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Northwest Airlines Launches Daily Service from Minneapolis to Paris

09 April 2008

Innovative Business Travel Industry Convention Industry

MINNEAPOLIS—April 9, 2008—Northwest Airlines yesterday serviced its first inaugural nonstop flight from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Paris, France. The flight will be offered in cooperation with its joint venture partner, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines. Customers traveling on this new route will ride Airbus A330-300, the newest transatlantic aircraft in the Northwest plane repertoire.

Daily Flight Schedule from Minneapolis to Paris

Minneapolis/St. Paul-Paris

Flight number: NW 62

Departs: 3:30 p.m.

Arrives: 7:20 a.m. next day

Paris-Minneapolis/St. Paul

Flight number: NW 61

Departs: 12:45 p.m.

Arrives: 3:10 p.m. same day

Estimated Economic Impact

“This new route will be great for the Minnesota tourism economy,” said Bill Deef, vice president of tourism at Meet Minneapolis. “In recent months, we have seen a growing number of international tourists come to our area and this flight will make our city even more accessible to French travelers.”

Northwest Airlines estimates that the new nonstop route will bring $200 million yearly to Minneapolis Saint Paul. Research conducted also concludes the following key facts about French tourists:

  • The U.S. ranks #1 among long-haul destinations for the French travelers
  • French travelers to the U.S. rank #3 in Europe after U.K. and Germany
  • Average length of stay in the U.S. is 2 weeks
  • French travelers are true tourists. As there is no significant French community in the U.S., when the French travel, they do not stay with family, but reserve hotels, restaurants, excursions
  • The French are repetitive travelers. After their first taste of the U.S., they envisage a return trip to another area

New Service to Paris and 39 New Destinations through Codeshare

Northwest recently announced it is adding new connections beyond Paris. The NWA code will now appear on Air France-operated flights to 39 destinations throughout Europe, Africa and the Middle East from the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. The Codeshare implementation enables customers to easily book reservations and enjoy convenient one-stop check-in and luggage service for connecting flights.

ABOUT NORTHWEST AIRLINES

Northwest Airlines is one of the world’s largest airlines with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,400 daily departures. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that offers customers one of the world’s most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 1,000 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents.

ABOUT MEET MINNEAPOLIS

Meet Minneapolis is a private, not-for-profit, member-based association. It actively promotes Minneapolis as a venue for conventions and meetings and markets the city as a desirable tourist destination to bring a positive economic impact and awareness to the Minneapolis-Saint Paul area. Visit www.minneapolis.org for events, attractions, arts & culture and culinary information.

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