Northwest Airlines adds first-class service at airport

Northwest Airlines has joined American Airlines in offering first-class service from the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport.

Northwest Airlines began first-class service on its 10:35 a.m. flight to Memphis on Sept. 3, said Philip Reed, vice president of marketing for Northwest Airlink, a the 166-plane regional carrier that supplies aircraft for dozens of Northwest's domestic routes.

"It's a function of the demand of the market," said Kurt Ebenhoch, spokesman for the Northwest Airlines. "We feel we can profitably add the capacity."

The plane used for the new service is the 69-passenger, British-made Avro RJ85 (ARJ).

Northwest's three other Springfield to Memphis round trips will continue to be flown on 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jets (CRJ), which are built by Bombadier in Canada.

American Airlines offers first-class service to and from St. Louis.

Local changes

The move is Northwest's fourth change affecting Springfield operations in 2002.

On May 25, the carrier restored weekend service of its Detroit-Springfield route. It added a fourth daily nonstop to Memphis on June 7 and began Saturday-only service from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Springfield on June 29, said Ebenhoch

"Obviously, we're very happy to get some good aviation news, some growth news, in such a bad year," said Sherry Wallace, marketing director for the Springfield-Branson Regional Airport.

The move gives Northwest the option of serving the "highly sought after business traveler," she added.

American Airlines is the only other carrier to offer first class service in Springfield, Wallace added.

First-class perks

The differences between flying first class or coach on Northwest's 65-minute run between Springfield and Memphis are in the details not all of which are on board the plane. Seats and aisles are wider and there's more carry-on space in the 16-seat first-class section than the 53-seat coach section. All beverages also are complimentary.

Separate check-in lines, early boarding privileges and first on/first off features are other first-class perks. The cost difference between the two sections is substantial $193.50 for coach versus $462.50 for first class. Ticket fares are according to a Northwest ticket agent for a 30-day advance purchase and include applicable airport fees and taxes.

Many flyers using this service wouldn't handle the fees out of pocket, Ebenhoch said.

"A lot of our customers upgrade to first class because of their status in our frequent flyer program."

Why now?

Ebenhoch said "this is the next step for us in the route development of the Memphis-Springfield service." The ARJ follows the CRJ and the 34-passenger Saab 340 turbo prop before it, he added. After this, if Springfield's traffic should warrant it, would come Northwest's own smallest mainline jet, a DC-9.

There is no specific length of time Northwest's first-class service will operate in Springfield, because "airline schedules have the shelf life of yogurt," Reed said. "It's in the marketplace for as long as its successful."