ticket to or from Indianapolis until June 30, 2005. Registration is required prior to travel, but not later than June 30, 2005. WorldPerks membership is required to participate in this offer. Online membership is available at http://www.nwa.com/cgi-bin/wp_enroll.pro . Registration for the Indianapolis bonus mile offer and a complete list of terms and conditions is available at http://www.nwa.com/offers/ind05 . NORTHWEST OFFERS MOST NONSTOPS FROM INDIANAPOLIS Northwest has continued to announce expansions of its Indianapolis schedule in 2005. In January, the airline said it would offer new seasonal service from Indianapolis to Miami on Saturdays, from February 19 to April 30. In February, Northwest reported that it would double capacity in two key markets from Indianapolis. The carrier said it would begin offering larger, "mainline" aircraft service on two of its three New York LaGuardia flights, beginning May 2. In addition to more seats and larger cabins, these two-class aircraft offer 16-seat first class cabins, larger overhead bins and additional cargo space. At the same time, the airline said that it would convert its second Indianapolis-Orlando, Fla. nonstop from seasonal service to year-round service. In recent weeks, Northwest has extended its seasonal service to Cancun, Mexico that is offered on Saturdays until Aug. 20, 2005. The service was originally to be offered until April 30, 2005. Today, Northwest currently offers nonstop service to 22 top business and leisure destinations from Indianapolis including: -- Boston (three flights) -- Cancun (seasonal Saturday service) -- Dallas/Ft. Worth (three flights) -- Detroit (eight flights) -- Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. -- Ft. Myers, Fla. (two flights, one of which is seasonal) -- Hartford, Conn. (two flights) -- Kansas City (two flights) -- Las Vegas (two flights) -- Los Angeles -- Memphis, Tenn. (three flights) -- Miami (seasonal Saturday service) -- Minneapolis/St. Paul (six flights) -- New York (three flights) -- Orlando (two flights) -- Phoenix (seasonal) -- Philadelphia (three flights) -- Raleigh/Durham, N.C. (two flights) -- Sarasota, Fla. (seasonal Saturday service) -- Tampa, Fla. (two flights, one of which is seasonal) -- Washington (three flights) -- West Palm Beach, Fla. (seasonal Saturday service) Northwest Airlines is the world's fourth largest airline with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,500 daily departures. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that offers customers one of the world's most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 900 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents. A 2004 J.D. Power and Associates study of airports ranked Minneapolis/St. Paul, one of Northwest's largest hubs, fourth among large domestic airports in overall customer satisfaction. DATASOURCE: Northwest Airlines CONTACT: Northwest Media Relations, +1-612-726-2331 Web site: http://www.nwa.com/

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