Passengers who fly Delta out of the Twins Cities pay almost $60 more one-way than if they fly out of airports where Delta has more competition.

Earlier this summer, Delta Air Lines announced plans to shut down its shrunken, 35-year-old regional carrier Comair by Sept. 29. Minnesota passengers won't notice the change much.

A mechanical problem forced the pilot of a 95-passenger Delta Air Lines plane on its way from Minneapolis to Detroit to shut down an engine and land in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Monday afternoon, MLive reports. There were no reports of injury.

Delta Airlines is analyzing a possible merger with American Airlines' parent company. The Wall Street Journal reports Delta has hired a firm to look into the financial and regulatory issues of joining the two companies. American filed for bankruptcy in November.

One of the passengers who bit into a sandwich and punctured his mouth on a needle on a Minneapolis-bound Delta flight, John Tonjes of Plymouth, now faces sleepless nights as he worries about health risks. Meanwhile, an international investigation is focused on a food preparation area at the airport in Amsterdam. And experts speculate that it was not the work of terrorists.

The Atlanta-based airline says the Twin Cities is a key part of its operations. Delta's senior vice president of Minnesota operations told the Star Tribune the airline is investing more than $3 million in new equipment at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. Delta already employs 12,000 people in Minnesota and plans to add 400 positions in June.

Delta plans to pay off what's left on a Metropolitan Airports Commission loan it inherited from Northwest Airlines. Once the loan is repaid, Delta will no longer be bound by a commitment to keep at least 10,000 jobs in Minnesota. The airline currently has 12,000 employees here.