Northwest Airlines tightens freighter network

Northwest Airlines tightens freighter network    Northwest Airlines' cargo division informed customers earlier this month that it was eliminating freighter service to two Asia destinations and retiring an older 747 cargo plane to focus on profitable lanes.
   Effective July 1, NWA will exit the Guangzhou market in China and a month later will suspend freighter service to the Taiwanese capital, Taipei.
   It also will trim frequencies on Mondays, the weakest volume day of the week, and reoptimize its remaining freighter network to improve aircraft utilization. The moves are dictated by high fuel prices, the airline said.
   The Minneapolis-based carrier is adding a new westbound service from its Anchorage, Alaska, hub to Seoul, South Korea and a stop at Tokyo's Narita Airport on its previously non-stop Anchorage-to-Shanghai route. ' Eric Kulisch