Nope. I actually like NW. I fly them a lot for TATL trips.

But, I also like to be honest with myself. Every time I recommend NW to a friend, they look at me with a "are you crazy" look. Heck, my parents live in MN, and they call it Northworst. And they don't fly much at all. What does that say about the brand?

All of this is backed up by the consistently awful ratings that NW gets in any poll or other attempt to gauge customer satisfaction. All of that leads me to believe that the NW brand is worth diddly-poo.

Like I said in my initial post, I understand that some had (irrationally, IMO) invested themselves personally in the NW brand, but this doesn't mean the brand is worth anything. I know a lot of people that are die-hard Chevy fans too, and I don't think the Chevy brand is worth anything either.

As for Japan... Having a hub does not mean that you have a good brand. I don't see how NW competes, in terms of quality, with the Asian carriers. If that is the case, it isn't clear that their brand is worth that much.