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 yesterday reported a $344 million net loss for the fourth quarter, although the carrier says demand is continuing to steadily improve. The fourth-quarter result was almost unchanged from the $347 million loss in the same period in 2008. For the full year, American’s net loss was $1.5 billion, down significantly from the 2008 net loss of $2.1 billion. Overall, American has seen demand trends strengthen since hitting a low point in May and June. This is showing in both unit revenue and yield results.
Erroll Southers says he withdrew himself from consideration as the next head of the TSA due to the escalating political attacks against him, which he believed would have followed him and hurt the agency.
The Air Transport Association reports that although trends appear to be improving, the 2009 airline revenue drop was the worst the industry has seen. Passenger revenue for seven major carriers and affiliates fell by 18% last year, exceeding the previous record decline of 14% in 2001. Yields were down 13% in 2009, and passenger volume dropped 6%.
