Northwest Airlines’ Internet Check-In Available To All Customers Flying Domestically Beginning December 1

Customers Can Now Bypass all Airport Lines and go Straight to the Gate by Printing Boarding Passes from their Home or Office

Imagine bypassing the long check-in lines at the airport ticket counter because you’ve already checked yourself in and printed out your boarding pass in the comfort of your home or office. Northwest Airlines is the first major network carrier to launch new technology that's even more convenient – Internet Check-in through nwa.com.

Beginning Dec. 1, Northwest’s Internet check-in program will be available to all customers flying domestically. Customers who use Internet check-in will receive 1,000 WorldPerks Bonus Miles each way, or 2,000 WorldPerks Bonus Miles on a round-trip itinerary, through December 31, 2000.

Internet Check-in is currently available in 27 Northwest markets. Last week, during Northwest’s busiest Thanksgiving Holiday travel season, more than 10,000 customers used Internet check-in.

This new service literally puts the entire check-in process at the passenger’s fingertips, while still offering the functionality of other popular Northwest self-service devices. With Internet check-in, passengers can:


Print their own boarding pass from their home or office computer


Change to a different flight


Change or confirm a seat assignment


Enter or change a WorldPerks number or reservation


Obtain WorldPerks Elite Card Member upgrades


Upgrade to First Class on available flights with a Northwest E-FirstSM upgrade


Internet check-in is an innovative process that’s both quick and easy:

1) Service available less than 24-hours and more than 90 minutes prior to departure. Passengers can go to the Internet check-in URL at: www.nwa.com/checkin.

2) The prompt will ask for the passengers’ name and a confirmation number, WorldPerks number or a major credit card number.

3) Passengers then answer a series of required security questions, in order to proceed.

4) Next, passengers have the ability to print out their boarding pass directly from their computer on regular paper (no special equipment or materials needed).

5) Upon arrival at the airport, passengers may go directly to the boarding agent, bypassing all ticket check-in lines and allowing passengers to go straight to the gate. The agent will scan the bar code on the boarding pass, asking for identification, and then it’s on to the plane.


If an Internet check-in passenger is traveling with luggage, there is additional information advising passengers to check luggage curbside at a Northwest SkyCap station.

“People don’t like long lines or lack of information,” said Dirk McMahon, senior vice president, Northwest Ground Services. “New Northwest initiatives like Internet check-in will help bust those lines while giving customers the information and control they tell us they want.”

“Continuing to enhance the capabilities of our self service check-in kiosks makes the customer experience easier and more enjoyable, and that’s our main objective,” said McMahon. Northwest will have 240 self-service devices at nearly 40 domestic airports by year-end.