"MSP: A terminal case of acquiescence"

Tuesday, January 18, 2005

Column
Doug Grow: A terminal case of acquiescence 
By Doug Grow
The Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune 


The bulldozers could have started rolling back in September. That is, after
all, when Northwest Airlines announced what it wants.

But that's not the way we play this game in Minnesota.

Before we actually give Northwest everything it wants, we go through a
little ritual. We have some meetings, some hearings. We have serious-looking
people saying seriously that Northwest's requests should be studied.

Then Northwest gets everything it wants.

The predictable game begins today when the Metropolitan Airports Commission
(MAC) gets out its oft-used rubber stamps and starts the approval process
for the latest Northwest wish list. 

This time around, Northwest wants total control of the main terminal, with
competitors pushed off to the smaller out-of-the way Humphrey terminal.
Northwest wants to raze a huge hangar, the workplace of 2,000 highly
trained, highly paid Northwest mechanics. Presumably, work done by those
Minnesotans will end up in the hands of nonunion workers in other parts of
the world.

The airline already has Gov. Tim Pawlenty in its back pocket on this $862
million deal. And we've quickly learned that when the lips of MAC Chairwoman
Vicki Tigwell move, we're hearing Northwest's words.

Soon we'll be hearing that this plan is best for all of us. Without this
deal, we'll be told, Minnesota would be left without air transportation. It
also will be implied that Northwest is doing us all a favor by even
scheduling flights out of Minnesota.

And over the next few years, a few thousand more Northwest employees will be
laid off. Another handful of Northwest's top executives will make millions.
Minnesotans who use the Northwest-Minneapolis-St. Paul airport will pay far
higher fares than most in the country (this is not a rip-off, we're told,
this is a "hub premium").

Why doesn't anybody ever just say no to Northwest?

Tigwell, who was appointed to the MAC by Gov. Pawlenty, her longtime pal,
speaks with absolute confidence about the newest round of Northwest
requests.

"I don't think you can understate the importance of Northwest to the state,"
she said.

Remarkably, Tigwell says that one of her big jobs as chairwoman is to
"improve communications" between the MAC and Northwest.

That's stunning when you think of it. The only thing that could tighten the
relationship would be for the MAC to deliver flowers and chocolates to
Northwest along with the sweetheart deals.

The way Tigwell sees things, anyone who looks askance at Northwest's newest
plan has an agenda.

Concerns of mechanics about lost jobs?

"They're just using this to get some negotiating leverage," she said.

She is unimpressed by other critics, including Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak,
who believe the Northwest plan needs more study.

"They're still bitter [that plans for a new airport were scuttled almost 10
years ago]," she said.

She doesn't believe studies that show Minnesotans pay millions of dollars in
higher fares each year because of Northwest's control of the market.

"What I can tell you is that I've been very happy with fares I've been able
to find," Tigwell said.

She said that when Northwest and its partners, have control of all 153 gates
at the expanded main terminal and all competitors have control of 20 gates
at the expanded Humphrey terminal "everybody will just love it."

Rybak is one of the few people willing to raise an eyebrow over all of this.

"This is too important to have just three people in a room -- the governor,
the MAC chairwoman and Northwest -- make all the decisions," said Rybak, who
believes Minnesota needs to think far bigger than what Northwest wants when
it comes to determining the state's aviation future.

Rybak believes that significant feeder airports in St. Cloud and Rochester,
connected by rapid rail transit to the Twin Cities airport, would serve
everybody far better than the Northwest plan. It's an idea at least worth
studying, he said.

But Northwest has already told us what it wants.

The bulldozers are warming up.


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