Northwest Airlines Trims Fares for 2 or More Travelers

In a bid to stimulate leisure travel, Northwest Airlines on Monday cut discount fares by 20% to 40% for two or more passengers flying together.

Under Northwest’s “Take Along” fares, two people flying together would each get a 20% reduction off the airline’s lowest discount fare; three passengers would each receive a 30% discount, and four or more would get a 40% cut.

The non-refundable tickets must be purchased two weeks in advance of travel and require a Saturday night stay-over. A $150 fee would be charged for changes in scheduling.

On a round trip between Los Angeles and Boston, the Take Along fare would be $448 each for two people; $392 each for three, and $336 each for four or more.

“It will be attractive to families. It will be attractive to business people going to attend conventions,” said Thomas Nulty, president of Associated Travel Management.

Nulty said he expects other airlines to follow Northwest’s move. But no airline had done so by late Monday. American and United said they were studying the program.

Northwest spokesman Doug Miller said the airline is trying to stabilize leisure fares, which are subject to frequent price-slashing sales, by offering deeper discounts on an ongoing basis. “No one is buying tickets between sales,” he said.

Weaning travelers off sales won’t be easy, however. Under a current fare sale, a traveler flying alone can purchase a round-trip ticket between Los Angeles and Boston for as little $388, said Dianne LaPorte, vice president of World Travel Bureau.

“In many cases people can . . . get (a deeper discount) without having to take a friend with them,” said LaPorte.