when will the insanity end??
 

AP

Northwest Airlines Drops Magazines
Northwest Airlines to Stop Carrying Magazines on Planes to Further Cut Costs

Wednesday June 1, 12:55 pm ET

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- In yet another effort to cut its non-labor costs, Northwest Airlines Corp. stopped carrying Newsweek, Glamour and other magazines on its planes and in its passenger club lounges on Wednesday.

Cutting magazine subscriptions out of the budget will save the airline $565,000 in the coming year, said Northwest spokesman Kurt Ebenhoch.

World Traveler, Northwest's monthly in-house magazine, will still be available.

Northwest, the nation's fourth-largest airline, lost $458 million in the last quarter and has been struggling with high fuel costs and tough labor negotiations.

Shares of Northwest fell 14 cents, or 2.3 percent, to $5.95 in afternoon trading on the New York Stock Exchange, where it has traded in a 52-week range of $4.20 to $11.83.

Last week, Northwest said that on June 9 it will drop free pretzels on all domestic flights.

Northwest is also proposing $2-per-bag fee for skycap baggage-check service. About 15 percent of Northwest passengers use the service, which handles about 4 million bags a year.

United Airlines has had success with its recent fee for skycap baggage checks in Seattle, so Northwest is running a trial fee in that city this month to see how passengers react.

American Airlines, which ditched all but in-house magazines in the fall of 2001, also has been experimenting in Seattle with charging $2 per bag for curbside bag checks.