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Northwest Airlines to Open Reservations Call Center in Sioux City

Posted on: Tuesday, 3 April 2007, 12:00 CDT

Northwest Airlines (Pink Sheets:NWACQ) today announced that it plans to open a new reservations call center in Sioux City, Iowa. The center, which will handle incoming domestic reservations calls, is scheduled to open in the fourth quarter of 2007 and will employ up to 300 reservations sales agents and management personnel.

"Today's announcement expands on Northwest's long-standing relationship with the people of Iowa," said Perry Cantarutti, Northwest vice president of reservations sales and services. "While we considered a number of communities, Sioux City proved to be the ideal location and we look forward to opening our new reservations center there."

Northwest worked with the City of Sioux City, the Sioux City Department of Economic Development and the Iowa Business Growth Corporation to reach an agreement supporting the new reservations center. The reservations center will occupy newly renovated office space within the former JCPenney's department store building in downtown Sioux City.

"Our community is excited to partner with Northwest Airlines and we have enjoyed working with their representatives over the past several months to make this project a reality," said Sioux City Mayor Craig Berenstein. "We welcome Northwest Airlines and believe this project complements our community, our drive for economic development and the Sioux City Museum Plaza building."

The airline currently operates reservations centers in Baltimore, Chisholm, Minn., Minneapolis, Seattle and Tampa, Fla.

"Although recent changes in customer purchasing habits have resulted in increased use of the Internet and other self-service tools for travel reservations, there still is a significant need for reservations centers," Cantarutti said. "Northwest Airlines remains firmly committed to answering domestic customer calls using U.S. reservation centers staffed with International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM)-represented reservations sales agents."

Northwest will begin accepting applications for Sioux City reservations sales agents in the near future. Information on the application process is available online at the airline's web site, nwa.com.

Northwest Airlines began service to Sioux City in 1930. Today, Northwest and its Northwest Airlink partners serve seven communities throughout Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Fort Dodge, Mason City, the Quad Cities, Sioux City and Waterloo.

Northwest to Close Baltimore Reservations Center

Northwest also confirmed that on March 31, 2008, the airline will close its Baltimore reservations center. Customer calls will be handled through the airline's other U.S. call centers.

The 183 employees at the Baltimore reservations center will have the ability to transfer to one of Northwest's reservations centers in Chisholm, Minn., Minneapolis, Seattle, Sioux City, Iowa and Tampa, Fla. Employees who elect not to transfer to another reservations center will be offered a severance package which includes travel privileges. The airline will also provide Baltimore employees with on-site career fairs and employment search workshops.

"The challenges the airline industry is currently facing require Northwest to continually review its operations," Cantarutti added. "While this was a very difficult decision to make, it was necessary given the inability to retain and attract sufficient numbers of qualified staff at the Baltimore facility."

Northwest Airlines is one of the world's largest airlines with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,400 daily departures. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that offers customers one of the world's most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 900 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents.

Source: Business Wire

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