Northwest Drops Some BizFlex Discounts

Northwest Airlines Corp. confirmed that it has eliminated its BizFlex discounts in some markets, less than a week after the airline announced the fares with major fanfare. “We are responding to the competition,” Northwest spokeswoman Kathy Peach said. Last week, St. Paul, Minn.-based Northwest announced the new fares that were a discount of 40% off full-fare coach prices and did not require a Saturday-night stay. Competitors matched the discounts but did not require a 10-day advanced purchase, as Northwest did, said Terry Trippler, who tracks airlines for online travel company 1Travel.com. The fares are still available in more than 80% of the markets Northwest serves, Peach said. Northwest shares rose 25 cents to close at $17.19 on Nasdaq.