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Still struggling in bankruptcy, still negotiating with long-striking mechanics, and still under threat of a strike by flight attendants, Northwest Airlines decided it was the time to offer some handy-dandy tips for their employees on how to make ends meet. Both in print and on an employee website, the pamphlet with the sadly realistic title “Preparing for a Financial Setback” included a section labeled “101 Ways to Save Money.”

The four-page booklet […] contained suggestions such as shopping in thrift stores, taking “a date for a walk along the beach or in the woods” and not being “shy about pulling something you like out of the trash.”
The booklet was part of a 150-page packet to ground workers, such as baggage handlers, whose jobs will likely be cut after their union agreed to allow the airline to outsource some of their work, Blahoski said.

Way to boost morale. Not only telling your employees that their jobs are at risk, but they’ll soon be relegated to sorting through garbage.

The tips raise etiquette questions, though: On those walks along the beach with your date, which you’re doing to avoid the high price of movies and dinner, is it gauche to bring a metal detector?

UPDATE: In comments, MN Headhunter points to the complete list of money-saving tips, including the infamous #46. “In fairness it looks as if the company, (NEAS Company, www.neas.com) who put this list together has the same list for all of their clients, not Northwest Airlines specifically. Still, you would think the airline would look at the material they are giving to their soon to be former employees.” Indeed.

UPDATE 2: The Consumerist got their hands on a PDF version of the booklet. Of course they did. Why wouldn’t they.

(image: Finster)
tags: travel | Northwest Airlines | how to save money | dumpster diving