NWA Airlines

[JerseyJT]

Need info. We are not familiar with NWA Airlines. Can anybody give me any information? Safety issues, on time history, customer service, etc ??

Should we consider this airline or should we stay away?

 

We are flying from Philadelphia to Vancouver.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

[megr1125]

their nickname is northworst.....

 

there are some who love them, some who tolerate them and some who hate them...i wold only fly on them if they were cheap. lately every time i look at their fares, they are twice what everyone elses are....maybe just my luck-ymmv.

 

they connect mainly thru MSP (not bad) DTW (really don't love it) or Memphis (never been there)

 

seems they generally come in someplace in the middle-lower middle of rankings...

[Diamond Jim 2]

I have traveled with Northwest airlines, 4 times and they always loose my luggage. One trip, they lost it going and coming back. So, I am not a big fan of Northwest Airlines. Another trip, I got to my destination on Sunday and my luggage got there late Tuesday night.

[steve20832]

Need info. We are not familiar with NWA Airlines. Can anybody give me any information? Safety issues, on time history, customer service, etc ??

Should we consider this airline or should we stay away?

 

We are flying from Philadelphia to Vancouver.

 

Any help would be appreciated.

 

You will probably switch planes in Detroit or Minneapolis. Minneapolis was just remodeled and opened a new runway. I can only think of one plane that has crashed since September 11, 2001 and that was a Comair (Delta express) plane which was ruled the pilots fault. As far as NWA goes, they used to be really bad about loosing luggage about 2 years ago but this year they have been in the top 5 just about every month for NOT loosing luggage. They changing something and it really improved that. As far as on time, this isn't a problem with most airlines until the weather plays a factor in your trip. A thunderstorm rolling through any airlines hub will certianly ruin flights the rest of the day for them.

 

Vancouver is usually more expensive than Seattle to fly into. Some people will fly into Seattle and drive or catch a bus ride to Vancouver to save money. It is only about 3-4 hours away.

[megr1125]

you could think about flying into seattle and then taking a shuttle bus or amtrak to vancouver....the amtrak ride is very nice....

 

also, did you check air canada??

 

we are in central jersey so we will go to PHL, ABE, JFK, EWR and even BWI for a deal...last year we did jetBlue from JFK to SEA...not real close for you, but it may be worth looking at other airports to which you'd be willing to drive....

[SomeBeach]

I'm learning, very quickly now, that they are good at changing departure times. The changes are not small chunks of time either.

NW has been going through some *difficulties* the last few months now. They are cancelling flights or changing times often. If you can find another airline, you might be better off.

[JerseyJT]

Thanks so much to everyone for replying so quickly. My DD & SIL have very limited time so they need to fly directly to Vancouver from PHL.

 

On the other hand, my DH & I are flying into Seattle and now my DH brother & wife are joining us & want me to investigate the Ferry that goes from Seattle to Victoria & then another to Vancouver. I am going to post on the West Coast Departures & Canada boards about that. But if anyone here has any words of wisdom...please post...

 

Another question.... as it seems Northwest may not be the best choice (to say the least)...What's anyones experience with Frontier Air and Air Canada?

 

It looks like we can get good fares on Frontier to both Vancouver and Seattle but no return flight available on Frontier.

 

Air Canada's return flight from Vancouver to PHL price doesn't look too bad so once again I reach out to this board for advice on these two airlines.

[Icruzthere4Iam]

I would fly Frontier any time any where. New planes, friendly staff and I have never been late or had any bags lost with them. Usually have great prices as well. I fly every 6 to 8 weeks and I always try Frontier first. Hope this helps, Jim

[MattInFLL]

I used to do a lot of business in Canada, and flew Air Canada all the time... they were always fairly efficient, never lost my bag, etc... I flew Frontier once without any problems. There are lots of pleasant options for getting from Seattle to Vancouver, if you want to fly in to Seattle. You can also rent a car and drive up, as it is not that far. Although the drive back can be a hassle as there can be long waits getting back into the US.

 

You might also check if West Jet serves PHL. They are the discount carrier of Canada, but you have to book through their web site.

[Shanafan]

I live outside of Detroit which is a major NWA hub. They built a new airport for NWA a couple years ago which is nice. Needless to say, because it is a major hub here we do fly it quite often. We went in May to Jamaica for my daughters wedding. We left out of here very late, so much so that we would have missed our connecting flight in Atlanta that would have been a two hour layover, but because we had almost 30 people catching the connecter they held the plane for us.

 

Let's put it this way. We fly them so much that when we flew Spirit for our little get away in August we were amazed that the flight was on time!!! Both ways!!!! I honestly cannot remember the last time a NWA flight was on time. Sad but true.

 

Whatever you do, allow yourself plenty of time. Possibly a full day.

[Island Annie]

I've flown NWA HUNDREDS of times.

 

I've always found them to provide very good customer service, and also to have a good "on time" history. (so much so that I've actually flown them the morning of my cruise to my port of departure).

 

(Not saying "weather" might be an issue).

 

But I would not hesitate to book a flight on NWA again. Here is some additional info for you:

 

http://www.nwa.com/corpinfo/

 

Hope this helps.

 

Annie

[megr1125]

i flew frontier once and had no complaints...they have direct tv that is $5 per segment..keeps you occupied...

 

http://www.victoriaclipper.com or http://www.clippervacations.com my cousin used to work for the clipper..they have some very good package deals.

 

http://www.bcferries.com

 

those should help you as well..the bc ferry was very nice...much nicer than even the nicest cape may-lewes ferry (if you've ever been on the nicer ones)

[Dick in Falls Church]

At the moment, many airlines are adjusting their schedules and adding time to flight schedules, primarily so they can improve their on-time rates.

 

I fly NWA often. Yep, we've been bumped (voluntarily). Yep, we've been delayed by weather. Yep, it's taken a long time to get luggage (once).

Nope, their seats aren't the most comfortable. But, they go where I want to go, and often there is no alternative (or the alternative connects in Chicago O'Hare).

 

Pick the line that leaves when you want to leave, and gets you where you want to go at the most convenient time with a price you can live with.

And pack half your stuff and half your wife's stuff in each bag.

[Sue L]

Can you get to JFK, we just did JFK to Vancouver direct on Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong based) for 300$ per person round trip. They were great on time, real hot food and great service.

[megr1125]

that's a great deal...i think they are very highly rated as well.....

[travelpig]

Hi , Just came back from LA on Northwest, the flight was actually early. We Fly Northwest quite a bit and unfortunately everything has gone downhill. No Food unless you buy snack boxes $5 or pringles or trailmix $2. Frontier is great, love Continental, Air Canada not many complaints go with price and schedule.

[psbtrvlr]

I pay more money rather than fly NWA. Haven't flown them since 2001.

[Grandma Dazzles]

My husband flies weekly on business - has premier elite status on NWA and elite on American/United.

 

To be very honest, there is not a great deal to choose between any of the major carriers!

 

He flies NW to the west coast almost every week - likes the fact that he can connect through Minneapolis or Detroit; gives him more flexibility. With United and American usually the connection is strictly through Chicago. Obviously that is because of where we live ..... choose which ever airline gives you the best price and fits your time schedule.

 

Again, NW has had some problems recently - but we have had fantastic flights, service, etc., we have also had terrible trips - I don't think you can win either way! Northwest also I believe is a partner airline with Delta and Continental (I think - I am going from memory), which can also help with schedule changes, delays, etc.

 

Biggest thing I would recommend to anyone cruising - fly in the day ahead of time!

[lardan]

I live outside Detroit and always fly Northwest. Never once have I had my luggage lost (Hope I'm not jinxing myself, I'm heading to Vegas next week); they had some issues a few months ago with cancelling flights toward the end of the month, but that has been settled.

 

Every airline has their issues; hell, Spirit charges $10 to check a bag if paid in advance, and $20 if you pay at the airport. That's per bag. And I believe most, if not all, airlines now charge for food onboard.

 

You will find people who will say good things and bad things about every airline. And the new Detroit airport is very nice.

[mitaxi]

I just flew home from vancouver on NWA a few weeks ago- flight was early - no problems- acutually fly NWA often...very few problems...

[luvscruising2007]

I would never fly Northwest again. We booked through RC and our return flight from Anchorage went through Minneapolis. Because of bad weather here on the east coast the flight was cancelled. We sat on the plan for a couple of hours before they finally cancelled. We were given a number to call to reschedule but we couldn't hear it. So we went to the agents at the gate that were suppposed to help.. The first agent said she was too busy and the second agent didn't know what she was doing. We eventually got ticketed for the next day, at 3pm. There were no hotels with vacancies so we spent the night in the airport. The NW employees gave no customer service. The were not apologetic not helpful.

We flew from BWI to VanCouver on United and had no problems at all. We actually arrived some what early. Good luck and have a great cruise.

[lardan]

I have traveled with Northwest airlines, 4 times and they always loose my luggage. One trip, they lost it going and coming back. So, I am not a big fan of Northwest Airlines. Another trip, I got to my destination on Sunday and my luggage got there late Tuesday night.

 

WOW, you must have some really bad luck. They lost your luggage on all 4 of your flights??? That's horrible luck, considering that the statistics for Northwest in Jan. 06 were 4.91 lost per 1,000 passengers.

[JerseyJT]

Thanks everyone for sharing you experiences with the airlines. Gave me a lot of food for thought. We are flying in the day before to allow time for problems.

 

megr1125 - your links are really valuable for the future. Thanks for sending them. I know that Cape May Ferry very well. FYI - there'a a big article in our paper today how they are cutting crossings & staff. Also all trips now need to be made by reservation.

 

OK everyone - another question....Our cruise is next July (08) so should we be booking airfare now for best prices or wait??? What's your experiences? I'm too much of an organizer to wait till the end but not sure if I'm jumping the gun now. HELP....

[megr1125]

you're welcome....if it was me, i would book soon.....check farecompare and farecast too.....farecast looks at historical data and kind of predicts when it's a good time to buy....i used it a couple times and thought it was accurate...

 

we flew to SEA on jetblue....they had a great sale......i think that one factor that effects fares is low cost carriers....for instance...i may wait until SW and JB start selling tickets for the time i want to travel since sometimes other carriers can match..although sometimes they aren't (if that makes sense..)

[Grandma Dazzles]

I would never fly Northwest again. We booked through RC and our return flight from Anchorage went through Minneapolis. Because of bad weather here on the east coast the flight was cancelled. We sat on the plan for a couple of hours before they finally cancelled. We were given a number to call to reschedule but we couldn't hear it. So we went to the agents at the gate that were suppposed to help.. The first agent said she was too busy and the second agent didn't know what she was doing. We eventually got ticketed for the next day, at 3pm. There were no hotels with vacancies so we spent the night in the airport. The NW employees gave no customer service. The were not apologetic not helpful.

We flew from BWI to VanCouver on United and had no problems at all. We actually arrived some what early. Good luck and have a great cruise.

 

 

As I posted earlier, all airlines have their good and bad - I don't think you wan "win" with any of them. That being said, it is unfair to blame an airline for weather delays .... none of us likes to sit and wait .... but the airlines do not control the weather, nor the control tower who sends them out to take off.

 

I do agree that personnel can vary in their people handling skills - but they take a lot of verbal abuse too. We have had some fantastic gate attendants who bent over backwards, and we have had some real horror stories.

 

Case in point, American canceled a recent flight of ours out of Kansas City - no help - nothing - very rude gate attendants. Walked down a few gates to Northwest - gate attendant was fantastic - got us on their next flight and took care of the details with American. They are all individuals - having good days and bad days ..... just like we all do!

 

The trouble is flights are full, people are cranky, and there are so many variables that are out of our control - weather, equipment, etc.