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News Release

Release # 03.NWA2
October 16, 2003

MEMPHIS--- Leaders of the Northwest Airlines unit of the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) reelected their incumbent slate of officers today to new two-year terms during the union’s regular quarterly meeting held in Memphis, Tenn. The vote by representatives on the Northwest pilot union’s governing body, the Master Executive Council (MEC), yielded a third two-year term for Capt. Mark McClain (chairman), Capt. Scott Donaldson (vice-chairman), and First Officer Don Burnham (secretary/treasurer). The new terms begin Jan. 7, 2004.

"It is an honor to be elected by my fellow pilots to serve a third term as chairman of the Northwest pilots MEC," McClain said. "The present leadership team will continue to pursue the best interests of all NWA pilots."

Before his initial election in December 1999, McClain served on the union’s negotiating committee for three-and-a-half years. He was hired at Republic Airlines in 1985, one year before that airline’s merger with Northwest. McClain has served in a variety of ALPA positions in his tenure with Republic and Northwest. He became DC-9 captain in 1995 and began flying as a B-727 captain in 1999.

Northwest hired Donaldson in February 1985, after serving seven years in the U.S. Navy. Since then, he has flown primarily international operations on the B-747-200 and B-747-400 for Northwest. In 1995, he retired as a Lt. Col. in the Air National Guard after serving nine years with the Sioux Falls, S.D. Air National Guard unit flying A-7s and F-16s. Donaldson has worked as a Northwest instructor pilot and has held several union positions.

Burnham came to Northwest in November 1988. Except for short periods of duty on the B-727 and the DC-10, he has spent the majority of his time flying B-747s. Before being elected as the MEC Secretary/Treasurer, he served two terms as an ALPA Local Executive Council representative for Council 55 in Anchorage.

The Northwest pilots MEC is made up of 14 representatives and three officers elected from the more than 6,300 Northwest pilots. The Air Line Pilots Association is the world’s oldest and largest pilots union, representing 66,000 pilots at 42 airlines in the United States and Canada. ALPA’s Web site is www.alpa.org.

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SOURCE: Air Line Pilots Association

ALPA CONTACT: Will Holman (612) 840-7749