nwa.com check-in Frequently Asked Questions

Northwest E-Ticket customers may check in for their flight on nwa.com between 24 hours and 30 minutes* prior to the scheduled departure time.  nwa.com check-in is available for worldwide travel including:

• Flights within, to and from the 50 United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, Asia and Europe**
• Return flights from Europe on KLM - Check in here
• Flights operated by Delta Air Lines - Check in here

*Asia and Mexico - Minimum check in time for flight departures from Asia or Mexico is 3 hours. 

**nwa.com check-in is available for Northwest operated flights from London's Gatwick Airport. Check-in on klm.com for all other Northwest/KLM operated flights from Europe. Check-in is not yet available for flights from Paris, France.

For a demonstration of how to use nwa.com check-in 

Yes, you may proceed with your boarding pass directly to the security check point on your way to the boarding gate.

There are a few circumstances that require Northwest agent assistance for check-in.
These instances may include flight changes on restricted fares, fares requiring
documentation, originating flight on another carrier, or a missing E-Ticket for the
booked itinerary. Please ensure the name, departure city, and the confirmation number entered are correct.

Yes, you may check your baggage curbside with a skycap at most airports (applies for domestic travel only), nwa.com Luggage Check Kiosks (select airports), or with a Northwest agent. Inform the agent that you have already checked in using nwa.com check-in.  Click here for information on Baggage Guidelines and Policies. 

Introducing nwa.com Luggage Check Kiosks at select airports!
Customers that have checked in on nwa.com can also quickly check their baggage at the airport using an nwa.com Luggage Check Kiosk.  Simply place your nwa.com Boarding Pass bar code on the new nwa.com Luggage Check Kiosks to retrieve your flight reservations and enter the amount of baggage you would like to check.  Baggage tags will be printed and attached by a Northwest agent who will check your baggage to your final destination.

New nwa.com Luggage Check Kiosks, designed specifically for nwa.com check-in customers, are now already available in the following locations:

Atlanta, GA	Indianapolis, IN	New York - LaGuardia, NY
Baltimore, MD	Kalamazoo, MI	Orlando, FL
Bismarck, ND	Kansas City, MO	Philadelphia, PA
Boston, MA	Lansing, MI	Phoenix, AZ
Chicago - Midway, IL	Las Vegas, NV	Portland, OR
Chicago - O'Hare, IL	Los Angeles, CA	Saginaw, MI
Dallas/Ft. Worth, TX	Madison, WI	San Francisco, CA
Denver, CO	Memphis, TN	San Jose, CA
Detroit, MI	Miami, FL	Santa Ana/Orange County, CA
Flint, MI	Milwaukee, WI	Seattle, WA
Ft. Myers, FL	Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN	Tampa, FL
Green Bay, WI	Newark, NJ	Washington - Dulles, VA
Honolulu, HI	New York - Kennedy, NY	West Palm Beach, FL

nwa.com check-in is available less than 24 hours but more than 30 minutes prior to flight departure. Please use a self-service check-in airport kiosk or see a Northwest agent at the airport for assistance if you are within 60 minutes of departure or try again later if you are more than 24 hours from departure.

Note: For your convenience, you will be prompted to check in for both your outbound and return flights if your return flight is within 24 hours of the original check-in period.

Yes, Northwest E-Tickets issued by any source can be used - provided your ticket is for travel within the eligible markets.

Your E-Ticket or reservation may contain flight segments on other airlines. Self-service check-in is available for the following flights:

1. All regularly scheduled flights operated by Northwest Airlines (including Airlink partners, Mesaba and Pinnacle Airlines)*
2. KLM-operated flights originating in the U.S.
3. Connecting flights operated by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alaska Airlines, Horizon Air and Hawaiian Airlines.  The first originating flight must be operated by Northwest Airlines(except KLM flights where indicated).

*nwa.com check-in is available for Northwest operated flights from London's Gatwick Airport. Check-in on klm.com for all other Northwest/KLM operated flights from Europe. Online check-in is not yet available for flights from Paris, France.

The only airports listed are those where Northwest offers nwa.com check-in.  This list is updated for online check-in frequently when new service is added to Northwest routes.

Yes.

You will need to check in with a Northwest agent at the airport. nwa.com check-in is only available to customers with valid E-Tickets.

No. You will receive boarding passes for all of your connecting flights.

Yes - nwa.com check-in is available for passengers traveling as part of a group reservation.

Yes.  nwa.com check-in will assign seats for you. Click on the seat number to view options to change seat assignment.

Yes.

You will receive security information as part of your check-in process. For more information on airport procedures, please click here. 

Yes, nwa.com check-in provides you with the option to fax your boarding pass to fax numbers within the 50 U.S.

At this time, only boarding passes will be faxed. Other check-in documents such as E-Ticket receipts, verification cards and confirmation cards will not be faxed. E-Ticket receipts may be printed online by accessing your reservation through the View/Change Reservations feature on nwa.com before or after your scheduled departure date. Charges or fees collected during the check-in process will be displayed on the E-Ticket receipt in the Miscellaneous Charges section.

Boarding passes may be faxed to you 2 hours or more prior to departure, in order to allow sufficient time for fax processing.

Boarding passes may arrive to your fax machine within minutes of your request, or as long as 20 minutes if the fax number was entered correctly and the fax line is not busy. If the fax number you provided is busy, we will continue to attempt to fax your boarding pass up to 5 times during within an hour after your request has been submitted.

At this time, boarding passes may only be faxed to fax numbers that follow the 3-3-4 scheme (ie; 555-555-5555), which is limited to U.S. and other North American fax numbers.

You must contact Northwest Airlines at 1-800-225-2525 prior to flight departure to retain the value of your ticket. Applicable fees and penalties in accordance with the fare rules may apply for changes.

You may reprint your boarding pass on nwa.com by visiting the check-in process again, or visit a self-service check-in kiosk at the airport.

If you are not checking baggage, proceed directly to the flight departure gate and wait for your row to be called to board (except departures from Canada, where passengers are required to stop at the ticket counter to have travel documents verified). Be sure to verify your gate assignment when you arrive at the airport.

Bonus miles offers occasionally apply, please check the Promotions List on nwa.com.  

You must be on board the aircraft at least:

• 15 minutes prior to departure on flights between the 50 U.S.
• 30 minutes prior to departure on all other flights, including Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Caribbean, Europe, Asia and India.

If you are unable to take the flight after printing your boarding pass, you must contact Northwest Airlines prior to flight departure to retain the value of your E-Ticket.

E-Ticket receipts may be printed online by accessing your reservation through the View/Change Reservations feature on nwa.com before or after your scheduled departure date. Charges or fees collected during the check-in process will be displayed on the E-Ticket receipt in the Miscellaneous Charges section.

Once you have requested a fax, you are checked-in for your flights. If you haven't received your fax, you may re-fax your boarding documents, or proceed to the airport and print new boarding passes using a Self-service Check-in Kiosk.

Once you have requested a fax, you are checked-in for your flights. You may re-fax your boarding documents, or proceed to the airport and print new boarding passes using a Self-service Check-in Kiosk.

nwa.com check-in is available for Northwest operated flights and for select partner carriers. In cases where nwa.com check-in is unable to issue boarding passes for partner flights, please proceed to the departure gate at the city where you connect to the partner flight to obtain boarding passes.

Yes. When your itinerary is displayed during the check-in process, click on the seat assignment you would like to change. You will be presented with a seat map showing available seats. When you click on a seat, your itinerary and new seat will be displayed.  The seats can be changed only for Northwest and Airlink-operated flights. 

Yes, Northwest WorldPerks, KLM Flying Blue, Continental OnePass, Delta Skymiles or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan frequent flyer number can be added to the reservation during check-in. After check-in is initiated,  'Please verify itinerary' screen is displayed. On this screen, select 'FREQUENT FLYER NBR' to add or modify the desired frequent flyer number. 

Yes, there are three ways to upgrade. If all passengers checking in are Northwest WorldPerks Elite members, and the itinerary qualifies for an Elite upgrade, a complimentary upgrade will be offered, subject to availability. Full fare passengers may also be offered an E-First paid upgrade for a nominal fee, again subject to availability (excludes departures from Canada). Additionally, if the reservation qualifies, customers may also use WorldPerks miles to upgrade during check-in on nwa.com. See nwa.com for additional information regarding E-First Upgrades or Mileage Upgrades.

FlyNowsm is a product allowing customers to make same-day domestic flight changes for a fee on qualifying flights. The option is available on the scheduled day of departure at the time of check-in. Previously, the FlyNowsm option was limited to flight changes within three hours of check-in or the original flight FlyNowsm changes can be made for the flight with the same origin and destination either earlier or later than the original flight.

FlyNowsm is available during check-in through nwa.com check-in and Self-service Check-in Kiosks on the same day as scheduled travel only.

FlyNowsm is available on Northwest or Northwest Airlink-operated flights within the U.S. 48, Alaska, and to/from Canada.

FlyNowsm is available for purchase through nwa.com check-in and airport Self-service Check-in Kiosks on the same day as ticketed. A credit card must be used for purchase.

FlyNowsm is available unless all inventory is sold out or nearly so.

If you are checking in too close to departure or after your scheduled departure time, you will be able to confirm a change to a new flight through nwa.com and airport kiosks. If you wish to review Standby options on flights that depart later than your scheduled flight, please see an airport agent.

Yes, standby is one of 3 options available under 'Change Flight' during self-service check-in on nwa.com or at the airport self-service kiosks. Standby is available for earlier flights on the same routing and same date as your confirmed ticket. When available, the cost to standby is USD 50.00 (this fee is waived for WorldPerks and SkyMiles Platinum and Gold Elite members). The USD 50.00 fee is payable by credit card only and will be collected when standby is selected. The charge will not be billed to your credit card until you are issued a boarding card at the gate for your standby flight. With the exception of WorldPerks and SkyMiles Platinum and Gold Elite members, standby will not be offered on flights where the FlyNowsm option is available.

Customers traveling on non-refundable tickets will usually be offered the FlyNowsm fee to confirm a flight change for $50 instead of $100 on the same day as scheduled to travel. If the FlyNowsm option for a particular flight is unavailable, standby will be offered for a $50 fee. The $50 fee will be charged once boarded.

Note: For all Domestic (US/CA) non-refundable tickets issued on or before November 11, 2008 for travel on or before December 4, 2008 the  FlyNowsm fee is $25 USD/CAD.

Customers traveling on refundable tickets and WorldPerks / SkyMiles Platinum and Gold Elite customers will continue to have the ability to standby for earlier flights and will not incur a fee if space becomes available.

No, you will not be charged the standby fee until boarded.

Your credit card will not be charged, as the charge is only made to your credit card when you are issued a boarding pass and board the new flight.

Standby is only offered on flights that are the same routing as your confirmed reservation (including a connection city). Standby is not offered on flights when the FlyNowsm option is available allowing you to confirm the flight change for the same USD 50.00 fee.

NW has expanded the FlyNowsm confirmed flight option to all day in order to provide customers with a low-cost, last-minute option to confirm flights. Customers are now assessed the same change fee when they voluntarily change to a new flight - whether confirmed in advance or standing by at the airport.

If you check-in your baggage with a skycap prior to checking in for your flight, the baggage will be checked through on your scheduled flight. We will make every effort to reroute your baggage on the standby flight. If you check baggage after using the self-service standby option, your baggage will be checked on the selected standby flight(s).

Please bring your baggage receipts with you and claim your baggage upon arrival to your destination. To arrange for delivery of your baggage, please visit our baggage service office at your destination.

Once you have confirmed check-in and requested a fax, you are checked-in for your flights. You may either re-enter the check-in process and print your boarding documents, or proceed to the airport and print new boarding passes using a Self-service Check-in Kiosk.