Monday, June 11, 2001

Northwest Airlines Increases Jet Service to Sioux City, Iowa

Upgraded Service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Begin September 4, 2001.

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL—(June 11)—Northwest Airlines and its Northwest Airlink affiliate, Express Airlines I, announced today upgraded jet service between Sioux City, Iowa and its hub in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn.

Effective September 4, 2001, one of the nine daily flights will operate with the airline’s new 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), bringing the total number of Northwest jet departures from Sioux City to Minneapolis/St. Paul up to three.  Two other flights are operated with an Avro RJ-85 (ARJ). The remaining flights from Minneapolis/St. Paul will continue to be operated using the 34-passenger Saab 340 turbo-prop jet.

The CRJ, recognized as the world�s quietest commercial aircraft, features spacious cabins with comfortable two-by-two leather seating and other cabin amenities similar to much larger jets, such as overhead bins, a full-service galley, lavatory, and an efficient climate control system to ensure passenger comfort.

“This upgraded jet service recognizes the need for additional capacity between Sioux City and the Twin Cities at a very popular time of day used by both our business and leisure travelers,” said Jim Cron, Northwest vice president market planning.

“We are absolutely thrilled by Northwest’s introduction of the CRJ aircraft in our market and Northwest’s continued commitment to bring the best service to Siouxland,” said Glenn S. Januska, Sioux City Airport Director. “Initial response from the passengers flying on the RJ85 aircraft introduced June 1st has been extremely positive, and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Northwest as they upgrade service to Siouxland with the regional jets.”

Customers wishing to purchase tickets for Northwest’s upgraded service between Sioux City and Minneapolis/St.Paul may do so by accessing Northwest’s award-winning web site at www.nwa.com or by calling (800) 225-2525 or a travel agent.

With annual revenues in excess of $11 billion and approximately 55,000 employees worldwide, Northwest Airlines is the world’s fourth largest airline, with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam and more than 2,700 daily departures.  With its travel partners, Northwest serves more than 785 cities in 120 countries on six continents.  Based on statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Northwest was the most on-time U.S. airline among the seven largest network carriers for the period 1990-2000.

Express Airlines I is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, doing business as Northwest Airlink.  The airline provides valuable passenger and cargo feed to Northwest and operates Canadair Regional Jet and Saab 340 aircraft.  Express I was presented the Diamond Award for Maintenance Excellence and the On-Time, Every Time Award for operational excellence in 1999.

For more information, call Northwest Airlines Corporate Communications at 612-726-2331.