Delta Air Lines

Philadelphia International Airport, which curtailed flights for the superstorm, is back in business. At 1 p.m. Tuesday, Delta Air Lines resumed nine flights in and out of Philadelphia. Lufthansa Airlines landed a 4:30 p.m. jet from Frankfurt, and was sending a 6 p.m. return flight to Germany. US Airways Group, which operates 430 daily departures from Philadelphia, planned to resume a normal schedule Wednesday morning. Airport spokeswoman Victoria Lupica confirmed that Delta began flying Tuesday, as did Lufthansa.

Who knew that the economic solution for the region's beleaguered oil refineries would arrive on a slow train from North Dakota? Delta Air Lines, the new owner of the Trainer refinery that is scheduled to reopen later this month, on Thursday became the third fuel producer in the Philadelphia area to announce plans to bring in crude oil by rail from the Bakken oil field in the upper Midwest. Edward Bastian, the airline's president, told an investor conference in New York that Delta plans to replace some imported oil at Trainer with domestic crude brought in by rail.

Delta Air Lines Inc. has added security to its meal production as the FBI and Dutch police investigate sewing needles found in sandwiches on four of the carrier's flights Sunday from Amsterdam to the United States. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and police at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport said Wednesday that they have opened criminal inquiries into the matter after one person was injured on a flight to Minneapolis and single needles in sandwiches were found in two flights to Atlanta and in one flight to Seattle from the Dutch airport.

IN THE REGION Retailer's shares fall on sales news Shares in Destination Maternity Corp. fell 19.6 percent Tuesday on news that the Philadelphia apparel retailer had notched lower-than-expected sales during the quarter ended June 30. Net sales of $138.8 million were below the low end of sales guidance of $142 million to $147 million issued on April 26. The same quarter a year earlier, sales were $146.7 million. The company issued new earnings guidance of 51 cents to 53 cents per share for the quarter, down from 57 cents to 70 cents forecast in April.

Delta Air Lines will begin new service between Philadelphia and New York LaGuardia Airport starting Wednesday. It's part of Delta's expansion in New York. The five flights to LaGuardia depart Philadelphia at 6:50 a.m., 10:35 a.m., 2:10 p.m., 4:08 p.m. and 7:48 p.m. Delta already serves JFK airport with three daily flights from Philadelphia. Delta wants "to become the preferred airline in New York" connecting passengers to "key business markets," said senior vice president Gail Grimmett.

Delta Air Lines on Friday finalized its purchase of the ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer and will begin to bring back about 400 employees who were laid off last year when the plant was idled. A Delta spokesman said that its subsidiary, Monroe Energy L.L.C., will start a turnaround at the Delaware County refinery after the July 4 holiday with the aim of resuming fuel production this fall. The airline paid $180 million for the plant, with the Corbett administration chipping in $30 million on the condition that Monroe maintain 400 employees for five years.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission on Thursday approved the transfer of pipelines connected with the ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer, removing an obstacle to the refinery's sale to Delta Air Lines Inc. The PUC approved the late-hour request on a fast track after the companies involved in the sale realized that some pipelines came under the jurisdiction of the utility commission, and that regulatory approval was required. The application was filed on May 25. Commission chairman Robert F. Powelson extolled the PUC's contribution to efforts to assist in the Delaware County refinery's sale, which is being supported with $30 million in grants from the Corbett administration.

Gov. Corbett is hailing it as "an important win for the local community and the people of Pennsylvania. " C. Alan Walker, secretary of the state Department of Community and Economic Development, calls it a "win-win for everybody. " Their effusive praise was for a taxpayer-aided deal that will see Delta Air Lines buy the recently idled ConocoPhillips gasoline refinery in Trainer. In an attempt to battle rising jet-fuel costs, Delta will refine its own at the site, which will supposedly save $300 million a year.

Delta Air Lines, hoping to secure a steady source of discounted jet fuel, announced Monday that it will buy the ConocoPhillips oil refinery in Trainer for the bargain price of $150 million. The nation's second-largest commercial airline says it hopes to reduce its fuel expenses by $300 million a year with the acquisition. Delta spent $11.8 billion on jet fuel in 2011, about 36 percent of its operating expenses. "Acquiring the Trainer refinery is an innovative approach to managing our largest expense," said Richard Anderson, Delta's chief executive officer.