Northwest Airlines today announced it will offer the first and only nonstop service between Hartford and Amsterdam, the Netherlands, beginning July 1, 2007. In addition to providing the first and only nonstop service connecting Hartford-area travelers with one of Europe’s most popular business and leisure destinations and establishing Hartford’s only nonstop trans-Atlantic bridge, the new daily flight is timed to enable single connections to 81 cities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India through Northwest/KLM’s convenient Amsterdam hub.

“Our new nonstop service to Amsterdam will allow the many Connecticut and Western Massachusetts travelers destined for Europe to fly from the convenience of their home airport, saving them time by eliminating the need to drive to New York or Boston,” said Phil Haan, executive vice president - international, alliances and information technology and chairman of NWA Cargo, at a news conference in Hartford. “Through Northwest/KLM’s Amsterdam hub, scores of destinations throughout Europe, the Middle East, Africa and India will be a single, convenient connection away from Bradley International Airport.”

The flight is being offered in cooperation with Northwest’s joint venture partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and is part of an expansion of Northwest’s European flight network.

Capacity, Range of Modified 757 Make New Service Possible .

Northwest’s new flights from Hartford and other select U.S. cities to Europe are being operated with Boeing 757-200 aircraft. The aircraft are being fitted with “winglets,” or extensions of the aircraft wing, that improve the fuel efficiency of the 757 and in doing so, also extend its range.

“The 160-seat 757 allows us to offer service in these new markets now, as well as provide our customers with more choices through additional frequencies in existing markets,” said Haan.

Inside the aircraft, Northwest is making several improvements to the fleet dedicated to this new service in order to provide trans-Atlantic customers with a comfortable travel experience.

The World Business Class cabin will be configured with 16 new seats in a two-aisle-two arrangement. The World Business Class seat will provide five feet (1.5 meters) of personal space. The seat will have many features including a four-way movable headrest, a laptop computer power port, snake reading light, extendable foot rest and lumbar support, among other comforts.

World Business Class customers will be provided with a portable in-flight entertainment system with a wide variety of 40 movies, four short-subject videos, 16 music programs, 40 compact discs of music and six games to choose from, all available on-demand, so they can choose and play their entertainment when it fits their needs.

The coach class cabin will be equipped with 144 seats configured in a three-aisle-three arrangement. The “pitch,” or distance between rows, is being increased up to four inches, providing additional legroom and comfort.

Hartford will become Northwest/KLM’s 18th gateway to Europe through its Amsterdam hub. Northwest and KLM connect more of North America to Amsterdam than any other carrier. Northwest and KLM offer daily service between Amsterdam and Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston (Intercontinental), Los Angeles, Memphis, Tenn., Mexico City, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Montreal, New York (JFK), Newark, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, British Columbia and Washington D.C.

Other New Destinations, Flights, Added As Part of European Expansion

Northwest also announced it will increase the number of European destinations it serves from its WorldGateway at Detroit hub with new service to Brussels, Belgium beginning May 7, 2007 and Dusseldorf, Germany beginning June 5, 2007.

In addition, Northwest/KLM announced it will add new frequencies between Detroit and Amsterdam beginning June 15, 2007, and a second daily flight between Amsterdam and Boston on July 15, 2007. Also, Northwest/KLM’s service between Newark and Amsterdam will be operated by Northwest, allowing the two airlines to offer a third daily frequency from New York (JFK) to Amsterdam, operated by KLM, beginning July 1, 2007.

Northwest’s Detroit-Brussels and Detroit-Dusseldorf flights will initially operate five days per week. Beginning June 15, 2007, the flights will be offered on a daily basis.

All of Northwest’s new flights are currently available for sale through the airline’s Web site at http://www.nwa.com , Northwest Reservations Centers at 1-800-447-4747, or through some travel agents. The flights will be widely available for sale beginning Saturday, Oct. 14.

Currently, Northwest and its Northwest Airlink partners offer up to 10 daily flights from Hartford, including five flights to its WorldGateway at Detroit hub, three flights to its Minneapolis/St. Paul hub, and two flights to Indianapolis.

Northwest Airlines is the world’s fifth largest airline 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.
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