Too good to be true: $0 fares not for real

by Alison Brick on

Part of me thinks: They should’ve known better.

Then another part thinks: But it was in writing. It’s fair game.

Free fares on Northwest Airlines posted last Thursday were snatched up by happy travelers, then reneged a few days later. The spokesman from Delta Airlines (who bought out Northwest back in October) confirmed that it was an error and said that the only people he would honor would be those customers already in flight. The tickets for everyone else–who started planning their trips around these tickets–would be cancelled.

The fare wasn’t posted on nwa.com or delta.com–just on a few other sites like Travelocity. Most flights affected departed from the Twin Cities.

Does it come as a surprise that something like is already covered in legal print? Northwest’s fare tariff states that it reserves the right to cancel a ticket if it was bought at an erroneous fare. No doubt the airline could use the money and isn’t eager to give away free tickets willy-nilly.

But I still think that as a token of good faith, a customer service-based airline would honor the tickets. It’s easier to keep the good standing of current customers and the friends that they tell, than to gain new customers after these folks have been put off, right?

[Via Today in the Sky]

Merge your Delta and Northwest frequent flyer accounts — get 500 miles

by Grant Martin on

In this week’s chapter of “Merger Mania, Delta Devours Northwest,” lots of changes have happened to each respective frequent flyer program.

To merge the two programs, small changes in mileage earning, spending and transfer have been implemented, largely to make Northwest’s program emulate Delta. System Wide Upgrades, a feature that many Northwest flyers briefly enjoyed, will now be translated to Medallion Upgrades, a weaker, less useful tool. Northwest Platinum flyers will now earn fewer bonus miles as well; their earnings will be reduced from 125% to 100%.

The most abhorrent change to the programs, however, is the addition of an extra “reward tier” on mileage tickets. As billed, this change is supposed to provide “more flexibility” by charging more miles and providing extra seats when searching for rewards. But in actuality, it’s just another way to gouge passengers.

Think of it this way. Last year, if you wanted to fly from Atlanta to New York there were 10 options to fly for 25k miles. This year, there are 20 options to fly at 30 – 35k miles and 2 options to fly at 25k miles. And those latter flights? Only good on Wednesday redeyes on a 12 seat propeller plane.

It’s not that egregious, but you get the picture.

The (scant) good news is that we now have better, fluid access between both accounts. As of last week, passengers from each program can log in, link accounts and swap miles, which means if you have orphaned miles in either account, you can move them over. Yes, you can move elite miles as well.

You can link the accounts by going under Worldperks | Manage My Account | Link Accounts and Transfer Miles. Once you link them up, you’ll get 500 bonus miles.

If you want to read more about the details of the mergers, a good resource is Flyertalk.

Northwest flight hits extreme turbulence, injures 9

by Jeffrey White on

Nine out of 10 times, when the captain turns on the fasten seat belt sign, citing turbulence, it’s no big thing, right? A few bumps, maybe a spilled drink, and then the plane pulls out of it.

But turbulence is no joke, as passengers on a Northwest Airlines flight yesterday from Tokyo to Honolulu know.

The flight encountered extreme turbulence over Midway Island and the result was nine injuries, including a flight attendant and two passengers who are currently hospitalized for back, neck and head injuries sustained during the flight.

The Associated Press is reporting that the flight attendant is in serious but stable condition, but the condition of the hospitalized passengers is still unclear.

Also unclear is exactly what happened: Was the turbulence unexpected? How long did it last?

The Northwest flight carried 285 passengers.

Update on your Northwest and Delta miles

by Grant Martin on

As we barrel forward into 2009 and the processing merger between Delta and Northwest Airlines, small facets of the company are slowly being integrated. Just a few weeks ago, the first NW 747 was repainted in DL colors, and ever so gently the NW routes are starting to disappear.

Throughout the year, mileage accounts between the two airlines will also be integrated, with the joint rules pulling from both carriers current programs. Here are the basics:

  • Miles from each program are safe.
  • Partway through this year you’ll be able to transfer miles between each account at no cost. You won’t be able to transfer elite miles, but before year’s end they should be integrated. So miles on each airline will count towards 2010 status on the new, merged airline.
  • New award fees for non-platinum members will be instituted. Booking award tickets:
    • Outside of 21 days of travel = free
    • Between 8 and 20 days = $75
    • Between 4 and 7 = $100
    • Inside of 3 days = $150
  • A new award tier asking for more miles with “better availability” will be offered. You can check that out here, but effectively if you want better flexibility with your tickets you’ll now need to cough up 30-40% more miles.
  • All passengers will now be able to earn elite status with segments.

Are these changes for the best? Most passengers I’ve listened in on are unhappy with the new fees and award tiers, but I think they’re being a bit gloomy.

I concede that in 2009 it will be harder to spend your Skyteam miles, however, so if you’re thinking about booking a ticket this year, it’s never too early to start looking.

Got a question about your miles? Shoot us a note at editorATgadlingDOTcom and we’ll try to help out.

Update: new Canadian weighs 6 lbs and is Ugandan and (maybe) American

by Tom Johansmeyer on

The Canadian born on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 yesterday is the daughter of a Ugandan … who is also a permanent resident of the United States. So, at least we know that the newly-minted citizen of our northern neighbor is not Dutch. Sasha, the newest NWA passenger, was delivered mid-flight by Dr. Natarajan Raman and Dr. Paresh Thakker. Raman is a radiation oncologist who hadn’t delivered a kid in 20 years (but remembered the steps. Thakker is a general practitioner.

Of course, there’s no such thing as unbiased news, right? The only way to get to the truth is to see what everyone is saying. There were two doctors involved in this effort: Raman and Thakker. But, there can only be one ego in charge. It can make parceling out props a nightmare, but sometimes a bit of investigation is necessary. After all, credit must be given where it is due. After the jump, see how the two hopeful heroes stack up against each other.

  • Star Tribune: Raman delivered; Thakker helped
  • Telegraph: Thakker delivered; Raman helped
  • KARE (Minnesota): Raman “assisted” … but is somehow called “heroic”
  • New England Cable News: both doctors “helped with the delivery”
  • BBC: both doctors chipped in, but Raman gets the quotes

Based on my math, and I do have the numeracy of a journalist, it’s close. The Star Tribune gives the nod to local boy Raman, while the Telegraph throws its vote to Thakker. NECN plays it down the middle, not giving either doc the lead role.

So far, it’s 1.5 to 1.5.

KARE and BBC are a bit tougher. The former says that Raman “assisted” but didn’t describe Thakker’s role. Also, Raman does get the moniker “heroic” and some loving quotes from colleagues. Thakker gets squat. So, we’ll toss Raman a half point for this one.

Raman 2, Thakker 1.5.

The BBC is a bit more even than KARE (which is another Minnesota news outlet). It doesn’t give either doctor the prominent role, but Raman gets all the quotes. That’s worth a quarter point.

And, we have a winner: Raman 2.25, Thakker 1.5. That being said, in whatever capacity each served, they did bring a new life into this world under circumstances that are far from idea.

Here, enjoy 25 seconds of coverage from NECN: