So I have two long trips this summer depending on Northwest continuing to fly, and what do I read today? First the airline is threatening Congress:

Northwest Airlines said on Tuesday it would attempt to terminate its employee pensions in bankruptcy if Congress did not approve legislation giving airlines more time to finance those plans.

In a letter to House of Representatives Majority Leader John Boehner, an Ohio Republican, the carrier said delay in the pension bill on Capitol Hill threatened the progress of restructuring and that action was needed to save pensions.

Northwest previously said it was counting on the additional time of up to 20 years included in proposed pension legislation to help balance its pension accounts and avoid turning them over to federal pension insurers like US Airways and United Airlines did in bankruptcy.

Give me my workout of the pension deal -- which in the meantime leaves these pensions underfunded -- or we toss out 70,000 retirement plans for you to deal with. That should help get me better service. Particularly from the flight attendants.

Northwest Airlines flight attendants soundly rejected a contract agreement Tuesday that would have slashed their base pay by 21 percent and increased their work hours.

Supposedly this won't lead to a strike, at least not until I need that plane overseas.