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Case Study: Northwest Airlines, Minneapolis, MN

John Guse, Head of Deicing Maintenance and Repair 

The busy Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport is a major center for air traffic in the Upper Midwest and is the hub of Northwest Airlines.

John Guse is head of de-icing maintenance and repair for Northwest Airlines at Minneapolis. He is responsible for the operations of his group, as well as all the tools and equipment they use. “We were using several other brands of deicing nozzles, but we were having lots of problems with them,” says Guse. “We approached Akron Brass, and they worked with us to develop the products we needed.”

Deicing procedures require special nozzles and monitors to handle the chemical fluids used. One fluid is applied at high temperature to remove build-up ice, and the other is applied just before the aircraft leaves the terminal to provide a protective coating during takeoff. To assist the ground crews, the nozzles have to be color-coded to ensure the correct fluid is applied, and the handles must be sized for operation with gloved hands in very cold conditions. The monitors are mounted on elevating platforms and must be able to rotate freely and aim both up and down to reach all critical parts of the aircraft.

During the first winter of operation, the Akron Brass products worked so well, and the staff at Akron provided such outstanding support, that the Northwest Airlines facility in Minneapolis decided to switch entirely to Akron Brass for all their current deicing nozzle and monitor needs.

“The Akron products do what I want,” comments Guse, “and we are really happy with them.”

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