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-----Original Message-----
From: Ronald J. Riley <rjriley@RJRILEY.COM>
To: SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU <SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, March 02, 1999 3:09 PM
Subject: Re: NorthWorstAir.org
I think they either need
to clean up their act, starting with termination of all the upper
management, or go out of business.
Ronald J. Riley www.rjriley.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Jotham P Tausig <tausigjo@PILOT.MSU.EDU>
To: SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU <SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Date: Tuesday, March 02, 1999 2:44 PM
Subject: Re: NorthWorstAir.org
Mr. Riley,
Don't beat around the bush -- what do you
REALLY think about Northwest?
--Jotham Tausig
Environmental Journalism Program
Michigan State University
PRESS RELEASE
Out of four flights I took with NorthWorst over two years,
I had serious problems on three. My loss in time and
damaged luggage and equipment, including a $4000 notebook
computer which they broke while in security screening, was about
$6,000 -$8,000.
My experience has been that NW gives service with
"attitude", and boy what an attitude. NW has a
bureaucracy which makes the worst of Federal government look
friendly.
You may also find www.northworstair.org interesting. In addition I created
the northworstair list northworstair@onelist.com, which is now up and running. The purpose
of the web site is to provide a centralized source of information
for consumers, legislators, and journalists.
Enjoy
Ronald J. Riley (810) 655-8830
1323 West Cook Road
Grand Blanc, MI 48439
President, Professional Inventors Alliance
http://www.rjriley.com/pia
Advisory Board President,
Alliance for American Innovation, Inc., Wash, DC
E-mail rjriley@rjriley.com
Personal page: http://www.rjriley.com/about-rjriley/
Views expressed are my own.
-----Original
Message-----
From: Bill Kling <kling@usa.net>
To: SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU <SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Date: Friday, November 27, 1998 1:42 PM
Subject: Re: Forbes magazine on Northworst
ForbesMag and Riley are
right. Based on personal experience this summer, I'd call
it "Northworthless" Airlines, deserving of a Ventura
body slam.
Kling
-----Original
Message-----
From: Stacy Harris <stacy.harris@JUNO.COM>
To: SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU <SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Date: Friday, November 27, 1998 5:41 PM
Subject: Re: Forbes magazine on Northworst
Among the major airlines,
Northwest also has some of the oldest planes in service.
Stacy
-----Original Message-----
From: Walter Brasch <wbrasch@PLANETX.BLOOMU.EDU>
To: SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU <SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Date: Sunday, November 29, 1998 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: Northwest Airlines and Internal/External PR
NWA not only has a bad
record of on-time departures/arrivals, its PR operation isn't so
good either.
My wife is a Red Cross family services caseworker who goes to national disasters. She often flies NWA. On one mission, she had a flight cancelled by NWA, and on a total of five legs (3 out; 2 return), was late on every one of them.
On flight from Detroit-Harrisburg on return, was overbooked; NWA couldn't even give good info on what was happening. She and a couple of others with confirmed reservations were stranded in detroit. The workers were decent, and ALL complained about management indifference. In detroit, at dinner time, they were cancelled, and Management gave everyone a coupon for $5 for dinner. Yeah, you read that right. Being savvy, I called aviation writer who would know NWA PR numbers to explain that they had a major PR problem in detroit, and that some good internal PR might take care of problem. I finally reached the on-call PR person who said she couldn't do anything! Said it was the station master's problem (or whatever they call the big cheese at the airport.) Said to write a letter. (Other problems were multiplying by now, mostly from management indifference.)
When my wife finally returned home--SHE was savvy enough to get overnight stay and free miles/dollars--and had to argue so ALL bumped passengers got a good deal--she wrote to Management to complain about the quality of service, careful to praise the workers in Harrisburg and Detroit who were concerned about customers. (In detroit, a couple of people didn't even want to acknowledge the problem; and, one rebooking was for the other side of the airport--uh, did I forget to mention that the original flight from detroit was delayed about 2 hrs, in 15 min. increments, and NWA wouldn't tell passngers what the problem was, or why--they just had to keep checking the board every few minutes to find out; one flight was eventually cancelled; etc. etc. etc. Use your imagination to figure out all problems that could occur, and you wouldn't be wrong!)
Well, I talked to NWA PR people 2x by phone--I was treated quite disrespectfully--I was a pain in the ass, essentially. In fact, once the PR person said she deals ONLY with media--I stated that she is in PR--customer satisfaction is a PR issue; she said she didn't "know anything about that." I indicated that I also do a weekly syndicated newspaper column--figuring I'll use the media tie-in--and she said the problem with customer service isn't a PR problem....
Now, as for the 4 page, single-spaced letter, in which we also explained about the failure of PR management to address a severe problem among customers--after 6 weeks, my wife got a return letter. It was a 3-paragraph form letter, thanking her for her concern, etc. etc. blahblahblah. Theer was NOTHING to suggest that NWA did anything other than push a mail-merge feature to respond.
The problem, as my wife sees uit--being an experienced flyer on several carriers--is that NWA management has deteriorated significantly, has cauased frustration with workers, and that while NWA is making a very healthy profit at moment, it's at tghe expense of both its workers and the customers. Certainly, the company's PR operation proves that it doesn't care much about the customer.
Will she fly NWA again? Yeah. Certain routes to natural disasters are available only by NWA. Will she like it? Not in the least. What airlines DOES she prefer? She says Delta seems dedicated to dealing with customers, and making their lives a little easier.
*******************************************************
Walter M. Brasch, Ph.D.
professor of journalism
Bloomsburg University
Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania 17815
717-389-4565 (office)
717-389-2607 (fax)
e-mail: brasch@planetx.bloomu.edu
http://planetx.bloomu.edu/~brasch
-----Original
Message-----
From: Ronald J. Riley <rjriley@RJRILEY.COM>
To: SPJ-L@lists.psu.edu <SPJ-L@lists.psu.edu>
Date: Sunday, November 29, 1998 1:14 PM
Subject: Re: Northwest Airlines and Internal/External PR
-----Original Message-----
From: Walter Brasch <wbrasch@PLANETX.BLOOMU.EDU>
To: SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU <SPJ-L@LISTS.PSU.EDU>
Date: Sunday, November 29, 1998 8:31 AM
Subject: Re: Northwest Airlines and Internal/External PR
>NWA not only has a bad record of on-time departures/arrivals,
its PR operation isn't so good either.
[big snip of NW horror stories]
Would it be fair to say that NorthWorst is the carrier of absolute last resort? Is it fair to say that your comment "its PR operation isn't so good either" is an understatement?
I am actively encouraging journalists to give NorthWorst the coverage they deserve, timed just before the holiday travel season. And please encourage your coworkers and even colleagues at other publications to give NorthWorst appropriate coverage. There are many interesting angles from which the NW story could be approached.
And last, encourage those teaching journalism to use NW as an example in their classes. NW has a long history of this kind of crummy service and even worse indifference, at least fifteen years. It would not hurt if the next generation of journalists were primed to give NW appropriate coverage.
For my part, I have been contacting all the CEO's I know, suggesting that they examine the costs incurred in air travel, and the fact when all factors are considered, carriers like NW, are much more expensive than others. I am also contacting key people in professional organizations, and suggesting that they look at the issue. I know that my advisory to the inventor community, in regards to NW, has already reached at least two million people.
Ronald J. Riley www.rjriley.com
 Northwest
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