MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — In March, Delta Airlines will start offering five different levels of pricing, ranging from a bare-bones “basic economy” all the way to an elite first-class “Delta One” ticket.

It’s a far cry from the 1960s, when airlines used to print their prices weeks in advance.

So, how has airline travel changed?

“I just remember it being easier, like pleasant,” said Cindy Schwartz of Excelsior.

It’s easy to romanticize the good stuff, like the food, dressing up or feeling special that you were one on the select few able to travel in the air.

In 1965, about 20 percent of people had flown at least once. By 2000, about half of all Americans were averaging one round-trip a year.

There also used to be more free space on the planes. In 1968, 46 percent of the seats were filled. By 2012, it jumped to 83 percent.

“It’s probably more affordable, but it’s not as enjoyable,” said Bruce Kitt, executive director of the NWA History Centre.

According to Airlines for America, a ticket in 1941 from Boston to Los Angeles would cost $4,397 in today’s dollars. It took 15 hours with six stops.

By 1974, a cross-country trip was closer to $1,450. Now, it averages $500. Experts point to deregulation of the airline industry in the 1970s as a big factor driving down prices.

Seat size has changed as well.

“Some seats are really close and it’s more crowded than it was years ago,” said Sharon Danielson of Rice Lake. “But then there are some flights that are really comfy.”

An analysis by USA Today found the he distance between the seats, as well as seat width, has shrunk between 1-2 inches since the mid-1980s.

Delta Airlines is changing its seating options and American Airlines is spending on amenities to attract more passengers.

Starting next year, Delta will split the cabins into five sections based on price and in-flight services.

There will be three options for economy travel and two options for premium cabins.

Delta hopes the changes will attract passengers who pick flights based on price and travel time.

American Airlines says it will spend more than $2 billion to make its planes more pleasant for passengers, the latest salvo in a competition among carriers to attract high-paying frequent fliers.

American Airlines Group Inc. said Monday that it will invest in lie-flat seats, Wi-Fi service on international flights, more entertainment offerings and a refresh of its airport lounges around the world.

CEO Doug Parker says that with the expanded global network created by American’s merger with US Airways, it now plans to deliver a better product than competitors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Delta Airlines is changing its seating options and American Airlines is spending on amenities to attract more passengers.

Starting next year, Delta will split the cabins into five sections based on price and in-flight services.

There will be three options for economy travel and two options for premium cabins.

Delta hopes the changes will attract passengers who pick flights based on price and travel time.

American Airlines says it will spend more than $2 billion to make its planes more pleasant for passengers, the latest salvo in a competition among carriers to attract high-paying frequent fliers.

American Airlines Group Inc. said Monday that it will invest in lie-flat seats, Wi-Fi service on international flights, more entertainment offerings and a refresh of its airport lounges around the world.

CEO Doug Parker says that with the expanded global network created by American’s merger with US Airways, it now plans to deliver a better product than competitors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

Delta Airlines is changing its seating options and American Airlines is spending on amenities to attract more passengers.

Starting next year, Delta will split the cabins into five sections based on price and in-flight services.

There will be three options for economy travel and two options for premium cabins.

Delta hopes the changes will attract passengers who pick flights based on price and travel time.

American Airlines says it will spend more than $2 billion to make its planes more pleasant for passengers, the latest salvo in a competition among carriers to attract high-paying frequent fliers.

American Airlines Group Inc. said Monday that it will invest in lie-flat seats, Wi-Fi service on international flights, more entertainment offerings and a refresh of its airport lounges around the world.

CEO Doug Parker says that with the expanded global network created by American’s merger with US Airways, it now plans to deliver a better product than competitors.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

DETROIT (AP) – Delta airlines say a plane that took off from Detroit has made an emergency landing in Ohio on its way to Florida.

The airline says the crew decided to land in Toledo, Ohio, Thursday night due to a smoky odor in the flight deck after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It says the plane headed to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, landed without incident and taxied to the gate using its own power. Passengers are being transferred to another plane and no injuries were reported.

It’s unclear what caused the problem. Emergency crews surrounded the Delta 757 aircraft after landing.

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

TOLEDO, Ohio –

A flight heading from Detroit to Fort Lauderdale made an emergency landing Thursday night.

The crew of Delta Airlines flight 312 elected to divert to Toledo, Ohio, due to a smoky odor in the flight deck, airport officials told Local 4 News.

Officials said the flight landed without incident and taxied to the gate under its own power.

“Customers are being reaccommodated on another aircraft,” airport officials said in a statement. “Safety is always Delta’s top priority.”

Emergency crews surrounded the plane after landing.

No injuries were reported.

Watch Local 4 News and stay with ClickOnDetroit.com for updates on this developing story.

TOLEDO, Ohio –

A flight heading from Fort Lauderdale made an emergency landing Thursday night.

The crew of Delta Airlines flight 312 from Detroit elected to divert to Toledo, Ohio, due to a smoky odor in the flight deck, airport officials said.

Officials said the flight landed without incident and taxied to the gate under its own power.

“Customers are being reaccommodated on another aircraft,” airport officials said in a statement. “Safety is always Delta’s top priority.”

No injuries were reported.

A Lauderdale-by-the-Sea man is accused of stealing more than $80,000 from Delta Airlines, the Broward Sheriff’s Office said.

lRelated
NewsMichael White DuarteSee all related

According to the arrest report filed in the case, Michael White-Duarte, 51, used his position as a Delta employee to issue plane tickets and flight upgrades to family and friends between 2011 and 2013.

White-Duarte was responsible for distributing non-cash incentives such as travel vouchers, complimentary airline tickets and travel upgrades to large corporate clients, the report stated.

Investigators said White-Duarte had signed documents acknowledging Delta’s policies and guidelines for issuing these incentives. He was not allowed to issue tickets that would result in personal gain for himself or family, friends and co-workers.

White-Duarte is accused of accessing Delta Airlines’ computer system using multiple passwords and conducting 65 transactions between February 2011 and November 2013.

He issued complimentary ticket vouchers worth $54,261, airline tickets worth $24,200 and travel upgrade certificates worth $2,100, totaling $80,561, the arrest report stated.

White-Duarte was arrested Monday and charged with grand theft. He was released from jail Tuesday on $5,000 bond, court records showed.

Copyright © 2014, Sun Sentinel

Smoke forced a Delta Airlines flight to divert from Pittsburgh International Airport Saturday afternoon.

Flight 343 was headed from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to San Francisco.

Delta said there was a smoke odor in the plane’s rear galley.

The plane landed safely in Pittsburgh. After everything was examined, the plane started its way to California again.

A Thanksgiving announcement from OPEC that it will not change its oil output target has produced two very divergent trends in early Black Friday trading: airline stocks are taking flight while oil producer names take cover as WTI crude and Brent crude prices hit multi-year lows. Shares of United Airlines, Delta Airlines and American Airlines are each up 5% or more, while Exxon Mobil and Chevron are down more than 3% in early Friday action.

The 12 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) decided in a Thursday meeting in Vienna that despite an oversupply of oil in the market and drastically declining oil prices, it would maintain its 30 million barrels of oil per day output target in the interest of restoring market equilibrium.

In remarks made to reporters after the meeting, OPEC Secretary General Abdalla El-Badri said that OPEC will maintain the 30 million barrels of oil per day production for the next six months and watch how the market behaves. If the market behaves unfavorably, OPEC says it will act accordingly.

Following OPEC’s statement on Thursday, Brent crude futures fell under $75 per barrel, their lowest levels since August of 2010. These declines have extended into early Friday trading, with Brent crude futures trading at $72.90 and WTI crude futures trading at $69.27, down 6% for the day and 23% year-over-year.

In a research note released Friday morning, Citi analyst Seth Kleinman said that this market reaction may start to focus the minds of petroleum ministries around the world but that it will take significant pain and panic for OPEC to take major action.

“The cartel was tasked with acting like a cartel and it couldn’t fulfill the task, though the task was akin to threading a needle during an earthquake: it needed to produce a cut that would be big enough to balance the oil market but would also be credible, that would address the light-sweet overhang in the Atlantic Basin all while tensions in the Middle East are at historic highs,” he wrote in response to Thursday’s meeting. “After years or inaction and producing basically flat out thanks to the rise of Chinese demand and myriad supply disruptions across the Middle East, expecting the organization to perform in such heroic form was always a stretch.”

By Citi’s estimate, the oil market has a 700,000 barrel-per-day oversupply right now, and this oversupply could increase to 1.3 million barrels of oil per day during the first half of 2015.

Not surprisingly, oil-related equities are tanking in the wake of OPEC’s statement and the Brent and WTI drops. Shares of Exxon Mobil opened $3 lower than their Wednesday close (markets were closed on Thursday for Thanksgiving) and are currently trading for a 3.4% decline. Competitor Chevron opened for Friday trading more than $4 below its Wednesday close and is currently trading for a 5% loss. Year-to-date Chevron is down 12.5% and Exxon is down 9.8%.

The big winners resulting from the pain in the oil industry are airline stocks, with airline names flying high in early Friday trading. Shares of American Airlines — which were up about 5% in pre-market activity – are surging 7.2% and have hit a new 52-week high. Year-to-date, the stock is up a whopping 91%, nearly doubling its value from the start of 2014. United Airlines is up 6.4% and has also hit a new 52-week high; year-to-date the stock is up almost 60%. And rounding out the trifecta is Delta Airlines, which like its peers has also set a new 52-week high and is up 5.7% in Friday trading; year-to-date, the stock is up 70%.