Northwest Airlines offers another $85 million to DB plans

Northwest Airlines Corp., Eagan, Minn., contributed $85 million to its three defined benefit plans, which have a combined $4.8 billion in assets, bringing the year's total contribution to $253 million, according to the airline's third quarter report filed with the SEC. The airline also withdrew an earlier request to the IRS to reschedule some of its 2004 contributions, taking advantage of partial funding relief under federal legislation passed earlier this year. Northwest expects $435 million in pension expense this year and about $500 million in 2005, assuming no significant change in interest rates or a drop in plan assets' market value. The airline had $3.75 billion in pension liabilities at the end of 2003, according to its annual report.