Northwest Says It's Ready for Strike

Northwest Airlines has pledged to follow its regular schedule even if flight attendants go on strike Friday, as threatened.

The Minnesota-based airline, among the nation's largest, operates 10 daily, non-stop, round-trip flights between Bradley International Airport and cities in the Midwest -- Detroit, Minneapolis, and Indianapolis.

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In a posting on its website, the airline says it plans to serve all markets in its network during a strike and operate ``its normal schedule of flights.'' It does not plan to cancel any flights.

Northwest would rebook passengers with other carriers if necessary, and refund some otherwise non-refundable tickets, according to the posting.

The airline is trying to persuade its 7,300 flight attendants, who are represented by the Association of Flight Attendants, to make contractual concessions worth $195 million.

They have threatened to strike after 9:01 p.m. on Friday. The company is challenging a federal bankruptcy judge's ruling that upheld their right to strike. A hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Airline spokesman Dean Breest declined to describe the specific contingency plans that would allow the airline to operate without interruption during the strike.

``If we talk about what we're going to do in a contingency, I'm afraid that would inflame rather than produce any positive result,'' he said.

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