March 16, 2007: The Atlanta-based carrier Northwest Airlines is to expand its services from Memphis to Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando and Seattle, starting May 2 this year. Under its expansion plans, the carrier will also add a new daily service between Indianapolis and Denver.

The carrier will add a new morning flight to Las Vegas from Memphis, increasing its daily non-stop schedule between the cities to two. The new service will commence operations on May 2. The flight 545 will depart Memphis at 8.30 am and arrive in Las Vegas at 10.07 am, while return flight 544 will depart Las Vegas at 11.45 pm and arrive in Memphis at 5.05 am, the next morning.

Northwest Airlines will operate four additional flights between Memphis and Orlando from May 2, with flight 944 departing at 2.15 pm and landing at Orlando at 5.07 pm. The return flight 943 will depart for Memphis at 5.40 pm and land in the city Memphis at 6.45 pm.

It will add an evening service from June 7 between Seattle and Memphis. The flight 985 will take off at 6.35 pm, arriving in the North-Western city at 9.02 pm. Flight 984 will set off at 6.55 am and arrive back in Memphis at 1.05 pm.

The carrier will provide extra seats on its three daily flights to Denver, connecting Colorado city and Memphis. It operates the services using Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft.

On the same day it will put into operation its new Indianapolis and Denver service with flight 325 departing the Indiana capital at 8.50 pm and arriving in Denver at 9.29 am. The return flight 324 will lift off at 4 pm and set down in Indianapolis at 8.25 pm.

It will add hundreds of seats on the Memphis-Denver routes that would be operated by Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. The Airbus will replace 50-passenger Canadair Regional Jet (CRJ) aircraft that are currently utilised on the route.

Northwest Airlines vice president (Network Planning and Revenue Management) Tom Bach said, "the additional flights along with larger aircraft utilised and operated on Menphis-Denver routes reflects our continuing commitment to business and leisure travellers with non-stop choices to leading destinations".

The increased convenience and route enhancements will double bonus miles on the Las Vegas, Orlando and Denver routes from their May 2 launch through June 15, and on the Indianapolis and Denver service between June 7 and August 20, he added.

The carrier is also adding a new daily service between Indianapolis and Denver, under an attempt to take on its Denver-based rival, Frontier Airlines. Frontier has moved into the Memphis market with non-stop flights to the same destinations that Northwest Airlines operates.

It has also extended its WorldPerks programme to travellers who fly from Memphis to Denver, Las Vegas and Orlando and back May 2 and June 15, and between Indianapolis and Denver from June 7 to August 20.