NORTHWEST AIRLINES INITIATES STEPS TO ADDRESS FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE CONCERNS

Northwest Airlines has announced several steps it has taken to address foot-and-mouth disease concerns for travel to Europe.

Northwest has waived its change and cancellation fees for passengers wishing to change their travel plans to Great Britain on or before May 21. The waiver is a result of concerns related to foot-and-mouth disease.

Secondly, Northwest is cooperating with a request from the U.S. Department of Agriculture by having flight attendants make an announcement on Europe-U.S. flights that due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in livestock, meat and dairy products from Europe cannot be brought into the United States. The announcement states that foot-and-mouth disease, while not a human risk, is very contagious in animals and can be accidentally carried on shoes and clothing. If passengers have been at a zoo, on a farm, or in contact with livestock in Europe, they should check the appropriate box on their Customs declaration form. Penalties for not declaring farm visits or prohibited items can run up to $1,000.

In addition, menu changes have been implemented on Northwest and partner KLM Royal Dutch Airlines flights from Europe to the United States. All pork and lamb products have been replaced. Beef was removed from Europe-U.S. menus effective March 1.

Beef served on all Northwest flights within North America and on U.S.-Asia flights is supplied from the United States and Australia where there is no evidence of livestock disease.

Northwest and KLM operate an extensive trans-Atlantic flight schedule linking 23 points in North America and Europe.

With annual revenues in excess of $11 billion and approximately 55,000 employees worldwide, Northwest Airlines is the world’s fourth largest airline, with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam and more than 2,700 daily departures. With it travel partners, Northwest serves more than 785 cities in 120 countries on six continents. Based on statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Northwest was the most on-time U.S. airline among the seven largest network carriers for the period 1990-2000.