News

Northwest adds rate charge to encourage e-ticketing

June 17, 2002

MINNEAPOLIS -- In a move to draw flyers to electronic tickets and self-service check-in kiosks, Northwest Airlines (NASDAQ:NWAC) on June 17 announced that an additional ticketing charge of $10 will be added to passengers who use paper tickets to fly leisure class.

The charge will only be levied in markets where e-tickets are available and will not apply to customers flying business class. The charge will also be assessed to customers who convert e-tickets to paper.

Al Lenza, Northwest vice president of distribution and e-commerce, said the airline wants to encourage the use of e-ticketing through its line of 300 self-service kiosks and the airline's Web site.

"In May, a record 79 percent of our domestic customers utilized e-tickets," Lenza said in a news release, "and of those passengers, one out of every three utilizes self-service check-in at one of hundreds of our E-Service Center kiosks or at new.com Check-In."

Northwest operates E-Service Center kiosks at 70 airports nationally.