**Exhibit 12.1**

 

 

*Northwest Airlines Corporation and Subsidiaries*

*(Debtors-in-Possession)*

 

**COMPUTATION OF RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES**

**(Dollars in millions)**

 
| ** **                                                                    | ** ** | **Three months ended** | ** ** | **Nine months ended** | ** ** |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------|------------------------|------------|-----------------------|------------|
| ** **                                                                    | ** ** | **September 30**       | ** ** | **September 30**      | ** ** |
| ** **                                                                    | ** ** | **2005**               | ** ** | **2004**              | ** ** | **2005** | ** ** | **2004** | ** ** |
| **Earnings:**                                                                 | ** ** | ** **             | ** ** | ** **            | ** ** | ** ** | ** ** | ** ** | ** ** |
|                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| Income  (loss) before income taxes and cumulative effect of accounting change |       | $                      | (468       | )                     | $          | (38 | ) | $ | (1,149 | ) | $ | (436 | ) |
| Less:  Income (loss) from less than 50% owned investees                       |       | (2                     | )          | 3                     |       | 2 |   | 5 |   |
| Add:                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| Rent expense representative of interest (1)                                   |       | 61                     |       | 62                    |       | 198 |   | 187 |   |
| Interest expense net of capitalized interest                                  |       | 153                    |       | 125                   |       | 448 |   | 367 |   |
| Interest of preferred security holder                                         |       | —                 |       | —                |       | — |   | — |   |
| Amortization of debt discount and expense                                     |       | 7                      |       | 8                     |       | 21 |   | 23 |   |
| Amortization of interest capitalized                                          |       | 2                      |       | 2                     |       | 6 |   | 6 |   |
|                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| **Adjusted earnings**                                                         |       | $                      | (243       | )                     | $          | 156 |   | $ | (478 | ) | $ | 142 |   |
|                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| **Fixed charges:**                                                            |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
|                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| Rent  expense representative of interest (1)                                  |       | $                      | 61         |                  | $          | 62 |   | $ | 198 |   | $ | 187 |   |
| Interest  expense net of capitalized interest                                 |       | 153                    |       | 125                   |       | 448 |   | 367 |   |
| Interest  of preferred security holder                                        |       | —                 |       | —                |       | — |   | — |   |
| Amortization  of debt discount and expense                                    |       | 7                      |       | 8                     |       | 21 |   | 23 |   |
| Capitalized  interest                                                         |       | 3                      |       | 2                     |       | 7 |   | 6 |   |
|                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| **Fixed charges**                                                             |       | $                      | 224        |                  | $          | 197 |   | $ | 674 |   | $ | 583 |   |
|                                                                          |       |                   |       |                  |       |   |   |   |   |
| **Ratio of earnings to fixed charges**                                        |       | —                 | (2)        | —                | (3)        | — | (2) | — | (3) |

 
| (1)    |   | Calculated as one-third  of rentals, which is considered representative of the interest factor.                                                            |
|--------|--------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
|   |   |                                                                                                                                                       |
| (2)    |   | Earnings were  inadequate to cover fixed charges by $467 million and $1,152 million for the  three and nine months ended September 30, 2005, respectively. |
|   |   |                                                                                                                                                       |
| (3)    |   | Earnings were  inadequate to cover fixed charges by $41 million and $441 million for the  three and nine months ended September 30, 2004, respectively.    |

 

----