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Twin Cities Travelers Wary As Strike Looms at Northwest Airlines

Posted on: Monday, 1 August 2005, 21:00 CDT

Aug. 21--As the possibility of a Northwest Airlines strike looms closer, Twin Cities travelers -- especially leisure travelers -- are getting a little anxious and wondering what their options are.

Some travelers are changing their travel dates and others are booking on different airlines to avoid any potential problems if Northwest's mechanics go on strike in less than three weeks.

Minneapolis-based Hobbit Travel is getting more calls from travelers than it did a week ago -- even for travel as far in advance as November, said owner George Wozniak. Wozniak is also an investor in Sun Country Airlines of Mendota Heights.

"Travelers are even stopping to talk to me in restaurants and bars," Wozniak said. "Everyone is wondering if they have anything to worry about and what they should be doing."

People who have vacations, weddings and other plans in which they already have paid for hotel rooms or other services are the most concerned, travel experts said. Business travelers, who typically schedule their trips a week to two weeks in advance, have taken a wait-and-see attitude and aren't too concerned yet, local travel agents say.

"It's the leisure traveler and the family," said Mary Wangerin, owner of Savage Travel Service Inc. in Savage. "It's the people where this is an investment. Corporate travelers know what to expect. They've been through this before."

Northwest's mechanics union is in the midst of a 30-day "cooling off" period after a federally declared impasse. Negotiators for Northwest Airlines and the union are scheduled to begin four days of mediated contract talks today in Washington, D.C. Few expect a breakthrough this week. Northwest is seeking annual pay cuts totaling $1.1 billion from its workers, and $176 million to come from its mechanics. It also is proposing deep job cuts. The mechanics union has countered with a proposal it says would save the airline $143 million annually, a figure that Northwest says is inflated.

If talks fail, mechanics could walk off the job as early as 11:01 p.m. Aug. 19, or Northwest -- which has spent millions to trend possible replacements -- could lock them out.

Eagan-based Northwest has vowed to keep flying a full schedule in the event of a strike, and has been hiring and training replacement mechanics. Northwest is the dominant airline in the Twin Cities, serving two-thirds of passengers flying in and out of the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

However, if a strike results in canceled flights, Northwest will rebook passengers on other flights. Certain passengers may get seated first.

For any canceled flight, Northwest said it first rebooks seats, in order, for minors traveling alone, unaccompanied adults who need assistance, Elite members of its WorldPerks frequent flier program, full-fare passengers, disabled passengers and then all other passengers.

If Northwest cancels a flight "well in advance" of the departure time, its policy is to contact travelers about their flight options, according to the company's Web site. If Northwest cancels a flight and can't rebook a customer on the day they were scheduled to depart and overnight lodging is needed, it will "make every effort" to provide a free hotel room near the airport and meal vouchers, the Web site says.

In the meantime, travelers with existing non-refundable Northwest tickets can change a travel date or destination for a $100 fee and the difference in price if the new airfare is higher. It costs $25 or $50 to change a Northwest WorldPerks reservation using frequent flier miles.

Some travelers are opting to book tickets on other airlines, such as Sun Country, United, Delta, AirTran and ATA airlines, in case of a Northwest strike, Wangerin and Wozniak said. But Wozniaksaid he's "not seeing a mass exodus from Northwest."

"We're starting to see some people inquire about our routes, more than we would anticipate normally for this time of year," said Jay Salmen, president of Sun Country. "Our Web site hits are peaking a bit for fall travel, which is typically slow."

Several airlines, including Delta, Frontier and United, said their flights are fairly full because of summer travel, which could make rebooking difficult.

The average Frontier Airlines plane, for instance, was 82 percent full in June. "Unfortunately, it creates a problem for the passenger," said Joe Hodas, a spokesman for the Denver-based airline. "It's not just us. A lot of airlines are pretty heavily booked right now. It just makes it that much more difficult to find a seat."

If there is a Northwest strike, Sun Country could accommodate additional passengers on its planes and it may increase the number of flights per day to some cities, Salmen said. Sun Country flies non-stop to 28 cities at least once a day.

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Copyright (c) 2005, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.

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NWAC,

Source: Saint Paul Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.)

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