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.
American Airlines and JetBlue Airways plan limited links between their frequent flyer programs later this year, as part of an interline agreement that becomes effective today. The carriers have not announced an exact target date for the frequent flyer cooperation. The timing will depend on issues, such as technology integration. Travelers will be able to earn frequent flyer miles under either airline’s program on routes covered by the interline agreement. Miles from one program cannot be redeemed on the other, however.
Recent approvals of an airline merger and an international joint venture by European and U.S. regulators highlight the progress being made toward liberalization in the air transport industry. However, they also remind us there is still a long way to go.
Robert Wall (London), Jens Flottau (Frankfurt), Adrian Schofield (Washington)
Regulatory and labor concessions are speeding several European network carriers’ momentum toward economic recovery, though labor and government taxation obstacles remain. A key move occurred July 14 when the European Commission granted Oneworld alliance partners British Airways, Iberia and American Airlines antitrust immunity that allows for closer coordination of operations. Although the decision is important for American, it is particularly critical for the European partners, whose pace of recovery has been slower.
