Jet Fuel

For the first time, the top export of the United States, the biggest gas guzzler in the world, is - wait for it - fuel. Measured in dollars, the country is on pace this year to ship more gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel than any other single export, according to U.S. census data going back to 1990. It will also be the first year in more than 60 that America has been a net exporter of these fuels. A decade ago, fuel was not even among the top 25 exports. And for the last five years, America's top export was aircraft.

U.S. oil companies are gouging the airlines with high prices for jet fuel while limiting the rise in consumer gasoline prices to bolster their public image, an airline industry group charged yesterday. The high jet-fuel costs are accelerating the cutbacks and asset sales that are reshaping the nation's airlines and, if they continue, could result in a total restructuring of the industry, said Robert J. Aaronson, president of the Air Transport Association of America. In recent days, Midway Airlines has announced that it is phasing out its Philadelphia hub operations and selling its gates and other assets to rival USAir, and Pan Am Corp.

Workers are returning to the former ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer, to begin steps toward resuming fuel production in September, a move that new owner Delta Air Lines hopes can cut its jet-fuel bill by $300 million a year. A Delta subsidiary, Monroe Energy L.L.C., closed on the $180 million purchase of the idled oil refinery on June 22. Three days later, the first workers arrived to begin a turnaround, which is a maintenance procedure, and to modify some units and do routine inspections.

The Air Force has acknowledged in a report that 67,500 liters of jet fuel leaked from a tank at the Willow Grove Air Reserve station during the 1960s and 1970s. That fuel contained five toxic compounds, and if the area isn't cleaned up, the fuel eventually could make its way into the drinking-water supply, according to the report filed with the federal Environmental Protection Agency. But there is no threat to health at this time, said Pat Liebman, a civilian in charge of public affairs at the base.

Twelve homes in Burlington Township were evacuated yesterday morning when a road crew ripped a hole in an underground fuel line, spewing more than 12,000 gallons of combustible jet fuel onto the street. No one was injured in the incident, but all the roads in the area were closed as workers tried to contain the leak and fire crews prepared hoses in case of an explosion. It all started about 10 a.m. yesterday when workers from the Burlington County Highway Department were digging a trench to install lines for a traffic light at Jacksonville, Fountain and Old York Roads.

It wasn't the impact of the hijacked 767 jets that flattened the World Trade Center towers Tuesday. It was the inferno of burning jet fuel that dealt the monoliths their fatal blow. Although engineers disagree on the details, most now believe that the two 110-story towers behaved just as the buildings' architects and engineers had promised: They stood up to a direct hit from a large airliner. What they could not handle was an unprecedented, kerosene-fueled fireball with temperatures that ranged from 3,600 to 4,000 degrees.

There are times when the jet engines shake their house and rattle their dishes, but Gervin and Millie Jones would not have it any other way. The couple moved into their home in neighboring Upper Moreland 48 years ago, just after the Willow Grove Naval Air Station opened. Since then, the low-flying planes traveling to and from the base have provided backyard entertainment. But last weekend, the Joneses left the comfort of their porch with a few friends and joined about 200,000 spectators at the air station's Sound of Freedom show, a two-day event featuring aeronautic performances, demonstration airplanes and other attractions.

The jet fuel spill caused by the rupture of an underground pipeline Thursday night did not pose much of a health threat to humans or wildlife, officials said yesterday. But it has hampered those wanting to travel on one of the township's most-used roadways. Today may be the seventh day that a quarter-mile portion of Jacksonville Road, from Fountain Avenue to Little Oxmead Road, has had at least one lane closed to allow workers to decontaminate ground soil and the waters of a small nearby stream.

US Airways Group Inc. yesterday reported a larger-than-expected first-quarter loss, the result of a doubling of its bill for jet fuel, January snowstorms, and a fractious dispute with its flight attendants, the airline said. US Airways, the region's dominant carrier and the employer of more than 5,000 people at Philadelphia International Airport, said it had a $139 million operating loss, or $1.72 a share. Analysts had expected a loss of $1.48 a share, according to First Call, which tracks analysts' earnings estimates.

An underground pipeline running between a Delaware River dock and McGuire Air Force Base ruptured yesterday morning, spilling more than 10,000 gallons of jet fuel into a Burlington County Creek and other surrounding waterways and land. About 25 residents of the sparsely-populated area were evacuated from their homes - near a tributary of the Assiscunk Creek - after the spill was reported at about 8 a.m. State officials said evacuations were ordered because the evaporating fuel could cause nausea.

I'll bet that flying means to you roughly what it does to me: battling seat pockets that eat knee space. Emptying your inner life into plastic trays. Far above the clouds, another, better world exists: It's a paradise of infinite legroom and no one around to pat you down preflight. In fact, as a passenger in a private jet, you call the shots, even when it comes to buckling seatbelts. Celebrities and Romney-class politicians know this well. And so do I - since a business-owning pal let me fly aboard a JetSuite Embraer Phenom 100 from Providence, R.I., to New York.

We heard a lot four years ago about how quick and massive intervention by the U.S. and European governments kept the financial system from collapsing. But lenders who lost billions financing dumb property speculation, and were bailed out by public investments, are still having to cope with the government conditions that kept them in business. It's one reason the economy remains slow. For example, the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has been resisting pressure to sell its U.S. arm, including Citizens Bank , to raise badly needed cash.

US Airways Group Inc. and Delta Air Lines posted higher quarterly profits Wednesday and said the revenue environment ahead looks fairly good. US Airways, which is in talks with bankrupt American Airlines about a potential merger, said third-quarter profit more than doubled to $192 million, or 98 cents a share, from $95 million, or 51 cents a share, a year earlier. That beat analysts' average estimates of 92 cents. "That's our second-best third-quarter profit in company history," US Airways chief executive Doug Parker said during a call with investors.

The question can be heard up and down the Camden block where Osvaldo Rivera allegedly stabbed a 6-year-old boy to death and slashed the boy's 12-year-old sister last Sunday: Was the man known as "Popeye," who played ball with neighborhood children and gave them haircuts on his porch not who he seemed or was the dreadful attack fueled by the drug concoction called "wet" that he allegedly told authorities he had smoked that night? In the Roosevelt Manor public housing complex where Rivera allegedly committed the crimes, where residents say drug abuse is commonplace, mothers last week clutched their children even tighter and kept an eye on the doors where they said known users live.

Higher fares and lower fuel costs helped give US Airways its most profitable quarter ever, as net profit reached $306 million in the three months that ended June 30. That compared with a net profit of $92 million during the comparable quarter in 2011. "We are extremely pleased," said chief executive officer Doug Parker, praising the airline's 32,000 employees. He said the airline's showing, a pretax margin of 8.6 percent, was better than that of any other airline except Southwest Airlines, which posted a 9.6 percent margin for the quarter.

When Delta Air Lines decided to buy the idled Trainer refinery outside Philadelphia to keep itself supplied with jet fuel, the announcement was met with a mix of skepticism, outright disbelief, and nods of approval from experts who follow the airline industry and oil and energy markets. Delta's move was smart, risky, insane, stupid, even brilliant — or all of those. "Is there a better investment than a refinery? Maybe not," wrote airline analyst Helane Becker in a client note.

Workers are returning to the former ConocoPhillips refinery in Trainer, to begin steps toward resuming fuel production in September, a move that new owner Delta Air Lines hopes can cut its jet-fuel bill by $300 million a year. A Delta subsidiary, Monroe Energy L.L.C., closed on the $180 million purchase of the idled oil refinery on June 22. Three days later, the first workers arrived to begin a turnaround, which is a maintenance procedure, and to modify some units and do routine inspections.

IN THE REGION Charming's sale complete Ascena Retail Group Inc. has completed its buyout of Lane Bryant owner Charming Shoppes Inc. and is taking steps to shed parts of the acquired business that it doesn't want. Ascena said in May that it was buying Charming Shoppes, of Bensalem, for about $890 million. The deal gives Ascena access to the large-size women's clothing market with Lane Bryant and Catherines Plus Sizes stores. But Ascena said Friday that it planned to close Charming Shoppes' remaining Fashion Bug operations by early next year and that it may sell Charming's direct-marketing business, Figi's.

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.

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.