Northwest Airlines to begin new service between Memphis, Tenn. and Pittsburgh, Penn.; Northwest Airlines is the first carrier to provide nonstop service to Memphis, Tenn. from Pittsburgh, Penn.

M2 PRESSWIRE-17 August 2000-NORTHWEST AIRLINES: Northwest Airlines to begin new service between Memphis, Tenn. and Pittsburgh, Penn.; Northwest Airlines is the first carrier to provide nonstop service to Memphis, Tenn. from Pittsburgh, Penn. (C)1994-2000 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

RDATE:16082000

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL -- Northwest Airlines and its Northwest Airlink affiliate, Express Airlines I, announced today new nonstop jet service to Pittsburgh, Penn. from its Memphis, Tenn. hub.

Effective October 29, 2000, travelers from Pittsburgh International Airport will be able to take advantage of two daily nonstop flights to Memphis, Tenn. This new route is a result of Northwest's recent service expansion underway at Memphis-Shelby County Airport.

"This new service will provide Pittsburgh travelers with a direct connection to our Memphis hub, the most on-time hub airport in the United States and a gateway to more than 60 non-stop destinations," said Jim Cron, Northwest vice president - market planning and airlink. "Leisure travelers will enjoy easy access to great get-away destinations and business travelers will experience better connections and reduced flying time by using this strategically located, award-winning hub." Both daily flights will be operated by Northwest's Airlink partner, Express Airlines I Airlines, utilizing 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) aircraft. This new service provides nonstop flights to Memphis, Tenn., with convenient connections beyond.

Passengers now have easy access to destinations such as San Antonio, Tex., Oklahoma City, Okla., Baton Rouge, La. and Gulfport/Biloxi, Miss., as well as the only service to locations such as Tupelo, Laurel - Hattiesburg and Greenville, Miss.; and other cities in Western Kentucky and North Alabama.

Passengers traveling to and from Greater Pittsburgh, Penn. will benefit from this enhancement to our service. Northwest will now provide non-stop jet service to each of its domestic hubs at Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., Detroit, Mich. and Memphis, Tenn., providing a wide range of departure times and simple connections to its global network.

New CRJ Service Between Memphis and Pittsburgh

Memphis-Pittsburgh Pittsburgh- Memphis Flight # Depart Arrive Flight # Depart Arrive 5944 8:50 a.m. 11:55 a.m. 5945 6:45 a.m.

7:50 a.m.* 5906 8:45 p.m. 11:50 p.m. 5949 2:50 p.m. 3:55 p.m.

*Effective October 30, 2000.

Northwest Airlines is the world's fourth largest airline offering more than 2,600 daily departures with hubs in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam. With its travel partners, Northwest serves more than 750 cities in nearly 120 countries on six continents. Northwest and partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Received Air Transport World's prestigious "Airline of the year" in 1997.

Based on statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Northwest is the most on-time U.S. airline of the decade among the seven largest network carriers and is the 2000 recipient of the Air Transport World Airline Technology Management Award. Northwest's WorldPerks frequent flyer is the highest rated U.S. - based program reviewed by InsideFlyer Magazine, the leading authority on airline free travel programs, and in 1999 was named the most preferred frequent flyer program by the readers of Time in Asia. WorldPerks received the special "Industry Impact Award" during InsideFlyer's 12th Annual Freddie Awards. In 1999, Northwest's nwa.com was chosen as best airline web site by zdNews.com and business 2.0 and was named one of the top 50 sites by Internet World Magazine.

Express Airlines I is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Northwest Airlines, doing business as Northwest Airlink. The airline provides valuable passenger and cargo feed to Northwest and operates the Canadair Regional Jet and Saab 340. Express I was presented the Diamond Award for Maintenance Excellence and the On-Time, Every Time award for operational excellence in 1999.

CONTACT: Northwest Airlines Corporate Communications Tel: +1 612 726 2331

((M2 Communications Ltd disclaims all liability for information provided within M2 PressWIRE. Data prepared by named party/parties. Further information on M2 PressWIRE can be obtained at http://www.presswire.net on the world wide web. Inquiries to info@m2.com)).