Northwest Airlink
Encyclopedia
Northwest Airlink was the trade name of Northwest Airlines
' regional airline
service, which flew turboprop
and regional jet
aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Service was primarily to small-to-medium sized cities and towns where larger aircraft might not be economical to operate and also to larger markets to either provide additional capacity or more frequent flights than could be justified using mainline aircraft. Beginning in July, 2009, the Northwest Airlink trade name was phased out, and replaced by the Delta Connection
trade name, for Delta Air Lines
as part of the Delta/Northwest merger.
Fischer Brothers Aviation, Pacific Island Aviation
, Business Express Airlines
and Simmons Airlines
formerly operated under the Northwest Airlink name.
Northwest Airlink service was operated using 34-seat Saab 340
turboprops and 50-seat CRJ200
aircraft in a single class of service. Mesaba Airlines and Compass Airlines also operated Bombardier CRJ-900s and Embraer E-175s, respectively. Both aircraft were operated in a 76-seat, two-class configuration.
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
' regional airline
Regional airline
Regional airlines are airlines that operate regional aircraft to provide passenger air service to communities without sufficient demand to attract mainline service...
service, which flew turboprop
Turboprop
A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...
and regional jet
Regional jet
A Regional jet , is a class of short to medium-range turbofan powered airliners.-History:The term "Regional jet" describes a range of short to medium-haul turbofan powered aircraft, whose use throughout the world expanded after the advent of Airline Deregulation in the United States in...
aircraft from Northwest's domestic hubs in Minneapolis, Detroit, and Memphis. Service was primarily to small-to-medium sized cities and towns where larger aircraft might not be economical to operate and also to larger markets to either provide additional capacity or more frequent flights than could be justified using mainline aircraft. Beginning in July, 2009, the Northwest Airlink trade name was phased out, and replaced by the Delta Connection
Delta Connection
Delta Connection is the name under which a number of individually owned regional airlines and one wholly owned regional carrier operate short and medium haul routes in association with Delta Air Lines Inc...
trade name, for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
as part of the Delta/Northwest merger.
Service providers
The service was operated by three separate companies:- Compass AirlinesCompass Airlines (North America)Compass Airlines is a regional airline headquartered at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Fort Snelling, Hennepin County, Minnesota; prior to December 16, 2009, it was headquartered in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, east of the Chantilly CDP...
(a wholly owned subsidiary of Trans States HoldingsTrans States HoldingsTrans States Holdings is a privately owned holding company of three certified regional airlines: Compass Airlines, GoJet Airlines and Trans States Airlines. The holding company is headquartered in Brigeton, Missouri near the Lambert-St...
) operates Embraer 175 aircraft throughout the United States. It was formed using the operating certificate previously held by Independence AirIndependence AirIndependence Air was a low-cost airline, owned by FLYi, Inc., headquartered in the Loudoun Gateway Corporate Center in Dulles, unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia, United States that operated from 1989 until 2006. Its route network focused on the East Coast of the United States, but it also...
. - Mesaba AirlinesMesaba AirlinesMesaba Airlines is an American regional airline based in Eagan, Minnesota. The airline operates under Mesaba Aviation, Inc. a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation...
(now an independent company owned by Pinnacle Airlines Corporation as of July 1, 2010; formally a wholly owned subsidiary of Delta Air LinesDelta Air LinesDelta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
) operates the Saab 340Saab 340The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
turboprop, the CRJ200Bombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
, and the new CRJ900Bombardier CRJ700The Bombardier CRJ700, CRJ900, and CRJ1000 are regional airliners based on the Bombardier CRJ200. Final assembly of the aircraft is at Montréal-Mirabel International Airport in Mirabel, Quebec, outside Montreal, Canada.-Development:...
aircraft throughout the United States. - Pinnacle Airlines, Inc. (an independent company owned by Pinnacle Airlines Corporation) operates the CRJ200Bombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
and CRJ900 throughout the United States.
Fischer Brothers Aviation, Pacific Island Aviation
Pacific Island Aviation
Pacific Island Aviation was an airline headquartered on the second floor of the Cabrera Center in Garapan, Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands. It operated passenger and cargo services. Its main base was Saipan International Airport...
, Business Express Airlines
Business Express Airlines
Business Express Airlines , often referred to simply as Business Express or BizEX was an American regional airline founded as Atlantic Air in 1982. In an effort to appeal with its predominantly business commuter clientele, the airline assumed the Business Express name in 1985...
and Simmons Airlines
Simmons Airlines
Simmons Airlines is the predecessor to American Eagle Airlines based in the United States. Its headquarters were originally near Marquette, Michigan, at the Marquette County Airport in Negaunee, and were eventually moved to the Near North Side of Chicago, Illinois.- History :Simmons Airlines, Inc....
formerly operated under the Northwest Airlink name.
Fleet
Saab 340
The Saab 340 is a discontinued Swedish two-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65:35 ratio...
turboprops and 50-seat CRJ200
Bombardier CRJ200
The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
aircraft in a single class of service. Mesaba Airlines and Compass Airlines also operated Bombardier CRJ-900s and Embraer E-175s, respectively. Both aircraft were operated in a 76-seat, two-class configuration.
Incidents and accidents
- March 4, 1987: Northwest Airlink Flight 2268, operating under Fischer Brothers Aviation, a CASA 212 was on a scheduled flight from MansfieldMansfield, OhioMansfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Richland County. The municipality is located in north-central Ohio in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau, approximately southwest of Cleveland and northeast of Columbus....
to DetroitDetroit, MichiganDetroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
with an intermediate stop in ClevelandCleveland, OhioCleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
when it crashed while landing at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County AirportDetroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
. The plane yawed violently to the left about 70 feet above the runway, skidded to the right, hit 3 ground support vehicles in front of Concourse F and caught fire. Out of 19 occupants onboard (16 passengers and 3 crew)), 9 were killed. The cause of the crash was determined to be pilot error. - December 1, 1993: Northwest Airlink 5719 being operated by Express Airlines II, a Jetstream 31, was flying a scheduled flight from Minneapolis-Saint Paul International AirportMinneapolis-Saint Paul International AirportMinneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.-Overview:...
to International FallsInternational Falls, MinnesotaInternational Falls is a city in and the county seat of Koochiching County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 6,424 at the 2010 census....
with an enroute stop in HibbingHibbing, MinnesotaHibbing is a city in Saint Louis County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 16,361 at the 2010 census. The city was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world. U.S...
when it crashed while approaching for landing at Chisholm-Hibbing AirportChisholm-Hibbing AirportRange Regional Airport is a public use airport located four nautical miles southeast of the central business district of Hibbing, a city in St. Louis County, Minnesota, United States. It was formerly known as Chisholm-Hibbing Airport or Chisholm-Hibbing Municipal Airport...
. The plane descended struck the tops of trees and then two ridges and came to rest inverted on its right side. All 18 occupants (16 passengers and 2 crew) died. The cause of the crash was the lack of crew-coordination and loss of awareness of the altitude during a night instrument landing. - Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 crashed on October 14, 2004, near Jefferson City, Missouri, United States. It was an overnight ferry flight from Little Rock, Arkansas, U.S. to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, U.S...
was a Bombardier CRJ200Bombardier CRJ200The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliner manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet.-Development:...
with a crew of two operating a ferry flight (with no passengers) from Little Rock, AR to Minneapolis, MN. It crashed on October 14, 2004 in a residential area in Jefferson City, MO due to the flight crew pushing the plane past its capabilities and ignoring warnings. The NTSB has since finished its investigation of the accident.