Kudos to NWA

This time a good news story about NorthWest Airlines. Unfortunately it is second hand as it actually happened to a colleague today, not to me personally. Just before leaving for the airport she had checked the flight status and had discovered that the filght to which she was connecting had been cancelled. NWA had booked her on a later flight, but as luck would have it, she had a personal commitment and needed to get back earlier than the rebooked flight. She called NWA but the agent seemed not to be able to help her at all, even when my colleague offered to buy her own connection flight, but wanting to keep her return after the weekend.
She was not very happy on her way to the airport, and as soon as we arrived started working with the local check-in staff to see if they could arrange the non-cancellation of her return flight, if she travelled under her own steam from MSP to her home destination (you may have guessed, she travels on a reverse cycle, i.e. client-home-client).
After a few minutes of working on the computer the local ground staff, who know us quite well by now and who are always very friendly, gave her the good news that someone (who had to be the agent at the call center) had managed to find a different routing that would get her to her final destination just under an hour later than originally scheduled. Here is another example of someone applying good customer service by taking ownership of the customer's problem and finding a resolution. NorthWest, you may have your faults, but do your best to foster this sort of attitude in your staff; it will help you be successful.

I am afraid NWA had also earned an "soduk" , in addition to the above kudos, which concerns the recently changed boarding procedure on our flights from YWG. Although we have scanned our passports at the check-in terminal, and we have had our passports checked by the US Customs and Immigration at the pre-screening, NWA still insists on seeing our passport (or photo ID) before boarding because our flight is supposedly an international flight. Even though we have already passed customs, NWA does not see this as an domestic flight. Not a big deal, but it is a minor annoyance.