Review of Northwest Airlines flight Detroit → Boston in First

Airline Northwest Airlines

Flight NW 372

Class First

Seat 4C

Aircraft Airbus A320

Flight time 01:46

Take-off 02 Nov 08, 10:27

Arrival at 02 Nov 08, 12:13

DTW BOS Detroit Boston

4 reviews

By jetsetpanda 3579

Published on 19th February 2014

Continuing with my ordeal in DTW, after NW stranded me and put me in a mediocre hotel with a room on the first floor and a view of the parking lot in the back, I decided to return to the airport quickly once I woke up and took a shower.

I headed to the Business counter to see if I could go on an earlier flight. There were a lot of Asian passengers in line and finally I was helped by a disinterested agent. She typed something on her computer and told me that there was nothing available. I then went through security which was quick and professional.

Seeing the terminal during the day was a different experience from the night before when I arrived. Of course, there were more people and activity, but one thing that caught my attention was the elevated train inside. It was great to see this train painted in red with the NW logo on the side.

I rode on it several times and then decided to explore further by going through the underground tunnel that connected the terminals. It was a bit of a psychedelic experience with the constantly changing colors on the sides of the wall.

I used the breakfast voucher that NW provided me the night before and purchased a smoked salmon bagel. After eating breakfast I walked around taking pictures of the airplanes.

A beloved DC-9

They say time flies when you are having fun and very soon I was boarding my connecting flight to BOS. A flight attendant that was posted at the door recognized me since she was working in Y on the SFO-DTW flight that I took the night before. She was extremely friendly and gave me a very sincere welcome aboard. Pre-departure drinks were offered and eventually the door closed and we were on our way to BOS.

The nice FA was working in the back and we were left alone with the F male purser. He started the service by offering drinks and later passed with a snack basket. I chose a unripe banana with some pretzel chips. This guy was just like a robot going through the motions without any personality.

We finally arrived in BOS and after exiting I looked back and took a picture of my plane.

I then rode on the T to the Hilton Back Bay hotel. The hotel was close to Copley Square and my room was very comfortable. There were some nice views from my room as well as the end of the hallway.

Hilton Back Bay

Views of BOS

Cape Cod

Verdict

Northwest Airlines

7.3/10

Cabin8.0

Cabin crew7.0

Entertainment/wifi7.5

Meal/catering6.5

Detroit - DTW

9.0/10

Efficiency8.5

Access9.0

Services9.0

Cleanliness9.5

Boston - BOS

8.8/10

Efficiency8.0

Access9.0

Services9.0

Cleanliness9.0

Conclusion

Flight was uneventful and service was average. I think that something more substantial than a snack basket should have been offered on this flight. I arrived on time in BOS and I was glad that I spent some time in DTW capturing some memories of its previous occupant. The elevated train is a unique sight and an enjoyable one. Hope you enjoyed these images.

1
LIKES LIKE TO THANK THE AUTHOR

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13 Comments

pititom — GOLD 10946 Comments 2014-02-19 11:21:31

Thank you for digging your archives to present this now disappeared company. I know this kind of catering is now the norm with US carriers, but was it already in 2008 or did NWA open the way ?
2014-02-19 11:21:31

pititom — GOLD 10946 Comments 2014-02-22 09:08:19

Thanks for the information :)
2014-02-22 09:08:19

jetsetpanda — AUTHOR 2294 Comments 2014-02-19 17:51:15

I think NW opened the way with this kind of catering. If I remember correctly UA used to serve meals in F on the ORD-East Coast flights. Then again, ORD and JFK, LGA, BOS or DCA were major business markets full of paid premium passengers. DTW does not command that type of customers so maybe NW could afford to be cheaper and not up to par with competition. Just look at my previous SFO-DTW flight without a choice in F. That is unheard of with other carriers. As a matter of fact, I remember other NW flights like MSP-SFO in F that did not have choice of meals either.
2014-02-19 17:51:15

marathon — SILVER 9604 Comments 2014-02-19 12:21:34

Thanks again for these souvenirs of bygone times !
2014-02-19 12:21:34

jetsetpanda — AUTHOR 2294 Comments 2014-02-19 17:54:06

You are most welcome. I have a really gem that I might work on a future report. My first and only time with SABENA (Such A Bad Experience Never Again) ;) from JFK-BRU-JFK in J. I need to take the time to hunt those pictures and scan them from prints to digitals.
2014-02-19 17:54:06

lagentsecret — GOLD 12470 Comments 2014-02-19 12:56:35

Thanks for sharing this FR

Gorgeous spotting of NW birds in DTW

One of my first MR was ex-CMB with NW

Nice tourist bonus : you're great at taking tourist pictures ;)
2014-02-19 12:56:35

jetsetpanda — AUTHOR 2294 Comments 2014-02-19 17:55:56

Thank you for your kind words. I will have a feast on my next trip to New York in March. ;)
2014-02-19 17:55:56

Chibcha — 436 Comments 2014-02-19 13:46:13

Thanks for this Retro FR, I liked a lot how NW's planes looked...sadly it seems that's probably all what was good with them.
2014-02-19 13:46:13

jetsetpanda — AUTHOR 2294 Comments 2014-02-19 17:58:18

I tend to agree with you. NW was a mediocre airline for most of its existence. Their livery and logo was another story. I think the latter one with the N in a circle and with the arrow pointing in the northwest direction was created by Landor Associates, which was an image consultant agency. That was a stroke of genius.
2014-02-19 17:58:18

KévinDC — TEAM SILVER 5362 Comments 2014-02-20 06:04:32

I wish DL had kept a few NWA painted AC as Retro-jets. Those colors were soooooo beautiful. I used to live in MN and used to see those beautiful planes all the time. In my experience with NWA, MSP based crews were usually more chatty (Minnesota 'nice') than DTW based crews. In 2008, I flew UA F quite a bit and never got more then a snack and a drink on East-coast to ORD and ORD to MSP
2014-02-20 06:04:32

jetsetpanda — AUTHOR 2294 Comments 2014-02-21 09:56:05

Yes, it's a shame that DL did not preserve any of the NW painted planes.

By snacks on UA you mean more than just a snack basket, right?
2014-02-21 09:56:05

Jett Tyler — SILVER 197 Comments 2018-11-28 00:07:54

Loved reading this NWA report! Never really got a chance to see them. Love the bowling shoe livery!
2018-11-28 00:07:54
jetsetpanda — AUTHOR 2294 Comments 2018-11-30 14:50:04

Hi Jett Tyler

Thank you for your comments. NW had very nice and creative liveries towards the end IMHO.
2018-11-30 14:50:04

Stats on the review

About the author

jetsetpanda

jetsetpanda is member of Flight-Report since October 2013.

He wrote 173 reviews about 52 airlines and 65 airports.

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Information, Rating, and reviews on airline

IATA CODE : NW

Average

Cabin Crew
CATERING
CABIN
IN-FLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT

More information

AirlineNorthwest Airlines
ClassFirst
AircraftAirbus A320
Take-offDTW
Arrival atBOS
Flight time01:46

Review of Northwest Airlines flight Detroit → Boston in First

Verdict

Northwest Airlines

Detroit - DTW

Boston - BOS

Conclusion

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13 Comments

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