**Exhibit12.1**

** **

**NORTHWESTAIRLINES CORPORATION**

**COMPUTATIONOF RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXED CHARGES**

**(Dollarsin millions)**

 
|                                                        |   | **Three  months ended  June 30** |   | **Six Months  Ended********June 30** |   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------|--------|----------------------------------|--------|--------------------------------------|--------|
|                                                        |   | **2002**                         |   | **2001**                             |   | **2002** |   | **2001** |   |
| **Earnings:**                                               |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| Income before income taxes                                  |   | $                                | (141   | )                                    | $      | (92 | ) | $ | (402 | ) | $ | (365 | ) |
| Less:   Income from less than 50%owned investees  |   | 12                               |   | 13                                   |   | 25 |   | 17 |   |
| Add:                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| Rent expense representative of interest (1)                 |   | 63                               |   | 59                                   |   | 122 |   | 118 |   |
| Interest expense net of capitalized interest                |   | 96                               |   | 80                                   |   | 186 |   | 151 |   |
| Interest of mandatorily redeemablepreferred security holder |   | 7                                |   | 7                                    |   | 12 |   | 13 |   |
| Amortization of debt discount and expense                   |   | 4                                |   | 3                                    |   | 8 |   | 6 |   |
| Amortization of interest capitalized                        |   | 2                                |   | 1                                    |   | 3 |   | 2 |   |
|                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Adjusted earnings**                                       |   | $                                | 19     |                                 | $      | 45 |   | $ | (96 | ) | $ | (92 | ) |
|                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Fixed charges:**                                          |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| Rent expense representative of interest (1)                 |   | $                                | 63     |                                 | $      | 59 |   | $ | 122 |   | $ | 118 |   |
| Interest expense net of capitalized interest                |   | 96                               |   | 80                                   |   | 186 |   | 151 |   |
| Interest of mandatorily redeemablepreferred security holder |   | 7                                |   | 7                                    |   | 12 |   | 13 |   |
| Amortization of debt discount and expense                   |   | 4                                |   | 3                                    |   | 8 |   | 6 |   |
| Capitalized interest                                        |   | 6                                |   | 9                                    |   | 13 |   | 17 |   |
|                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Fixed charges**                                           |   | $                                | 176    |                                 | $      | 158 |   | $ | 341 |   | $ | 305 |   |
|                                                        |   |                             |   |                                 |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Ratio of earnings to fixed charges**                      |   | —                           | (2)    | —                               | (3)    | — | (2) | — | (3) |

 

(1)     Calculated as one-third of rentals, which isconsidered representative of the interest factor.

 

(2)     Earnings were inadequate to cover fixed charges by$157 million and $437 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2002,respectively.

 

(3)     Earnings were inadequate to cover fixed charges by$113 million and $397 million for the three and six months ended June 30, 2001,respectively.

 

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