NORTHWEST AIRLINES (NWA) How Northwest Airlines is screwing their customers through hidden fees. Columbus, Ohio

How Northwest Airlines is screwing their customers

August 17, 2009

I recently had the most awful experience I have ever had with an airline.  This situation is so ridiculous I would almost find it humorous if it hadnt happened been me they screwed.  Take my advice and never fly with Northwest Airlines! 

I booked a multiple destination flight from Columbus to San Antonio, San Antonio to Dallas, and then Dallas back to Columbus through Orbitz.  Northwest Airlines issued my ticket.  Three days before my flight from San Antonio to Dallas, I decided instead to drive to Dallas early and just catch my flight back to Columbus.  I called Orbitz  to see if I could get some money back for driving instead of flying one leg of the trip and was told I had to cancel that flight.  So I agreed and after the flight was cancelled, I was then told that my flight from Dallas to Columbus had been cancelled as well.

Evidently Northwest loves to collect extra fees for changing tickets.  If you purchase a ticket that goes to multiple destinations, you not only cant cancel any portion of the trip, you have to literally show up for every leg of trip or your entire trip is cancelled!  Not only was I not allowed to cancel my flight from San Antonio to Dallas, they told me that if I didnt show up for my flight in San Antonio, my flight to Columbus would be cancelled as well.  How much would it cost me to drive one leg of the trip instead of flying.a minimum of $200, possibly more!

I cant believe the desperation of Northwest Airlines to try and make an extra buck by hiding fees in their Terms of Agreement!  When I called their customer service, they were extremely rude and obnoxious.  I was shocked!  I would never have believed I would receive this kind of treatment from any business much less a big airline.  Now Im out hundreds of dollars by missing my flight from San Antonio and have to pay a minimum of $200 if I want to re-book my flight from Dallas to Columbus.

People should be aware that Northwest might be cheap to fly, but they are hiding as many fees as they can in the small print of those online agreements you agree to when you click accept.  I will never fly Northwest Airlines again and I hope many people will read this and avert disaster.  Just pay a little extra and fly Southwest which is an honest company.

The only consolation I have had throughout this awful experience is the knowledge that companies like Northwest, who are dishonest and corrupt, will always go out of business when they resort to this kind of dishonest behavior.

In disgust,

Jonathan