I have recently been defecting from UA because I fly out of BWI for price and reliability reasons, and UA has not won on either count. NW sent me a trial silver so I have tried NW for 6 segments.

They have all been on time.

Today was typical. No big lines at the ticket counter even though there were big lines at other airlines'. Security took about 10 minutes (didn't even have to remove shoes.)

Like all other segments, boarding was prompt. I was upgraded both directions.

Going to DTW, we flew in an old blown out 757. Like all NW planes I've flown in so far, this one was very dirty inside. The F seats were thin.

We had a preflight drink, with decent service even though there were only the minimum number of FAs. We arrived early.

I tried to change my return airport to IAD from BWI. My ticket was a 3 day advance B class which is still a farely expensive ticket. They refused to apply any credit for the unused portion of the ticket, telling me I'd have to buy a new one way Y ticket from DTW to IAD, and have the return DTW-BWI ticket that could be used some other time. They were inflexible about that, even though IAD and BWI are both in the WAS market and I was willing to pay a fare difference.

So I elected to return to BWI.

Going back, DTW was a breeze, which surprised me. You have to walk a long way, DTW is one of my less favorite airports for many reasons.

Boarding was on time, and this time we flew out in an old DC9. The interior had been redone but again, it was very dirty, and the seats were thin and lower quality.

No preflight drinks because catering was delayed although the plane was on the ground quite some time before boarding. One drink service, about 2/3 into the flight, and a quick basket of peanuts and pretzels passed around. I guess this was a meal flight

A sudden, unannounced gate change meant my ride from the airport was misdirected to the wrong part of BWI. This has happened several times with NW, they seem to have a lot of gate changes and an unusual amount of confusion as to what they tell you and what actually happens.

Now, a few observations:

1. having to show my ID three times doesn't make me feel more secure.

2. NW has been very reliable, I have to admit. All 6 flights lately were on time.

3. If you are elite on NW, you can fly CO or HP, giving you a wider choice of airlines and fares (and I suppose you can fly KLM also)

4. The upgrades were free. With UA service falling down in so many ways, I don't think there is as much difference anymore between a short flight on NW in F and one on UA in F.

5. The planes have the most ugly a** interiors with these awful red seat covers. They need a new interior designer.

6. I have had several situations where I feel NW were not nice, and not reasonable, as above, where they could have gotten one or two hundred extra dollars from me for doing essentially nothing. I expect them not to be very nice or accommodating, and I have had my expectations met, so I cannot recommend NW to anyone who has high expectations of customer service. Nobody seems to be willing to bend any rules even when it is in NW's best interest revenue-wise.