Delta Airlines is retiring its last DC-9s, the oldest passenger plane in the fleet of the big US airlines.

Delta operated the final passenger flight from Minneapolis to Atlanta last evening.

McDonnell Douglas delivered the first DC-9s in 1965, and eventually built 976 of them. The plane was noteworthy at the time because it was small enough to fly to airports in smaller cities that had previously been served by propeller-driven planes.

Its low-to-the-ground profile put its cargo door at about waist height, so ground crews at smaller airports could load it without special equipment.

The plane flew for Delta, Continental and several smaller regional airlines. The one flown on the final scheduled flight yesterday was built in 1978 and went to North Central Airlines.

Its fate after that mirrors the merger wave that rolled through the whole airline industry. A combination of North Central and other airlines formed Republic Airlines, which merged with Northwest Airlines in the 1980s. Delta bought Northwest in 2008.

Most airlines retired the DC-9s by the 1990s. But instead of retiring them, Northwest in 1995 refurbished their interiors to squeeze more flying out of them. Federal rules don’t limit how many years a plane can fly, only how many take-offs and landings. As long as it stayed under those limits, the DC-9s could keep flying.

At one time the planes made up almost one-third of Northwest’s fleet. Yesterday, Delta was down to its last six.

It’s keeping two planes as spares for a few more weeks.

In an era when planes all have digital instruments, the DC-9 cockpit stands out for its dials.

The plane doesn’t have a flight management computer that handles many of the routine flying tasks on newer planes, said Delta’s DC-9 chief line check pilot Scott Woolfrey, who specifically asked to pilot the plane’s last flight. “It’s a pilot’s airplane,” he said before the flight yesterday.

The final flight prompted dozens of aviation enthusiasts to buy tickets, and they lined up at the window to watch the plane come in from LaGuardia airport in New York.

Delta is known for buying used aeroplanes and flying them longer than other airlines. Even Delta’s DC-9 replacement used Boeing 717s from AirTran is a hand — me — down. Delta is giving those planes new interiors and adding Wi-Fi as it brings them into its fleet. The 717, along with the MD-90s that Delta has also been buying used, are both descendants of the DC-9.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville-based employee of Delta Airlines has been arrested after authorities say she got into an altercation with several of her co-workers at the Louisville International Airport.

The alleged incident took place on Sunday, Jan. 5, just before 10:30 p.m. According to an arrest report, representatives of the Louisville Regional Airport Authority were sent to an area of the airport where there was a report of a disturbance involving several Delta Airlines employees.

When authorities arrived, they allegedly found a female employee holding a co-worker, 29-year-old Zenaida Omengkar, down on the ground on her back, telling her to calm down.

According to the arrest report, Omengkar had been in an altercation with several co-workers before police arrived. Authorities say a Delta Airlines supervisor asked that Omengkar be escorted off the property.

Omengkar smelled strongly of alcohol, the report states. When her belongings were searched, authorities allegedly found a coat that belonged to a pilot, and several small bottles of alcohol “like those served on aircraft,” according to the arrest report.

Authorities say a pilot claimed the coat, and said that it had been reported missing earlier in the day.

Omengkar was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct, menacing, alcohol intoxication, fourth degree assault and theft by unlawful taking.

Copyright 2014 by WDRB News. All rights reserved.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — As a blast of winter weather moves across Tennessee, airlines are delaying or cancelling flights to and from the area because of difficulties with ice and snow around the country.

At Memphis International Airport, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and U.S. Airways cancelled or delayed flights from Chicago, New York, Detroit and Houston.

Multiple flights on Delta Airlines, Southwest and American Airlines destined for Nashville International Airport were reporting delays of more than three hours and cancellations. The flights were from a variety of locations, including New York, Chicago and Denver.

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Tennessee’s southeastern corner reported no delays or cancellations early Sunday afternoon.

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — As a blast of winter weather moves across Tennessee, airlines are delaying or cancelling flights to and from the area because of difficulties with ice and snow around the country.

At Memphis International Airport, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and U.S. Airways cancelled or delayed flights from Chicago, New York, Detroit and Houston.

Multiple flights on Delta Airlines, Southwest and American Airlines destined for Nashville International Airport were reporting delays of more than three hours and cancellations. The flights were from a variety of locations, including New York, Chicago and Denver.

Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Tennessee’s southeastern corner reported no delays or cancellations early Sunday afternoon.

A Delta Airlines plane skidded off an icy runway and into the snow at JFKAirport on Sunday morning, authorities said.

There were no immediate reports of injuries after Delta Connections Flight 4100, which originated from Toronto, touched down on runway No. 22L shortly before 8 a.m.

“As the aircraft was exiting the runway onto a taxiway, it slid into the snow,” said FAA spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen. “No injuries were reported to the FAA. The FAA is investigating.”

There were 35 people on board the CRJ2 craft, which was towed into the gate. Passengers got off the flight at about 9:29 a.m, according to flight records.

Rescuers from the Port Authority’s Police Crash Fire Rescue Unit responded after receiving calls from passengers trapped on the craft, law enforcement sources said.

The first -responders manually dug snow away from around the plane’s wheels before it was towed away.

JFK was closed for two hours so workers could put salt and sand on runways, because of the freezing rain, officials said.

Delta Connection is operated by  Endeavor Air, formerly  Pinnacle Airlines.

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A ROUGH LANDING FOR PASSENGERS ON BOARD THIS DELTA FLIGHT… THEY RECORDED THEIR ESCAPE OUT THE BACK OF THE PLANE. WISN 12 NEWS TONI VALLIERE IS LIVE AT THE AIRPORT. TONI, THE PLANE BLEW TWO TIRES ON THE RUNWAY. CRAIG, DELTA FLIGHT 2504 FROM MINNEAPOLIS CAME DOWN A LITTLE HARD. THE JET BECAME THE JET BECAME DISABLED ON THE RUNWAY— SHUTTING DOWN OPERATIONS HERE FOR A COUPLE OF HOURS. PASSENGERS LINED UP INSIDE PLANE THIS IS VIDEO TAKEN FROM INSIDE DELTA FLIGHT 2504 ABOUT AN HOUR AFTER THE PLANE LANDED ON THE RUNWAY AT MILWAUKEE’S GENERAL MITCHELL INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT WEDNESDAY. PASSENGER CHRIS NOBBE FILMED AS PEOPLE LINED UP TO DEPART THE BACK OF THE JET AFTER ENDURING A ROUGH LANDING. “I KIND OF THOUGHT THE RUNWAY WAS UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND THEY PICKED THE WRONG ONE BECAUSE IT WAS TWO REALLY REALLY HARD JOLTS RIGHT AWAY.” THOSE HARD JOLTS WERE CAUSED FROM TWO TIRES BEING BLOWN. “THE TWO FLAT TIRES ARE ON THE RIGHT.” PASSENGERS ON OTHER PLANES COULD CLEARLY SEE THERE WAS A PROBLEM. “THERE WAS ABOUT THREE FIRE TRUCKS OUT THERE, EMERGENCY CREWS, POLICE CARS.” BUT THOSE INSIDE THE AIRPORT HAD NO CLUE. “I’VE BEEN WAITING AND WAITING AND WAITING AND I JUST FOUND OUT THEY’VE BEEN HAVING MECHANICAL PROBLEMS.” NO ONE ON THE PLANE WAS HURT…JUST STARTLED. “WHEN IT LANDED IT WAS VERY NOISY, BUT PILOT WAS WONDERFUL HE HAD EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL.” “I WASN’T REALLY SCARED, I WAS ON THE GROUND HAHAHA.” THE ISSUE SHUT DOWN THE AIRPORT’S ONLY FUNCTIONING RUNWAY— KEEPING OTHER PLANES FROM TAKING OFF AND LANDING FOR A FEW HOURS. PASSENGERS WERE ALSO STRANDED ONBOARD, BEFORE EMERGENCY CREWS GOT THEM ONTO BUSES BACK TO THE TERMINAL. “THEY DIDN’T LET FIRST CLASS GO FIRST THIS TIME, IT WAS KINDA NICE.” FLIGHTS ARE COMING AND GOING AGAIN TONIGHT. BUT NOT BEFORE SNARLING TRAVEL— EVENTUALLY CREWS WERE ABLE TO PLOW AND OPEN A SECOND RUNWAY. LIVE AT MITCHEL INTERNATIONAL, TONI VALLIERE, WISN 12

NEW YORK (TheStreet) — Netflix (NFLX) may be the best performing SP 500 stock in 2013, but Delta Airlines (DAL) is the one analysts favor for 2014.

All 18 analysts who follow Delta have “buy” recommendations, garnering Delta a score of 4.94 out of 5 on Bloomberg‘s ranking system. Fifteen of those analysts have 12-month price targets, with the average of those 15 being $33.97. Delta shares were trading at $27.49 for a gain of 1.08% on the day, shortly after Tuesday’s open on the final trading day of 2013. That means if Delta were to enter January at its current level and hit analysts’ average target by the end of the coming year it would translate to a gain of 23.57% for 2014 excluding dividends.

“Despite DAL’s relatively better momentum and lower risk, shares trade at a discount to the sector,” argued Bank of America analyst Glenn Engel in a Dec. 17 report.

“Delta is on pace to repurchase $500mn a year in stock, triple initial guidance, and capital returns could go higher when DAL achieves $7bn net debt target in 2015,” the report continues, adding that the airline’s “underfunded pension liability dropped 30% in 2013 to around $10bn.”

Delta shares have returned more than 130% in 2013, fourth best among SP 500 stocks. By contrast, Netflix, the best performer with shares up some 294% on the year, received only a 2.90 rating from analysts, the 28th worst in the SP 500.

Just six of the 39 analysts who cover Netflix recommend the stock to investors. Twenty-five have “hold” recommendations, while eight have “sell” ratings. The average price target of $344.92 would represent a 5.66% decline from Tuesday’s price of $365.60 in mid-morning trading.

“We continue to believe that Netflix’s high valuation is somewhat unwarranted given the potential for slowing domestic growth as early as Q4:13, coupled with increasing content costs,” wrote Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter in a Dec. 30 note. Pachter has an “underperform” rating and a $160 price target on Netflix.

NFLX Total Return Price data by YCharts

— Written by Dan Freed in New York.

Follow @dan_freed

SAN JOSE — Heavy morning fog and an airplane engine fire disrupted travel Tuesday morning at Mineta San Jose International Airport.

A Delta Air Lines flight scheduled for Minneapolis early Tuesday was one of several flights delayed by fog and was on the ground when the pilot reported a fire in the left engine, according to San Jose fire and airport officials.

San Jose firefighters received the report of a Boeing MD-90 airplane with an engine fire at 7:54 a.m., according to Capt. Cleo Doss. The fire was contained to the engine and did not reach the cabin, Doss said.

The Delta flight pushed back from the gate at 6:40 a.m. but was on the ground for one hour waiting to depart due to heavy fog, according to airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes. Delta Air Lines said in a statement the plane returned to the gate for a reported lavatory issue when an engine tailpipe flame was observed by ground personnel and quickly went out. Customers deplaned to the terminal via the jetway.

A number of other flights were delayed because of the heavy morning fog. At least 11 departures were delayed between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m. The fog lifted by about 9:15 a.m.

All flights were back on schedule by late morning.

Contact Mark Gomez at 408-920-5869. Follow him on Twitter @MarkMgomez.

DENVER, CO – DECEMBER 29, 2013: Jordan Ezell, left, and co-founder of The Bunny Alliance, protests with others at Delta Airlines outside of the terminal at Denver International Airport in Denver CO on December 29, 2013. Members of The Bunny Alliance are on a nationwide protest tour to hold Delta Air Lines accountable for its role in the vivisection industry. The Bunny Alliance held their protest at Denver International Airport to call on Delta to stop Air FranceÕs transport of animals to labs and to educate holiday travelers about the animal cruelty that Delta supports. Primates, dogs, and other animals are flown to labs, and the journey is terrifying. They are often packed into wooden crates and locked away in the cargo holds of airplanes; some die of starvation and dehydration while in route. (Photo By Helen H. Richardson/ The Denver Post) (Helen H. Richardson, THE DENVER POST)

Animal rights activists demonstrated Sunday outside Delta Airlines’ ticket counters at Denver International Airport, urging travelers to boycott the company until its partner, Air France, stops transporting animals to research labs.

“They are involved in the transport of animals to laboratories where they are tortured,” said Amanda Schemkes, an organizer of the demonstration.

“While Delta has a strong partnership with Air France, we do not influence their decisions regarding the transportation of animals,” Delta spokeswoman Jennifer Martin said in an email.

Schemkes, 28, and Jordan Ezell, 23, formed the Bunny Alliance, a group that is traveling around the country protesting Delta.

The demonstrators held signs and chanted slogans like: “Hey there Delta, what do you say? How many animals have you killed today.”

Kathy Krob, 46, who was getting ready to board a Delta flight, said finding demonstrators chanting about the treatment of animals on the sidewalk outside DIA’s east terminal was “a little bit jarring.”

But “It certainly would make me want to do a little more research,” Krobe said. “If I found out it was true, it could have an impact” on whether she would pick Delta for a flight.

Leonelva Madigan, 64, who was flying on United on Sunday, questioned whether Delta would have enough influence to force a change on Air France.

Tyler Harris, 24, said he would look into the airlines’ connection with transporting animals to labs. “In a way, I stand with animals,” he said.

But Paula Ramsey, 57, said the demonstration seemed disruptive and ineffective. “I don’t know if this is the most effective way to make their point. It is more frightening than it is convincing to me,” she said.

A statement on Air France’s website says the carrier “scrupulously respects and complies with standards” of the International Air Transport Association, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the World Organization for Animal Health.

“Air France Cargo ensures that all biomedical research involving the use of animals in laboratories with which the airline works is fully in line with current legislation and the regulations drawn up by scientific organizations specializing in animal welfare,” according to the statement.

Tom McGhee: 303-954-1671, tmcghee@denverpost.com or twitter.com/dpmcghee