Northwest Airlines today
announced that it named Neal Cohen as its new executive vice president and
chief financial officer. He replaces Bernard L. Han, who has resigned from the company.
Doug Steenland, Northwest Airlines president and chief executive officer,
said, “We sincerely appreciate Bernie’s contributions during a critical
time for Northwest Airlines. Bernie has built a strong finance team that,
under his leadership, helped reduce significantly our non-labor costs
while maintaining one of the best liquidity positions in the industry. We
wish him well in his future endeavors.”

Commenting on Cohen, Steenland said, “Neal is a well-recognized finance
and strategic leader in the airline industry and will be a tremendous
asset. He has expertise in every aspect of financial management and brings
more than 19 years of experience to his new position.”

From 1991 to 2000, Cohen held a number of senior marketing and finance
positions at Northwest Airlines, including senior vice president and
treasurer.

Steenland added, “Neal brings first-hand knowledge of Northwest to his new
job. This familiarity will be very helpful as we continue to take the
steps necessary to ensure that Northwest remains a long-term player in the
industry.”

Discussing his new assignment, Cohen said, “It is a pleasure to be back at
Northwest. While the industry faces some significant challenges, the
company also has the key ingredients to remain an industry leader,
including a strong domestic and international route network, world-class
hub facilities, premier alliance partners and a history of innovation. I
look forward to working with Doug and the entire Northwest team as we work
to successfully address the key challenges facing the airline.”

Cohen, 45, was executive vice president of finance and chief financial
officer for US Airways from April 2002 to April 2004. Prior to US Airways,
Cohen served as chief financial officer for various service and financial
organizations. He held key positions at Northwest from 1991 to 2000. Prior
to joining Northwest, he spent seven years at General Motors’ New York
treasurer’s office.

Northwest also announced that T. Jeffrey Putnam has been promoted to
senior vice president of finance. He was formerly vice president of
financial planning and analysis. In addition to his current
responsibilities, Putnam will now provide senior leadership to the finance
team.

“Jeff is a seasoned financial executive who has been instrumental in
Northwest’s efforts to control operating costs. I will depend on his
leadership as we endeavor to keep our costs in line with anticipated
revenues,” Cohen said.

Cohen has master of business administration and bachelor degrees from the
University of Chicago.

Putnam received a bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College and a master of
business administration degree from Stanford University.
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