Northwest Airlines Announces New Nonstop Jet Service to Minneapolis/St. Paul; Blue Grass Airport Now Offers Service to 16 Destinations

Lexington, KY – Northwest Airlines today announced new nonstop jet service between its hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul and Lexington, KY. One daily flight will be offered beginning June 9.

In the last four months Blue Grass Airport has announced flights to six cities and Minneapolis will bring the number of nonstop destinations available from Lexington to 16.

"Northwest Airlines is pleased to add service in Lexington," said Tom Bach, vice president of market planning and Airlink. "Minneapolis/St. Paul is one of the most requested destinations among travelers in the Bluegrass region, and customers traveling through our hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul will enjoy convenient connections to cities throughout the Midwest, West, Hawaii, Alaska and western Canada."

The additional flight will complement existing Northwest service between Lexington and Northwest's hubs at Detroit, MI and Memphis, TN., providing Blue Grass Airport with nonstop flights to all three domestic Northwest hubs and connections to hundreds of destinations worldwide through Northwest and its SkyTeam partners. Northwest is the leading carrier of international passengers in Lexington.

"Blue Grass Airport welcomes Northwest Airlines' decision to add a new nonstop jet flight from Lexington to a third hub," said Michael Gobb, the airport's executive director. "To lure this new service to the Blue Grass region, over 300 Central Kentucky companies and individuals submitted letters of support to Northwest Airlines detailing the need for access to Minneapolis and beyond. Northwest has been a generous partner in our efforts to connect central Kentucky to the world, and we look forward to expanding that partnership through new daily jet service to the Minneapolis hub."

"Today's announcement of nonstop service to Minneapolis/St. Paul is an important benchmark in the continued growth and diversity of our economy," added U.S. Rep Ben Chandler (D-KY). "Lexington is a great place to do business and Northwest Airlines is an important partner in the continued growth of this region. As a new member of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, I look forward to making sure Blue Grass Airport provides top quality air service for years to come."

The new flights will be operated by Northwest Airlink partner Pinnacle Airlines Corp. using the very popular Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ), which seats up to 50 passengers.

Lexington brings the number of destinations served from Northwest's hub at Minneapolis/St. Paul to 170. Northwest's new service is now available for sale at www.nwa.com, by telephone at Northwest Airlines reservations at 1-800-225-2525 or through travel agencies.

New Minneapolis/St. Paul-Lexington service
(Flight number/Departs/Arrives):
NW 2977* 6:52 p.m. 10:01 p.m.

New Lexington/Minneapolis/St. Paul service
(Flight number/Departs/Arrives):
NW 5605** 7:00 a.m. 8:05 a.m.

* Effective June 9
** Effective June 10

Blue Grass Airport is served by six major airline brands providing convenient nonstop service to 16 major hub cities and direct service to hundreds of destinations worldwide. The airport proudly serves over one million Central and Eastern Kentucky travelers each year.