Delta Air Lines

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.

Surging fuel costs hampered US Airways Group and Delta Air Lines in the first quarter, with both airlines reporting losses Tuesday. US Airways said that traffic and revenue were up during the first three months, but that rising fuel costs, winter weather, and the Japan crisis weighed on results. Philadelphia's dominant airline posted a loss of $114 million, or 71 cents a share - more than double the $45 million loss, or 28 cents a share, a year ago. "Our first-quarter results were clearly impacted by the extremely high price of oil," said US Airways chief executive officer Doug Parker.

Several U.S. airlines announced plans Tuesday to reduce flying this year to counter rising fuel prices and the drop in travel after Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami. Even airlines that do not fly to Japan have felt the impact. At an investor conference in New York, US Airways Group Inc. president Scott Kirby said bookings fell more than 20 percent in the first few days after the March 11 crisis in Japan, as people worldwide were glued to their televisions and stayed home.

In an unusual settlement, the federal Transportation Security Administration has agreed to apologize to a passenger and change training policies after federal air marshals arrested the man in Philadelphia last year. The agency, accused of racial profiling, also agreed to pay $50,000 to the passenger, Bob Rajcoomar, under a settlement disclosed yesterday of his lawsuit stemming from the arrest aboard Delta Air Lines Flight 442. Experts in federal law and the Transportation Security Administration's history called the settlement an extraordinary admission by the agency and a highly unusual disclosure under federal tort law. "They're basically saying, 'You caught us,' " said Andrew Thomas, a private security analyst who closely follows the agency.

Internet Capital Group of Wayne has hired Edward West, who had been the top financial officer of Delta Air Lines Inc., as its chief financial officer. West replaces David Gathman, 52, who oversaw ICG's initial public offering a year ago and a second offering of $1.2 billion in stock and debt in December. ICG invests in and operates 63 companies that run online business exchanges and sell Internet software and services. "Ed brings a unique set or combination of skills and is a phenomenal hire from our perspective," ICG's chief executive officer, Walter Buckley 3d, said.

It took a while, but American Express has finally started teaming up with travel companies to offer "affinity" cards, which help people earn frequent- traveler rewards. American Express and Hilton Hotels are offering a Hilton Optima Card that gives points in the Hilton HHonors frequent-guest program for everything charged to it. Like many other credit cards these days, the co-branded card has no annual fee and starts with a low interest rate for the first six months. The variable annual interest rate rises to close to the legal limit after that.

Until a month ago, Delta Air Lines enjoyed a national reputation, both inside the aviation industry and with the flying public, as a safe and efficiently operated company. Then the nightmare began. Although no lives have been lost, Delta pilots in five separate incidents have strayed off course and nearly hit another plane, landed at a wrong airport, landed on a wrong runway, nearly taken off into another airplane and almost dumped a loaded Boeing 767 into the sea by inadvertently shutting off its engines.