NWAC Northwest Airlines (MM)

Northwest Airlines Announces New Nonstop Service Between Detroit and Latrobe, Pa. Three Daily Flights Begin April 4 DETROIT, Nov. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Northwest Airlines (NASDAQ:NWAC) today announced new nonstop service between its hub at Detroit and Latrobe, Pa. Three daily flights will be offered beginning April 4, 2005, restoring scheduled commercial air service at Arnold Palmer Regional Airport. "Northwest Airlines is pleased to welcome Latrobe to its growing global network," said Tom Bach, vice president of market planning and Airlink. "This new service will offer local travelers and visitors to the region a convenient link to the world. Passengers traveling through our WorldGateway hub at Detroit will find hassle-free connections to cities throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and Asia. In fact, customers will have access to nearly 60 more destinations through a hub than Latrobe enjoyed in the past." "I am very pleased to welcome Northwest Airlines to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport," added Gene Lakin, executive director of the Westmoreland County Airport Authority. "This new service will establish excellent connections for our leisure and business travelers and will provide worldwide access to Westmoreland County." "The establishment of this new commercial service with Northwest Airlines is a historic step for the Westmoreland County Airport Authority and almost certainly will be a boon to the community and western Pennsylvania," added Arnold Palmer, the professional golfer originally from Latrobe who serves on the airport authority board. "It's something that our officials have been working very hard to put together for many months, and today's exciting announcement signals a rebirth of world-class passenger service at our outstanding airport." Two local members of Congress also lauded the announcement. "I am pleased to welcome Northwest Airlines to Arnold Palmer Regional Airport and the surrounding community," said U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy (R-Pa.) "The return of commercial air service to Westmoreland County is great news for businesses such as Sony and Kennametal, and will attract new businesses to the area through Northwest's national and international links. This service will also allow for increased vacation travel to and from the region, while giving residents a gateway to explore the world. This is a wonderful airport, easily accessible to all that live here. I will continue to work to obtain federal money for airport improvements." "Scheduled commercial air service can be an important factor in attracting and retaining jobs, especially for the many companies with customers or clients that are scattered across the country and, in more and more cases, across the globe," added U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), who supported a $600,000 U.S. Department of Transportation grant needed to restore commuter service at the airport. "Even for companies and families that fly infrequently, the availability of air service can make a difference in their decisions about where to locate." The new service will be operated with Northwest Airlink partner Mesaba Airlines' Saab 340 turboprop seating up to 34 passengers. Including Latrobe, Northwest has announced or has begun service to 12 new destinations from Detroit this year, bringing to 157 the number of destinations served from Northwest's efficient and passenger-friendly WorldGateway hub. Latrobe will be the seventh destination in Pennsylvania served by Northwest and its Airlink partners, complementing existing service to Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Allentown, Harrisburg, Erie and State College. The flights are now open for sale at http://www.nwa.com/ , through travel agencies or Northwest Airlines Reservations at 1-800-225-2525. New Detroit-Latrobe service effective April 4, 2005 Flight number: Departs: Arrives: Aircraft: NW 3240 10:15 a.m. 11:45 a.m. Saab 340 NW 3209 1:35 p.m. 3:05 p.m. Saab 340 NW 3229 9:00 p.m. 10:30 p.m. Saab 340 New Latrobe-Detroit service effective April 4, 2005 Flight number: Departs: Arrives: Aircraft: NW 3220* 6:30 a.m. 8:00 a.m. Saab 340 NW 3224 1:00 p.m. 2:30 p.m. Saab 340 NW 3230 4:45 p.m. 6:15 p.m. Saab 340 * Service begins April 5, 2004 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, a global airline alliance partnership with Aeromexico, Air France, Alitalia, Continental Airlines, CSA Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Korean Air. SkyTeam offers customers one of the world's most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 900 cities in more than 160 countries on six continents. In 2003, consumers from throughout the world recognized Northwest's efforts to make travel easier. Northwest's WorldPerks program was named the most popular North American frequent flyer program by readers of TIME Asia in the 2003 TIME Readers' Travel Choice Awards. A 2003 J.D. Power and Associate study of airports ranked Minneapolis/St. Paul and Detroit, home to Northwest's two largest hubs, in second and fourth place 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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