Mesaba Airlines has completed its first revenue
flight with the new 76-seat Bombardier CRJ900 regional jet aircraft.Flight 3675 departed Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport
(MSP) on-time at 7:00 a.m. Central Daylight Time with 76 passengers
and a crew of four. Flight 3675 arrived at Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport (DFW) at 9:42 a.m. CDT.

  “Today’s launch of the CRJ900 marks a new beginning for the people
of Mesaba Airlines and our customers,” said John Spanjers, Mesaba
president and chief operating officer. “The Mesaba team has worked
diligently over the past five months preparing for this day and we
look forward to introducing this state-of-the-art aircraft to cities
throughout the Heartland of the U.S.”

  The CRJ900 offers dual-class service with 12 seats in first class,
arranged in a one seat-aisle-two seat configuration, and 64 seats in
coach class, arranged in a two seat-aisle-two seat configuration.

  In addition, the interior of Mesaba’s Northwest Airlink CRJ900
regional jet has been modified from the standard CRJ900 platform to
provide customers with best-in-class comfort. Features include leather
seats, larger overhead compartments to accommodate more carry-on
luggage, larger windows offering enhanced passenger views, light
emitting diode (LED) lighting throughout the cabin, a new sidewall and
ceiling panel design, and additional headroom throughout the aircraft.

  “The 76-seat CRJ900 allows Northwest greater ability to tailor its
service to meet market demand while providing customers with a
comfortable and efficient flight experience,” said Neal Cohen, Mesaba
chairman and Northwest chief executive officer - regional airlines.
“The new aircraft type provides us the opportunity to offer Northwest
Airlink customers a best-in-class flight experience and we are pleased
to introduce the CRJ900 to our customers.”

  Mesaba’s first CRJ900 is currently scheduled to serve DFW, Fargo,
N.D., and Chicago (Midway) from Northwest’s MSP hub. Mesaba’s fleet
will grow to a total of 36 aircraft by the end of 2008.
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