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.
There now appears little chance that Congress will pass an FAA reauthorization bill this week, meaning that yet another short-term extension will likely be passed in the next few days. With the current extension due to lapse Sunday, there is still no sign of agreement between the House and Senate over the last outstanding issues. The Senate was hoping to pass a revised version of the reauthorization bill this week, but disputes between senators over the perimeter rule at Reagan Washington National Airport make this unlikely too.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved the U.S. Transportation Department Fiscal 2011 funding legislation on July 22, and now the House and Senate DOT bills await full floor votes.
Alaska Air Group managed to double its second-quarter profit to $58.6 million, and its $84-million profit, excluding special items, was its highest ever. CEO Bill Ayer attributes the profit gain to higher load factors, improved pricing, strong ancillary revenues and cost control. Ayer notes that the airline’s No. 1 ranking among major carriers in AVIATION WEEK’s Top Performing Airlines study underlines the group’s continued improvement.
