Phil

There's been lots of discussion about the new Northwest Business Class. Last week I had the opportunity to try the new Northwest coach, going to the FT get together in Dusseldorf. Sure, I did not look forward to a long DTW-FRA leg in DC10 coach, but I was surprised. The coach service was the best I have ever seen on Northwest. Good meal choices (Lasagna or chicken), hot towels, and very attentive service. Throughout the night the attendants passed through the cabin with water. They were friendly, helpful, and competent. I was happy to overhear German passengers talking about how good the service was. And this was coach! Given a few thousand dollars more to spend, I would still prefer business, and Northwest's business class is obviously improved. But I'm surprised Northwest has been so quiet about the improvements in coach, where the majority of us may end up on transatlantic flights. It's not often you hear people leaving the plane after more than seven hours telling each other how good the service was.

avek00

Now if only NW would catch up with the others and install PTVs in Coach...

Wiirachay

NW B747-200s used to have PTVs in coach when I flew to Asia in the past. Heard they were removed because they didn't function too well.

With regards to a good flight, I guess the coach cabin had a very good purser. I've heard the quality of your flight really depends on who the purser is.

Regardless, it's good to hear some good news from NW coach.

- Pat

thezipper

I will agree the purser does make a diff. I just got off a flight DTW-KIX (posting from an internet cafe) and I will say that I was not impressed with the attitudes I got from the "over 40" FA`s on my flight. In addition, it was the Japanese interpreter who came around and thanked us for flying NW, not the purser. Hope my flight back is better.

JustinMSP

I also agree with Phil. NW coach service on both of my transatlantic flights last week (MSP-LGW & AMS-MSP) is very good. FAs are very friendly and helpful. Ground staff is not that bad either. A counter rep at CDG (where I started the trip back to MSP via AMS) spent well over 30 minutes helping my friend to get on the same flight with me.

magic111

Also ended up on a NW transatlantic on my return from the FT event in Duesseldorf. Have been flying KL transatlantic for the past year and was originally scheduled on the KL flight AMS-MEM for the double miles but when KL offered 900 nlg for voluntary compensation to bump vs the 6800 bonus miles it took me about 41 pico-secs to make a decision.
I thought that the food and service in coach was better than the KL food and service on the flight four days earlier. The crew on the nw flight was also friendly, helpful, and competent under the most trying of conditions (20 hour operational delay in ams) Even in the back of the plane (row 62) there were only comments from the Scottish ladies, on their way to Las Vegas, that nw & kl had did all right by them even though they were losing one day of their holiday. And I only arrived at sfo 6 hours later than my original itinerary because I chose to give up my elite upgrade on a later flight to take an earlier flight. This also was the first time that I had been in domestic coach in a long time and the service was also greatly improved. It helped that I had three seats to myself and also that a couple of minutes prior to doors closing Danny Glover got on and also sat in coach. He ate his smoked turkey sandwich snack just like the rest of us (one bite at a time.)
But I truely wonder if the second drink service in coach prior to landing is now normal on the msp-sfo or because of the celebrity on board in coach. I had never experience it in prior year and hope that it has become the norm.

kilane_royalist

Northwest coach service is quite good on overseas flights, something more travellers should become aware of.

But make sure that you are on NW metal.

V21

I did a SYR-DTW-FRA mile run in coach earlier this week, and thought that the service was simply incredible. I haven't flown internationally for several years, and was floored by the professionalism of the flight attendants, in both directions. They genuinely conveyed compassion, dignity, and professionalism; I got the feeling that they really understood that it's difficult to sit for 8 hours in coach and that they tried, in understated but clearly noticible ways, to make the trip easier for us all.

In short, it was better service than anything I've had in NW domestic first. On the shuttle bus in DTW that takes you from the international arrivals terminal, I had the chance to ask one of the F/A's why this was so. The international F/A list is completely separate from the domestic. Obviously it's highly sought after to get on the international list, as the most junior member of the crew on my flight had 19 years with NW. It's sought after, she said, for the long layovers and also the fact that one can rack up the required work hours relatively quickly. Another reason she cited for the good service was that the F/A's had more time on int'l flights to "not rush things."

This week was mile run week for me, I also did a BUF-DTW-LAX. I came back much more rested and satisfied from the FRA mile run despite the longer flights.

[This message has been edited by V21 (edited 11-16-2000).]

jamiel

I had a flight FRA-DTW several years ago that was quite good in coach, as well. Remember the lady in front was dealing with duty free and the f/as were great dealing with her.

jl

afang

I hope Doc is reading this thread

TravelWeary

In the last few months I have had some wonderful NWA flights--both domestic and international. My most recent experience was so good (domestic 1C), that I wrote the airline to compliment not only a specific FA (my seat mate said she would also), but also the airline on the improvements I have personally seen. I received an e-mail response within a couple of hours. I have hesitated to be outspoken about the positive side of NWA since so many here seem to be down on them (silly, I know). But, from my perspective, they are trying.

Pushpak

This is an unaccustomed role for me - I'm usually the NW loyalist in the face NW-bashing - but I have to throw in a discordant note. Having returned yesterday from AMS, I found _no_ improvement in NW's in-flight service in coach. I have flown NWA regularly since 1986 and the attitude of its crew towards coach pax has remained consistenly Soviet.

On the outbound leg, I was mildly surprised to see F/A's completely ignoring boarding passengers - obviously discussing their recent rosters was more important than making sure old ladies managed to stuff their wheelies into the overhead bins without dislocating their hips

I'll admit, part of my surprise had to do with my recent first (trans-Pacific) flight on SQ, where the attentiveness of the in-flight crew was almost creepy, attuned as I am to being ignored by NW F/A's.

Perhaps I am being cynical, but in 2000 I have travelled over 80k miles on NW, and unless you're in the front cabin, NW cabin crews pretty much suck. On the other hand, due to NW's liberal upgrade policies, I usually am in front, so I'm not really complaining. Just adding my two bits

Pushpak

[This message has been edited by Pushpak (edited 11-19-2000).]

FQTV

You know, I have been trying very hard to turn around my disdain for NW as it seems the NW/CO alliance is not going away any time soon.

Hell, since July I even put a few miles towards WorldPerks to hit Platinum about 4 weeks later to make sure I was getting a fully-informed point of view.

Besides the notorious NW on US domestic routes, I've put myself to World Business Class and International First Class, just to make the rounds.

And even with the recent changes to the cabins and in-flight program, I try hard to convince myself, "Yes, there is a difference, this is better..."

Is it the same crappy-... attitude main cabin attendants switching places on long-hauls with the FA's up front that leave me unpersuaded? Is it that I never get the special meals I request weeks ahead of my flights, and when I inquire about them, I get the Northwest nast-titude, and (believe it or not), see some FA's eating my meal in the galley later on? Is it that when my travel companion, out of good intentions to being helpful, sidles up to an FA to advise that the IFE tape is messed up, gets a flustered, "You're just gonna have to make to do with the lines cause there's nothing else I can do about it." All in the last 4 weeks, when the 'new Northwest' is purportedly being rolled out.

[This message has been edited by FQTV (edited 11-19-2000).]

Phil

Those are some pretty bad experiences. I understand they happen, and at times in the past they have happened to me. But my recent-for a year or so- experiences have been good, and the most recent- the last trips- have been outstanding. If you are both still hanging on with NW I hope you get some good crews, with good attitudes- that seems to make all the difference. If you don't, there are lots of other options, and Northwest will lose because some FAs can't get with the program.

Lurch

I agree that there has been a fair amount of improvement at NWA. However every trip I take there seems to be one employee that is unaware of the meaning of the word service. Recently when checking in DTW in WBCV for a flight to AMS, the check-in agent was just terrible. She never returned my greeting. When I handed her my FF card and asked if the number was in, she flipped it backand said it's in there in a tone of I can't be bothered. The number was not in there of course and it was a bother to send in the documentation. And she mumbled through the whole procedure. While the rest of the trip was fairly pleasant, it only takes one to leave a bad taste. I am often reminded of the attitude of many of the employees at CO when Frank Lorenzo was in charge. Management still has some work to do.