Northwest Airlines announced today new service between its Minneapolis/St. Paul hub and the cities of Norfolk, VA., Greensboro, N.C. and Rochester, N.Y., beginning February 13.

The new Norfolk service will be operated by Northwest Airlink affiliates, Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. and Mesaba Aviation, Inc. The daily Greensboro flight will also be operated by Mesaba. The new daily flight to Rochester will be operated with a Northwest DC9 aircraft with a capacity of 100 passengers in first and coach class.
“I applaud Northwest Airlines on the announcement of service between Norfolk and Minneapolis,” said U.S. Senator George Allen (R-Va.), a member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. “I`m a proponent of policies and activities that help expand tourism and economic development opportunities for Virginians, and the addition of flights between Norfolk and Minneapolis will help further these goals.”

Mesaba’s Avro RJ 185 and Pinnacle’s Canadair Regional Jet offer cabin amenities similar to much larger jets, such as overhead bins, a galley, lavatory, and an efficient climate control system to ensure passenger comfort.

“This is good news. Increased air service to Rochester is critical for our businesses and families,” said U.S. Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY). “As the aviation industry adjusts to the post 9-11 world, communities like Rochester cannot fall off the radar.”

“The new Minneapolis service is an example of Northwest’s increased service to more mid-sized cities,” said Tim Griffin, executive vice president marketing and distribution. “The new service will complement Northwest’s current Detroit schedule to the three cities and provide customers with more flight options to Norfolk, Greensboro and Rochester from the Western U.S. and Canadian regions,” Griffin said.

Through Northwest’s Minneapolis/St. Paul hub, Norfolk, Greensboro and Rochester area customers can connect through climate controlled jetbridges to 750 cities across the globe on Northwest or its affiliates.

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