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Northwest faces woes on ground, in air

Northwest Airlines mechanic Dennis Koutsky flashes a picket sign at passing motorist and airplanes outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport in Minnesota on Saturday. Members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association went on strike Saturday after talks with Northwest failed to reach a new contract. PHOTO: EPA

The fourth-largest US airline scrambled yesterday to stay in the air in the face of a walkout by its mechanics, but two scary incidents with its passenger planes cast a pall over the effort.

Northwest Airlines (NWA) planes took passengers to their destinations on the first day of the potentially crippling strike launched by the 5,400-member Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association (AMFA) that also represents aircraft cleaners and other service employees.

"We are very pleased with the quality and reliability of our operations so far," Northwest executive vice president Andy Roberts said on Saturday.

But two mishaps reported with NWA planes soon after called into question the company plan to weather the strike with the help of about 1,500 replacement workers.

Four tires blew out on a Northwest Boeing 757 as it landed in Detroit, Michigan, after a flight from Seattle, Washington, preventing the aircraft from taxiing to the gate.

Although no injuries were reported and passengers were taken to the terminal by bus, nationally-broadcast images of a crippled jet sitting on the tarmac surrounded by emergency crew reinforced the perception of an airline in trouble.

For the moment, Northwest ruled out sabotage, and said the incident would be investigated.

"All of the information at this time suggests that this was likely the result of an anti-skid braking issue and had nothing to do with the AMFA strike," it said in a statement.

However, as it was issuing an apology, another Northwest plane had to make a U-turn in the sky and rush back to Detroit because smoke was pouring into its cabin.

Company engineers believe the smoke may have been caused by a problem with the DC-9's left air conditioning system, which the crew quickly turned off.

The plane landed without incident, and passengers were taken to another aircraft to resume their journey to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

But vulnerability at Northwest, real or perceived, has prompted some of the company's competitors to invite NWA customers to jump ship, if their confidence in their carrier had been shaken.

United Airlines said it was ready to meet the needs of ticketed passengers affected by the strike.

"We understand that any disruption to business travel or end-of-summer vacations inconveniences customers, and we welcome them to United," said John Tague, a UAL executive vice president.

The strike by Northwest mechanics was triggered by a breakdown of marathon talks between their union and company management on a set of cost-saving measures the airline said were necessary to stave off bankruptcy.
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