Northwest planes could be used in Iraq MINNEAPOLIS (AP) =97 Northwest Airlines planes could be used to transport=20 troops and military equipment if the United States goes to war with Iraq.=20 Northwest, along with other major airlines, takes part in the Civilian=20 Reserve Air Fleet program, which allows the military to use commercial=20 planes to deploy military resources, Northwest CEO Richard Anderson said.=20 Management has met with labor groups, including pilots and flight=20 attendants, to talk about a transport role if the U.S. attacks Saddam=20 Hussein's forces. Company spokesman Bill Mellon said the airline played a=20 transport role in the 1991 Persian Gulf War, when Northwest used six of its= =20 Boeing 747s to carry military personnel and equipment. Four or five planes= =20 could be used if the government requests Northwest's help again. "We have=20 not received a CRAF call-up yet," Anderson said Friday in a recorded=20 message to employees. Because of escalating tension between the U.S. and=20 Iraq, Anderson said Northwest made deals to lock in fuel prices for a=20 significant portion of its 2003 supply. In this year's first quarter,=20 Northwest will pay about $27 a barrel for fuel, even though current market= =20 prices are much higher, he said. "While the Iraq situation will be very=20 difficult for our industry, we are taking the steps necessary to be certain= =20 that we are as well prepared as we can be," Anderson said. In 2002,=20 Northwest spent $1.44 billion for aircraft fuel and taxes. By hedging, or=20 locking in prices at certain levels, Northwest saved about $59 million in=20 fuel costs last year, Mellon said. *************************************************** The owner of Roger's Trinbago Site/TnTisland.com Roj (Roger James) escape email mailto:ejames@escape.ca Trinbago site: www.tntisland.com Carib Brass Ctn site www.tntisland.com/caribbeanbrassconnection/ Steel Expressions www.mts.net/~ejames/se/ Site of the Week: http://www.caribscape.com/tamnakthai/ TnT Webdirectory: http://search.co.tt *********************************************************