In the wake of the May 12, 2008 earthquake in China, the outpouring of support by North American WorldPerks members for relief efforts in that area has prompted Northwest Airlines to also offer WorldPerks members in Asia the opportunity to contribute miles to the relief effort.
As of June 3, 2008, the Salvation Army has received more than 10.7 million miles through the AirCares program at Northwest Airlines. Northwest matched the first million miles contributed to The Salvation Army. Other charities have received more than 3.1 million miles. Northwest also sent an e-mail to WorldPerks members reminding them of the opportunity to donate miles or money to its AirCares partners.
Northwest invited WorldPerks members in Asia to contribute mileage to its AirCares partner Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders). The miles will be used to provide transportation for MSF doctors who are traveling to the region and wherever their help is needed most. Northwest matched the first one million miles. In one day, Doctors Without Boarders received more than 11 million miles.
NWA Cargo, working with the US relief organization AmeriCares, utilized the capability of the NWA freighter network to move a large shipment of relief supplies to the area of China affected by the earthquake. AmeriCares is one of Northwest's AirCares charity partners.
The shipment, known as a BLU-MED portable facility, is a 15-bed portable hospital that has the capacity to serve 250-300 patients per day. An identical facility provided medical services to over 90,000 people in Pakistan after the 2005 earthquake. The shipment, consisting of nearly 25,000 pounds of equipment, also includes tents, beds, and other supplies, including an 8000-pound, 125-kilowatt portable generator.
The shipment departed Los Angeles (LAX) on Saturday May 31st on NWA flight 907, made a connection at the freighter hub in Anchorage (ANC), and arrived in Shanghai (PVG) on NWA flight 913 on the morning of Sunday June 1st. It will be forwarded by truck to Chengdu (CTU) for distribution to the Sichuan Provincial Health Department.
The successful movement of the relief shipment was the result of great effort and teamwork by NWA Cargo personnel in Los Angeles and Shanghai, with support by NWA Cargo Headquarters and Cargo Operations Control in MSP.
Northwest has long supported the disaster relief supply shipment efforts of AmeriCares, partnering with them during the China River flood, the Yangtze River flood, the tsunamis and now again with the China earthquake efforts. AmeriCares is known for its timely responses to disasters by being able to get the needed relief supplies where they are needed.
Created in 1992, AirCares assists more than 30 charitable organizations in the US alone. Designated charities in the AirCares program have received more than 600 million WorldPerks miles from Northwest Airlines and its WorldPerks members - contributions that help to provide air travel for charitable organizations around the world.
Northwest Airlines is one of the world's largest airlines with hubs at Detroit, Minneapolis/ St. Paul, Memphis, Tokyo and Amsterdam, and approximately 1,400 daily departures. Northwest is a member of SkyTeam, an airline alliance that offers customers one of the world's most extensive global networks. Northwest and its travel partners serve more than 1,000 cities in excess of 160 countries on six continents.