Northwest to Raise Fuel Surcharges, Cut Capacity

In response to the high cost of fuel and a shaky economy, Northwest Airlines is raising fuel surcharges and cutting capacity.

Fuel surcharges on flights from Japan to North America will increase $20, to $160 one way, starting May 1. On March 18, Northwest increased one-way fuel surcharges from $115 to $155 for flights from North America to Europe, India, Japan and most other destinations in Asia.

As far as fare hikes, since the beginning of 2008 Northwest said it has participated in 11 attempts by various carriers to increase fares to reflect rising fuel costs, although most have been rolled back because some airlines failed to match.

In September, after peak summer travel concludes, Northwest will reduce its scheduled domestic capacity by approximately 5 percent versus its 2008 business plan.

As a result of the 5 percent domestic capacity reduction, Northwest will remove 15 to 20 aircraft from service. Two DC-9s will be removed in June and the remainder in the fall. The fleet reductions will include approximately 10 DC-9s and the balance a mix of Boeing 757s, Airbus A320s and Airbus A319s.