What is the usage level on these birds? Are they destined for passenger use or will they be snapped up by the cargo boys and converted to freighters? [snip] Anderson also announced that Northwest will be retiring the remainder of its 21 DC-10-40 aircraft by the end of September to save money. Most of those three-engine planes are being replaced by more efficient twin-engine Boeing 757-200s and 757-300s, he said. "We had intended on operating them a bit longer, but given the environme= nt we thought it prudent to go ahead and retire those at the end of the summer season," he said. In trading Wednesday on the Nasdaq Stock Market, Northwest shares were up 8 cents to close at $18.65. =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 AP