In this case, "upgraded" does not mean "nicer or newer." It means more seats.

My mother's friend who lives in TX, but grew up in the TVC area flys us to see her parents a couple of times a year to see her parents. I bumped into her once in DTW on her way back home to IAH. She told me she was very suprised that NWA was using a "big plane" (I guess meaning: "a normal plane with jets") instead of a "plane with propellors" (a prop plane).

I told her that in the summer, NWA "upgrades" TVC-DTW to jet service. She said that prop planes make her squeamish and nervous to fly, and she was happy with the "big plane."

I guess that if you're used to flying on a prop plane, a jet, no matter how old it is, is a nice change.

The Traverse City area is a big "vacationland" area for urbanites that come from the Chicago, Detroit, and Cleveland areas. Many people have summer (and winter - skiing!) homes up there.

My mom's friend is the daughter of migrant workers. She grew up migrating between TX and MI for seasonal farm work.

NWA does have some extra DC-9s lying around. They are extremely slowly being replaced by A319s and A320s on some routes. So no station will get a "downgrade" to a Saab or Avro, they are probably getting an "upgrade" to an A319.

727s will be gone by the eend of the year. We probably had an extra 727 lying around, and NWA mngt. is probably saving oodles of money by putting one on the TVC route for the busy summer season, instead of letting it collect dust before it's retired.

More filled seats = more money. Take advantage of popular destinations and run with the green!