Frugalqxnwa From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 565 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 17 hours ago) and read 7008 times:
NW has always been based in Minneapolis. Tokyo is one of their hubs.
Aloha717200 From United States of America, joined Aug 2003, 4397 posts, RR: 17 Reply 8, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 13 hours ago) and read 6655 times:
I remember reading a long time ago about some sort of rule China has or had about foriegn air service that required a special name or label on any airline division that flew to China.
Is that true? Because if that's the case maybe that's why NW had the "Orient" in the name...to open up more asian markets.
It's a stretch. I'm just going based on what I read a long time ago, but I read it on this forum so it's not to be taken as fact!
Trvlr From United States of America, joined Feb 2000, 4430 posts, RR: 24 Reply 9, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 12 hours ago) and read 6635 times:
Aloha717200: I think you're referring to the clever brand manoeuvring that some airlines had to accomplish in order to serve both China and Taiwan. I'm not sure if this is the case now, but in the past, either China or Taiwan (I'm not sure which one) would frown upon international carriers serving both nations, hence the "rule" you mention. In order to get around this diplomatic pothole, many airlines created separate divisions in order to start service to Taiwan. The most notable and arguably the most successful is Japan Asia Airways, a unit of JAL. However, many other such subsidiaries have existed in the past or still exist, such as British Asia Airways (unit of BA), KLM Asia, Australia Asia Airways (QANTAS), and Air France Asie.
However, this is not the reason why NW was originally called "Northwest Orient" . I am all but certain that the "Orient" simply referred to the venerable Asian network that Northwest has had for most of its existence.
Frugalqxnwa From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 565 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 6470 times:
Too bad NW changed to the bowling shoe when they did, the A320 looks really good in the Orient livery.
Jdaniel001 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 11, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 7 hours ago) and read 6425 times:
Quoting DLKAPA (Reply 6): At the time they were the largest airline operating between the northwestern United States and the Orient. I think they still are.
Remeber, PA pioneered airline service to the Pacific Rim. NW has always had a strong presence and was the largest carrier to fly from the U.S. when PA sold the Pacific routes to UA. But now UA is the largest carrier offering more seats to Asia.
KaiGywer From United States of America, joined Oct 2003, 12028 posts, RR: 43 Reply 14, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 6244 times:
Quoting Frugalqxnwa (Reply 10): Too bad NW changed to the bowling shoe when they did, the A320 looks really good in the Orient livery.
I must be the only one, but I think that livery is just outright ugly. I liked the bowling shoe, and love the newest one.
Frugalqxnwa From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 565 posts, RR: 1 Reply 15, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 5 hours ago) and read 6172 times:
The bowling shoe and latest livery are really good looking, especially on NW's narrow-baody fleet. However, I believe the "Orient" livery would have looked awesome on a whole fleet of A319/320s. Just my opinion, though.
As for calling it the "Orient" livery, I couldn't think of a better name that was descriptive. What did people in NW call it?
BillElliott9 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 18, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 4 hours ago) and read 6073 times:
Keep in mind the "Orient" (or meatball as the logo has been described) scheme you are referring to rolled out with the delivery of their first 747s in the early 70s. Prior to that, "Orient" was not nearly as prominent in the paint scheme.
NW first served Europe in '77 or '78 (not including interchanges with Pan Am) as I recall. The Orient portion was completely dropped following the merger with Republic.
Bobnwa From United States of America, joined Dec 2000, 5983 posts, RR: 9 Reply 20, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 5651 times:
Northwest began trans-atlantic in February 1979. The "Orient" livery was called the old paint-job once the 'bowling shoe" came out. Thats all I remember it being called.
Dutchjet From Netherlands, joined Oct 2000, 7864 posts, RR: 58 Reply 22, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 5237 times:
If you look at NW's old route maps, in the 1960s and most of the 1970s, the airline's main focus of service was the northwestern region of the US and the orient.........thus Northwest Orient the big stations back then were MSP and SEA). By the 1970s, as the NW's route map was developing, first with services out of ORD and other cities to Florida (NW was very very big in the Chicago-Florida market at one time.....I remember daily 747s and DC10s out of ORD to MIA, TPA and other Florida cities) and then with their first attempt at a transatlantic route system (which was a rather bizarre collection of routes out of JFK and BOS to everywhere from Iceland to the Scandic countires to Scotland......I think NW picked up usused authorities from other US carriers), NW believed that the it had outgrown the Orient name and it was becoming a marketing liability. After the Republic merger, as mentioned above, the Orient portion of the name was gone for good.
NW's slogan for many years was: "we give you half of the world, at Northwest Orient.""
Concerning the A320, I think that the first three A320s were initially painted in the old livery but its my understanding that each of the aircraft were repainted in the "bowling shoe" scheme prior to introduction into revenue service.
BillElliott9 From , joined Dec 1969, posts, RR: Reply 23, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 5142 times:
Quoting Junction (Reply 19): Was "meatball" really also used to described the NW livery? I know it was for CO, but NW too?
God I hate to say this....but I heard the "meatball" term from folks with NW...mainly during the transition with the Republic merger. CO is definitely more associated with a meatball logo than NW. Sorry for the confusion!
Isitsafenow From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 4984 posts, RR: 26 Reply 24, posted (8 years 3 weeks 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 4928 times:
They were Northwest Orient before the meatball logo showed up in 1968. The meatball scheme emphasized the word Orient in their name. If you find some paint schemes of 707's of the 1960's you will see the word Orient on the fuselage. Now compare with the 1970's and see how predominate Orient is.
safe
If two people agree on EVERYTHING, then one isn't necessary.
25 Ilsapproach: I always associated the meatball with PA. Mike @ MSP OH.................I think the "Orient" scheme looks great on the 320! Too bad more of them didn'
26 BillElliott9: 60s vs 70s Northwest Orient. Note in the 60s scheme "Northwest Orient Airlines" is in small type under the first few windows.
27 N1120A: That has nothing to do with the TPE/China rule. Also, US carriers don't abide by that rule.
28 Chgoflyer: Northwest was the name until after WWII when they developed/pioneered the trans polar routes and added Orient. Pan Am had a large Clipper presence in
29 KaiGywer: Now the 60s one I kinda like. The next one looks like they ran out of paint and couldn't finish the line all the way to the nose.
30 Frugalqxnwa: It is true that it would look better with the bare metal, but remember Airbus at the time was not certain polish would do an adequate job of preventi
31 NWADC9: It was a marketing scheme since we were the only US Airline allowed to fly to Japan, pick up passengers, and fly to other Asian cities at the time. T
32 AsstChiefMark: Here's their old advertising jungle: http://www.old-time.com/weekly/nworient.ram Mark
33 Dtwclipper: Pan Am had fifth freedom rights @ NRT as well.
34 146CREW: A Little off topic, I saw N618US (747-200F) in front of the hangar NW uses as ORD and I could see the outline of the old Northwest Orient Cargo titles
35 Isitsafenow: AHH..BILLELLIOTT9, the first NW plane in the NW Meatball scheme was a repainted B720B, N721US, the second was another 720B, N730US. The first NEW airp
36 Frugalqxnwa: Thats what I was thinking, but then my knowledge was purely from the a.net database.
38 Jdaniel001: Well...I think that if you go by the number of seats, UA is bigger. But I can't prove it. I bet NWADC9 would know or at least find out. Actually, UA
39 Dtwclipper: NWA Launched it's JFK (IDL) ANC- Tokyo, Polar service on June 1, 1959.
40 Burnsie28: I believe UA has more seats available across the pacific, but NW is larger all around in Asia, in fact NW is Japans second largest airline behind JAL
41 Gigneil: I believe UA's RPMs in Asia are much higher, while NW's Japan RPMs are higher. UA operates a lot of nonstop Asia service from SFO, not to mention the
42 Jdaniel001: Ok, I was wrong on my date. It was July 8, 1950. United started MAC charters to Korea from SFO. My source is "High Horizons" by Frank J. Taylor p. 17
43 Dtwclipper: I've got the same book, and it doesn't mention routing at all. NW was already serving Seoul since July 15, 1947. NW halts service on July 25 1950 bec
44 RayChuang: If I remember correctly, when NW started its route to Asia in the late 1940's they used DC-4's flying from Seattle to Tokyo via Anchorage and Shemya I
45 BillElliott9: Thanks for the history lesson and facts!
46 Burnsie28: NW also has Busan, Guangzhou, Nagoya (been there quite a while), Osaka has been around quite a while for both airlines and UA dropped on KIX route to
47 NWADC9: Gee, I never knew the 757-5600's* disappeared They had A320-200's there once the SARS outbreak started to replace the big 747's, then they upgraded t
48 SBN580: Wow! I've never seen this shot of an Airbus in the pre-bowling shoe livery. I always thought it was ok, but was never crazy about their meatball. I di
49 Junction: I'm beginning to think "meatball" refers to any round logo affiliated with aviation. Is that right? I thought it was a pretty good description of the
50 PSU.DTW.SCE: For Asia flying in May, NW has allocated: 16 747-400's 4-5 747-200's 7 A330-200's 3 757-200's 1 DC-10
51 Frugalqxnwa: Well, not only have I learned the answer to my original question, but I have also learned what aircraft NW uses in Asia and that next time I refer to
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From United States of America, joined Apr 2004, 565 posts, 
From Italy, joined Jun 2004, 3943 posts, 
. I am all but certain that the "Orient" simply referred to the venerable Asian network that Northwest has had for most of its existence.
From Netherlands, joined Oct 2000, 7864 posts, 
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