NWA filed bankruptcy, restructured, and are trying to deal with their creditors to resume business as usual. Apparently, part of the restructuring is to totally terminate any ounce of customer service the airline EVER possessed.
My husband and I recently took a short vacation. It started and ended in a unique fashion thanks to NWA. Let me begin by saying we reside in NWA country. In other words, we are geographically located near their headquarters (Minneapolis/St Paul) much to our dismay. Although the airline does not have a 100% monopoly on the air traffic, its damn close! Between the bankruptcy and lack of competition, many of us are at the mercy of NWA.
It all started with a 5:30 am flight from STC to MSP. STC is a one gate airport. It literally shuts down between flights. No - that is not a joke - it is an observation. When you board the plane, you walk up a staircase that is dropped down from the plane by the one female stewardess who has the privilege of flying with you.
My husband and I take our seats, wait for the 6 or 7 other passengers to be seated and when we are all ready to go, the stewardess hoisted the staircase up and folded it into the wall of the plane, shut the door and started the preparations for departure. But wait - the flight isn't ready. So, open goes the door and the stewardess throws down the staircase again. The pilot departs the plane and he is off to the terminal. (Time to switch the lights back on.) My husband and I determined he must have needed a potty break. Once the Pilot reboards the plane, the stewardess (who apparently has no need for a "heavy hands" workout) pulls up the staircase and secures it's position once again.
We are then informed they are going to "spray down" the plane. Why? Don't know! Also, what ever the issue, only one side of the plane was "sprayed down". Let me just point out that the snow had melted, the weather was warm and it wasn't insect season. Now that the pilot has had his potty break, the stewardess her workout, and the plane it's bath - we think we will be off to Minneapolis. But wait . . .
Slight problem - one of the shade tree mechanics that has replaced a "real" mechanic must not have done his job because one of the engines does not want to start. With "winding the propeller" losing to a different method of repair, the pilot calls in the Calvary. Meet the Calvary - a pickup truck that will, get this, are you ready?, "jump" the plane. You heard me - they jump started the plane so that we could take off for the "big city". After this 'repair' the plane taxied for what seemed to be 1/2 of the journey to Minneapolis and finally, we were off.
Did I mention that this flight, with seamless execution, is 20 minutes from beginning to end?
