The world’s fourth largest airline, Northwest Airlines will launch service to the Dominican Republic this Christmas season. The Dominican Republic, the Caribbean island with the most hotel rooms, more than 35,000, recently launched a major push to increase the flow of American travelers to the nation. Northwest will fly to Puerto Plata on December 20th with nonstop service from Minneapolis/St. Paul. Northwest will operate the flight once weekly (Saturdays) with Airbus A320 (150-seat) aircraft. The service will operate through April 4, 1998 as per confirmation to the DR One News and Information Service directly from Northwest Airlines. Northwest began on October 1, 1926, flying mail between Minneapolis/St. Paul and Chicago. The airline today maintains hub cities in Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul (world headquarters of the airline) and Tokyo. Northwest, with its global travel partners, serves more than 400 cities in over 80 countries on six continents. The U.S. system spans 49 states and the District of Columbia. Northwest has more than 1,700 daily flights and operates more than 130 nonstop flights between the United States and Asia each week. Reservations can be made by calling 1-800-225-2525 or online through WorldWeb Reservations at http://www.nwa.com Route Strengths. Northwest strengthened its U.S. route system by acquiring Republic Airlines in 1986, gaining hubs in Detroit and Memphis. In 1993, Northwest and KLM Royal Dutch Airlines formed an alliance offering convenient service between the U.S. and cities around the world. Northwest also has marketing affiliations with several regional airlines, operating as Northwest Airlink, that offer dozens of connecting flights daily. Northwest offers the most airline service between the United States and Japan. The Fleet. The airline operates a fleet of 402 aircraft including Boeing 727s, 747s, and 757s, McDonnell Douglas DC9s and DC10s, and Airbus A320s. Northwest also is one of the world’s largest cargo airlines, operating a dedicated fleet of eight B747 Freighters. Northwest has on order 115 aircraft, including Boeing 747-400s and 757-200s and Airbus A320s, A330s, and A319s.
