MINNEAPOLIS å- (March 19, 2002) å- Northwest Airlines today announced changes to its travel agent commission structure that eliminate the payment of å“baseå” commissions to travel agents for tickets issued in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Northwest’s new commission structure takes effect immediately and applies to all tickets, Miscellaneous Charge Orders (MCO’s) and pre-paid tickets, known in the travel industry as Prepaid Ticket Advices (PTA’s). The change will affect tickets issued for both domestic and international travel.

Northwest’s base commission structure for tickets purchased outside the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands will not be affected by the new commission structure.

Northwest Airlines will not comment publicly on its new commission structure beyond the statements contained in this news release.

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