Northwest, Attendants in Tentative Deal

Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants’ union, which has been seeking a new contract for 3 1/2 years, reached agreement on a tentative deal. According to a statement posted on the union’s Web site, the tentative deal includes an increase in pay and pension rates, stronger work rules and full domestic-partner health insurance benefits. Currently, pay for flight attendants at Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest starts around $16,000 and rises to more than $40,000, with the average pay in the mid-$30,000 range. Ballots will be mailed next week to 11,000 flight attendants, who rejected another tentative agreement last August.