Adrian is Auckland bureau chief for Aviation Week, based in New Zealand. He covers commercial aviation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Adrian was previously based in Aviation Week’s Washington office for nine years, writing for a range of the group’s publications and covering many aspects of the commercial aviation industry. He has won Australasian and international awards for his aviation writing.
Prior to joining Aviation Week in 2002, Adrian covered aviation industry and policy issues for two other publishing companies in Washington. He has also worked for newspapers in Texas and New Zealand, covering a wide range of topics. Adrian graduated from Auckland University with a degree in history and English in 1992.
Australia’s Virgin Blue is in advanced discussions with Hawaiian Airlines about forming a code-share partnership between the two carriers. A spokeswoman for Virgin Blue confirms that while there is no agreement yet, talks are underway about code-sharing on Hawaiian’s flights from Sydney to Honolulu. This would be a significant upgrade to the interline agreement they currently have.
New Zealand regulators are dropping their price-fixing case against six Air New Zealand executives, but court proceedings will continue against the airline itself, as well as eight other carriers. The NZ Commerce Commission (NZCC) says excluding the executives is part of its pre-trial strategy to “streamline and focus the case on those airlines with large turnover in New Zealand markets.” The commission is also dropping Garuda Indonesia from the case for the same reason.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says fuel cost increases and unrealistic union contract demands are major threats to the carrier’s future. Spiking oil prices have led Qantas to increase surcharges on international routes by up to AU$100 ($104.9) each way, with domestic and New Zealand fares rising by 5%. However, the revised surcharges will cover less than half the increase in fuel costs projected for the fiscal year that will begin in July, the carrier says.
