Secrets of the City

NWA on Google maps.

FBI takes a dim view of a new Northwest Airlines World Perk.

Great news for those of us who live close to the Airport! Today’s Strib reported Judge Stephen Aldrich ruled yesterday that the MAC must live up to its promise to noise abate more homes in the south metro. (I want my Central AC!) Since they have already collected the fees (through the airline tickets we buy) let’s hope they don’t continue to drag their feet. But something tells me they will…

The Star Tribune is reporting the union leader for the Northwest mechanics union has “urged striking members Wednesday to reject the airline’s latest contract offer, which he labeled ‘the worst contract in the history of airline labor.’” It appears the union leader’s past advice has been equally bad. While the union has been on strike, Northwest has completely filled the necessary mechanic jobs. “The latest contract offer would move Northwest strikers to laid-off status, which would make them eligible for four weeks of layoff pay. If the agreement is ratified and the strike ends, those members also could get 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.” It appears the union leadership has negotiated 2,750 mechanics out of a job with Northwest.

Strib reporter John Reinan drew the shortest straw, apparently, landing himself one of the worst blogging gigs we’ve ever heard of: Up In The Air. He’ll be flying 15,000 pointless miles on Northwest Airlines, taking strike reportage “beyond the official statements.” If Reinan ever believed this assignment could be a glorious adventure in the skies, his first flight certainly disabused him of that conceit: “the rich scent of urine that wafted from the ventilators as we sat at the gate, and you have the makings of a very bleak future as I looked toward 16 more flights over the next few days.” That’s some tough luck. May the spirit of Hunter S. Thompson guide you on your journey, blogger.

NWA Strike news must be wearing thin already. What else would explain KSTP’s two part story about an NWA employee golfing on the tarmac? WCCO has an “interactive” timeline which is informative, but about as interactive as a loaf of bread. The Strib and PiPress both have special sections about the strike. For local blog coverage, head over to New Patriot and Curly Tales of War Pigs, whose coverage was mentioned on the Mother Jones blog.

How’s this for an impromtu trip: over the weekend an NWA plane made an emergency landing due to an electrical glitch. Where? Oh, Iran — where U.S. carriers haven’t been landing since the ’70s due to some “crazy” hostage situations. As soon as the plane got the all-clear, they bought some gas, make a polite excuse and got the freak out of the country.