Northwest Airlines' First Operations Internships open first to UND Graduate Students

As a major U.S. airline begins to transform its entire business model this spring, three UND Aerospace students will have seats at the table. The students are working toward their Master of Science degrees in Aviation and are part of the new Northwest Airlines, Inc. (NWA) internship program. It's the only internship opportunity of its kind for graduate students within the Aviation Department at UND, and it's the only such program offered by NWA.

The unique partnership began in 2001 when Chaminda Prelis was a graduate student in Aviation at UND. He and Doug Marshall, Director of the Aviation Graduate Program, discussed the potential for new internships in aviation operations. Today, Prelis is Manager, Customer Service for Northwest Airlines Minot, ND, and Chicago-Midway stations. And Marshall is the faculty advisor for the internship program.

"The idea is to train future airline managers," Prelis explains. "It's a two-phase program. During phase one, each student completes a research project focused on benefiting NWA Ground Operations. If students choose to go onto phase two, they fill the role of a manager at one of the NWA stations."

Adam Baker is one of the first UND Aerospace students to complete both phases of the NWA internship. "My research phase centered on better managing the incredible growth at Northwest Airlines' Indianapolis (IND) station. NWA grew from 17 flights per day to 42 flights per day. The workloads of the ramp agents were unequal, causing flight delays due to passenger and luggage loading. My research findings led to different agent assignments and have decreased delays due to loading." Aside from his internship, Baker spent summer 2005 as a NWA customer service agent in Minneapolis-St. Paul station (MSP), where he "developed an appreciation for customer service, especially during a challenging time for the airline in that station." After months of tense negotiations and public awareness, NWA mechanics went on strike during Baker's time at MSP. In August, Baker began phase two of his internship at IND, where he has managed myriad NWA operation details. "These are experiences you couldn't duplicate in any classroom or other environment," he says.

Since the program began in 2004, three students have completed at least one phase of the internship and three are currently in the program. Two of the students who have completed both phases of the program are in the process of interviewing for positions with NWA operations. "During the second phase especially, these students are totally embedded in actual day-to-day NWA operations," Marshall says. "I speak with them regularly, and they're dealing with it all: labor issues, weather issues, logistics and more. It's hard work and long hours, giving them the opportunity to decide on airline operations as a career." Prelis adds: "NWA benefits from the students' fresh perspective in current research issues and in managing our stations. We tap into one student and into the resources of UND Aerospace as an institution. The three students selected for the research phase during spring semester will be working on a very exciting project: the new operating model of NWA ground operations. As the airline industry has changed dramatically, the company must respond, and that research begins in earnest this spring. I'm confident the students and the company will continue to benefit from this unique partnership."