Northwest Airlines Receives Minnesota Governor's Award

Northwest Airlines (NYSE: NWA) was honored today as the recipient of a 2007 Minnesota Governor's Award for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention.

Northwest Airlines' application as "Conserving Resources - Doing Our Part," highlighted its fuel conservation and resource management, focusing on proactive fleet modernization, fuel conservation, and material recycling efforts.

"On behalf of my colleagues here at Northwest Airlines, I am excited to accept this award for our efforts. This is another example of our commitment to environmental sustainability and we will continue to strive to be a conservation leader in the airline industry," said Tim McGraw, Director of Corporate Environmental and Safety Programs.

The Minnesota Governor's Awards are given out annually to honor organizations, businesses and non-profit institutions for programs or projects that benefit the environment by reducing or eliminating waste and pollutants at the source. Applications are judged on benefits to the environment, economic efficiency, level of commitment and leadership, innovation and ability of the project to serve as a model for others.

In 2000, Northwest Airlines established a program of fuel

conservation and resource management including a $6 billion fleet modernization effort. The re-fleeting program has resulted in a savings of more than 250 million gallons of jet fuel per year which is the equivalent of removing 500,000 cars from the road. The airline has reduced its own carbon emissions by 25 percent since 2000 through its transition to newer, more fuel-efficient aircraft, including the recent delivery of its 32nd A330 aircraft. Northwest now operates the world's largest A330 fleet, the youngest international fleet and youngest transatlantic fleet of any U.S. carrier.

In addition, Northwest has replaced fuel trucks with fuel carts at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. These carts are stationed at each gate and connect to a system of fuel hydrants. This change reduces the need for trucks on the ground resulting in fuel savings.

Northwest also focuses on recycling and reclaiming most used aircraft parts in many ways. The airline has an active system in place for recycling significant amounts of scrap metal, aircraft parts, tires, wood, chemicals, oil, paper and cardboard generated as a result of normal operations.

The airline has received other environmental awards. The combination of Northwest Airlines' fleet replacement efforts and collaboration with airport management recently earned Northwest Airlines the 2007 "Environmental Capacity Award" from the Amsterdam Airport Schiphol's Board of Management. Northwest Airlines' replacement of DC-10 aircraft with A330's, which are quieter and produce fewer emissions, was viewed by judges as an "active fleet renewal with the best available technology".

Northwest's environmental initiatives are part of the airline's overall commitment to sustainability and corporate social responsibility. In December 2007, Northwest launched its EarthCares environmental program with a $1 million gift on behalf of the airline's employees and customers to its founding partner, The Nature Conservancy.

Later this year, Northwest customers will have the option of contributing to wildlife and land conservation projects around Northwest's hubs in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Detroit, and Memphis as well as China's First National Park. Customers will also be able to purchase carbon offset credits when they book their travel online.

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.