Delta Air Lines

IN BUSINESS A13 A long time coming Sunoco saw itself as in need of a change. That strategy led to its pending sale. Delco's good news Delta Air Lines, hoping to secure a steady source of discounted jet fuel, will buy ConocoPhillips oil refinery in Trainer.

A Delta Air Lines bid to buy the idled ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer to satisfy its enormous thirst for jet fuel appears to be gaining momentum, industry observers say. According to reports, the Delta board of directors has endorsed a plan to bid on the refinery, one of three Philadelphia fuel-processing facilities that face closure because of poor profits. Two others are owned by Sunoco Inc. of Philadelphia, which is exiting the refining business this year altogether. Prospective buyers face a May 2 deadline for a second round of bidding on the 185,000-barrel-a-day ConocoPhillips refinery, Tom Kloza, publisher of Oil Price Information Service, reported Monday.

Hoping a fourth try will be the charm in its effort to tie the knot with another carrier, US Airways Group Inc. is said to be analyzing a possible bid to acquire bankrupt American Airlines. Although a bid is far from certain, and likely months away, Delta Air Lines and private-equity firm TPG Capital Group also are looking at American, according to published reports. US Airways has hired Millstein & Co. to examine American, and Delta has hired the Blackstone Group, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.

US Airways Group Inc. announced Tuesday it will begin nonstop daily seasonal summer service from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City on May 24. Additionally, US Airways will add another daily frequency on March 25 between Philadelphia and St Louis, Mo.; Nashville, Tenn., Houston; Albany, N.Y.; Bangor, Maine; and Indianapolis. Separately, US Airways announced new daily flights at Washington Reagan National airport, where it acquired some takeoff and landing rights from Delta Air Lines.

Delta Air Lines Inc. will begin four daily flights between Philadelphia and New York's LaGuardia airport on July 11 as part of an expansion in New York because it is swapping some takeoff and landing rights with US Airways Group Inc. Delta will operate flights from here to New York at 7 a.m., 10:45 a.m., 2 p.m., and 5:45 p.m., and flights leaving LaGuardia for Philadelphia at 9 a.m., 12 noon, 4 p.m., and 8:05 p.m. daily. Delta said Friday it will spend $100 million to expand LaGuardia's C and D terminals, which will be connected by a 600-foot bridge.

US Airways Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines said Tuesday they closed a deal to swap some takeoff and landing rights at New York's LaGuardia Airport and Washington, D.C.'s Reagan National Airport. At Reagan, US Airways, the dominant carrier in Philadelphia, acquired 42 Delta slots, which translate into round-trip flights, along with international rights to fly to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. Delta will also pay $66.5 million to US Airways. In return, Delta acquired 132 slots at LaGuardia, to increase its presence in New York, where it has a hub at John F. Kennedy Airport.

US Airways Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines got the green light from regulators Thursday to swap some takeoff and landing rights at New York's LaGuardia and Washington's Reagan National Airports. At Reagan, US Airways - the dominant carrier in Philadelphia - will acquire 42 Delta slots, which translate into round-trip flights, along with international rights to fly to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015. Delta will also pay $66.5 million to US Airways. In return, Delta will get 132 slots at LaGuardia, currently used by US Airways Express flights, to increase its presence in New York, where it already has a hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

US Airways Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines have again asked regulators for permission to swap some takeoff and landing rights at New York's LaGuardia and Washington's Reagan National Airports. US Airways would get 42 Delta slots, which translate into round-trip flights, at Reagan; international rights to fly to Sao Paulo, Brazil, in 2015; and $66.5 million in cash. In return, Delta would get 132 slots at LaGuardia, currently used by US Airways Express flights, to increase its presence in New York, where it already has a hub at John F. Kennedy International Airport.