A Matter of Timing and Type Size

“U.S. Fines Northwest Over Advertising” (April 15) incorrectly reported a consent agreement between Northwest Airlines and the Department of Transportation regarding the airline’s advertising claim to be the No. 1 on-time airline among the seven largest U.S. airlines.

In the consent agreement, the DOT stated clearly that “Northwest was ranked No. 1 among the seven largest U.S. carriers in domestic on-time performance for the years 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993.” The agreement also noted that “the on-time advertisements at issue . . . are accurate and truthful when read in their entirety.” In its news release on the consent agreement, DOT noted that Northwest’s “long-running advertising claim accurately spelled out in the fine print that Northwest was the first in on-time performance with respect to the seven largest U.S. carriers.” The dispute between Northwest and the DOT involved the size of the type used in advertising to convey this information; the validity of Northwest’s claim was not an issue.

Your story said that Northwest “agreed to stop trumpeting the carrier’s allegedly false on-time performance” and that “the government agency says Northwest incorrectly claimed for four years in a row that it had been No. 1 in on-time performance.” Neither statement is true, and Northwest will continue to advertise its No. 1 on-time performance among the seven largest U.S. airlines (now for five years in a row).

MARK E. ABELS, Vice President, Corporate Communications, Northwest Airlines, St. Paul, Minn.