Northwest Airlines
Ripoff Open to terrorists Bad Service REEEally bad luggage handling Minneapolis Minnesota

This is the letter I sent to nwa.com listing all of the issues I have had on this one trip. This is the ninth email I have sent them with no resolution yet.

Thank you for FINALLY getting back to me about my emails. Though why it would take seven days, I have no idea, unless your company is so backlogged with handling all of the customer complaints that it simply takes that long to get to every one. You thanked me for contacting you in regard to "the problems" I experienced with my luggage. I wish that was the only issue I had with you. I will go over it all so that it is all condensed into one list.

My family and I flew with you in December and as a result, my son's carseat was lost. Perhaps you're not familiar with state laws but let me assure you, Georgia requires children be placed in carseat until they are four years of age. Your kind baggage clerk in the baggage office had only infant car seats. We had to either squeeze our 3 1/2 year old into the infant seat or do without. I'm sorry, but I don't drive anywhere without my children properly belted in their carseats. Needless to say, we were put out very much by your mishandling of the situation. At least you did finally credit each of us a $75 ECV toward our next ticket. ONLY because of that did I choose to fly with you one more time.

I bought my ticket online and was eager to try the online check-in to take advantage of the 1000 bonus miles. Yet when I attempted to check in via computer, I received an error message that my check-in could not be processed. I immediately emailed nwa.com so that I was certain that I was doing everything on my end to make sure I complied with the rules of the bonus mile promotion. You might can imagine my surprise when I got an email response back that I was selected for random security screening and because of that, was ineligible for the bonus miles.

I have two problems with that. First, I couldn't care less if you randomly select me for security screening. Heck, I think we should screen everybody. But what I don't agree with is penalizing me for doing exactly what your promotion states I should be able to do. I followed all the rules but your company still managed to find a loophole to get out of giving me the miles you so happily advertise.

My second problem is much, much more serious. I absolutely cannot believe that you told me I was selected for a random security screening. How random can that be when I know well before I even leave for the airport that my bags will be checked? What worries me about that is that all a terrorist needs is a World Perks account and the ability to check in online and he'll know if he's been "randomly selected". If he gets that error message back, all he needs to do is either cancel the flight or pass his goods onto his buddy who was successful in his online check-in. I got that message HOURS before I left for the airport. That fact alone absolutely makes me not ever trust your airline to fly my family anywhere!

The flight staff on my flights were only mediocre. Every flight seemed to take off late. When I arrived at Japan for my connection to Seoul, the plane was seriously delayed while your boarding agents searched for volunteers to give up their seats because you had overbooked. For some reason, this overbooking ALWAYS happens at Narita Airport. These boarding agents would seat NO ONE until they had all the volunteers they needed. It was at this time that I heard your own flight attendants laughing about the company policies of making it right the first time for the customer. Now I know why.

When I finally arrived (late) in Seoul, I waited for nearly an hour for my luggage and it never showed up. This made the second time you've lost my luggage. It finally arrived courtesy of Korean Air late the next evening.

I tried many times to contact you that week while in Seoul but only got the runaround or a stateside number to call. You'll have to excuse me but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't reimburse or accept a collect call from overseas to hear my complaints. I asked for an upgrade to business class for the flight home but was just put off again. I tried to cash in my miles for an upgrade but your website wouldn't allow it. Finally I offered to pay at the gate but, lo and behold, the flight was overbooked again.

On the 10 hour flight from Japan to Minneapolis I was seated in the rear section of the plane that was serviced by a flight attendant named Katie. As she prepared every meal, I saw this woman run her fingers through her hair over the carts of food, add something to the trays, stick her hand in her shirt to adjust her bra, add something to the trays, play with her hair and add something to the trays. When she finally got around to serving the food, she wore gloves. I guess she didn't want to get the germs from her hair and her bra on her.

When I arrived in Minneapolis, I took my two pieces of checked luggage from the carousel and proceeded through Customs. I handed my bags to a Northwest agent and moved on into the terminal. I sat at the windows for my gate for the entire three hours that I was waiting for my connection. I watched the Northwest luggage carriers pull up to the Delta plane you put me on during that three hour time span. My luggage went from the Northwest agents at the conveyor belt outside of customs to the guy on the luggage tram straight to the Delta plane. There is no way that Delta would have missed getting my luggage since Northwest was who brought it out. Yet, when I arrived in Atlanta, one bag was gone. That was three times. Once I can understand as an accident, twice... Aggravating but maybe just coincidence. Three times? It seems that you must have a vendetta against me now.

When I got home, I noticed the one bag that I did receive was ripped at the zipper. The front pockets both had been torn as if someone had grabbed those pockets for handles instead of the handles that are designed to carry the weight of the suitcase. And no, the suitcases were no where close to being overweight. I had to work to get the zipper open because it looked as if it too had been used as a handle.

Late the next afternoon, my second bag finally arrived. It took was ripped on the pockets and the same zipper. I decided that I would throw both suitcases away because they were useless as travel pieces. Then I noticed that you compensate for damaged luggage.

So, I drove forty miles to the airport to see Northwest's luggage agent. He agreed to pay for the bags and then noticed that my very last flight had been with Delta. Then he would not pay for the suitcases. The interesting thing of course, is that my luggage was in Northwest's hands the entire time except when it was put on that plane to Atlanta. I don't for a second think that Delta is who damaged my luggage.

So to sum it up, the way I see it is this - you falsly advertise bonus miles, you consistently lose luggage, your flight staff is rude and frankly unconcerned about the health of their passengers, you leave a large, gaping window open for someone who might want to do your airline and this country harm, and its so evident that even your own flight attendants know about it and laugh about your company right in front of those passengers.

My family and I travel alot and we have flown many different airlines. Yours is easily the absolute worst I have ever encountered. You have no idea what customer service is, you're rude, you're irresponsible, and you're downright dangerous.

Kelley
Waleska, Georgia
U.S.A.

Company: Northwest Airlines
Country: USA
Site: nwa.com

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