**Exhibit 12.1**

 

**NORTHWEST AIRLINES CORPORATION**

**COMPUTATION OF RATIO OF EARNINGS TO FIXEDCHARGES**

**(Dollars in millions)**

 
|                                                          |   | **Three months ended  September 30** |      | **Nine Months Ended  September 30** |   |
|---------------------------------------------------------------|--------|-------------------------------------------|-----------|------------------------------------------|--------|
|                                                          |   | **2002**                                  |      | **2001**                                 |   | **2002** |   | **2001** |   |
| **Earnings:**                                                 |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| Income before income taxes                                    |   | $                                         | (73       | )                                        | $      | 25 |   | $ | (475 | ) | $ | (340 | ) |
| Less:   Income from less than 50% owned investees        |   | 11                                        |      | 8                                        |   | 36 |   | 25 |   |
| Add:                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| Rent expense representative of interest (1)                   |   | 62                                        |      | 60                                       |   | 184 |   | 177 |   |
| Interest expense net of capitalized interest                  |   | 95                                        |      | 86                                       |   | 281 |   | 237 |   |
| Interest of mandatorily redeemable preferred  security holder |   | 7                                         |      | 6                                        |   | 19 |   | 19 |   |
| Amortization of debt discount and expense                     |   | 4                                         |      | 3                                        |   | 12 |   | 9 |   |
| Amortization of interest capitalized                          |   | 1                                         |      | 1                                        |   | 4 |   | 3 |   |
|                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Adjusted earnings**                                         |   | $                                         | 85        |                                     | $      | 173 |   | $ | (11 | ) | $ | 80 |   |
|                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Fixed charges:**                                            |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
|                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| Rent expense representative of interest  (1)                  |   | $                                         | 62        |                                     | $      | 60 |   | $ | 184 |   | $ | 177 |   |
| Interest expense net of capitalized  interest                 |   | 95                                        |      | 86                                       |   | 281 |   | 237 |   |
| Interest of mandatorily redeemable  preferred security holder |   | 7                                         |      | 6                                        |   | 19 |   | 19 |   |
| Amortization of debt discount and expense                     |   | 4                                         |      | 3                                        |   | 12 |   | 9 |   |
| Capitalized interest                                          |   | 6                                         |      | 6                                        |   | 19 |   | 23 |   |
|                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Fixed charges**                                             |   | $                                         | 174       |                                     | $      | 161 |   | $ | 515 |   | $ | 465 |   |
|                                                          |   |                                      |      |                                     |   |   |   |   |   |
| **Ratio of earnings to  fixed charges**                       |   | —                                    |  (2) | 1.07                                     |   | — |  (2) | — |  (3) |

 

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

 

(2)               Earnings were inadequate to cover fixedcharges by $89 million and $526 million for the three and nine months endedSeptember 30, 2002, respectively.

 

(3)               Earnings were inadequate to cover fixedcharges by $385 million for the nine months ended September 30, 2001.

 

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