Northwest Airlines today announced that its WorldPerks frequent flyer
program has been named the world`s most popular North American frequent
flyer program by the readers of TIME Asia as part of the 2003 TIME
Readers` Travel Choice Awards.
“This recognition by TIME Magazine confirms the fact that Northwest is an
airline that is easy for travelers to do business with,” said Beth
Shultis, vice president of marketing and loyalty programs. “We are pleased
that so many of our Asian customers recognize the value of our loyalty
program.”
“The results of the TIME Readers` Travel Choice Awards survey highlights
that our readers are sophisticated travelers who appreciate and patronize
Asia`s top brands in the travel sector,” said Andrew Butcher, president
and publisher of TIME and FORTUNE International. “They also reflect the
successful effort and investment by the winners of each category to
consistently convey the quality of their services and brands in the
region.”
Northwest`s WorldPerks program was cited third among world frequent flyer
programs.
The awards, the third in TIME`s annual series, represent the highest
quality of service and brand recognition from TIME readers across Asia.
Awards are based on results of a survey inserted in the April 14, 21, and
28 as well as the May 12 and 26 issues of TIME`s Asia editions. A total of
4,570 reader responses were analyzed. All survey respondents were required
to be residents of Asia. Over half (59 percent) of the respondents are
senior managers and professionals. Northwest`s WorldPerks program has been
recognized as among the top frequent flyer programs in every year of the
award program`s history.

“Northwest has been serving Asia longer than any other U.S. airline and we
look forward to continuing our tradition of great service within the
region,” said Shultis. “We hope other travelers in Asia will join TIME
Asia`s readers in making Northwest Airlines their choice among North
American airlines.”
TIME magazine is available to readers worldwide in Asia Europe, the Middle
East and Africa, South Pacific, Canada Latin America and the U.S. Each
issue offers readers access to Time Inc.`s global resources with regional,
relevant stories. TIME is Asia`s leading weekly newsmagazine, with a
circulation of more than 300,000 in Asia and 600,000 across EMEA. Founded
in 1923, TIME`s worldwide circulation is more than 5.6 million.

Northwest Airlines is the world`s fourth largest airline with hubs at
Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam and more than
1,500 daily departures. With its travel partners, Northwest serves nearly
750 cities in almost 120 countries on six continents. In 2002, consumers
from throughout the world recognized Northwest`s efforts to make travel
easier. A 2002 J.D. Power and Associates study ranked airports at Detroit
and Minneapolis/St. Paul, home to Northwest`s two largest hubs, tied for
second place among large domestic airports in overall customer
satisfaction. Business travelers who subscribe to OAG print and electronic
flight guides rated nwa.com as the best airline Web site. Readers of TTG
Asia and TTG China named Northwest “Best North American airline.”

For more information pertaining to Northwest, media inquiries can be
directed to Northwest Media Relations at (612) 726-2331 or to Northwest`s
Web site at http://www.nwa.com/ .

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