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.
Delta Air Lines and Northwest Airlines have won the regulatory approvals they need to form the world’s largest airline, but they still face the daunting task of combining two vastly different operations. Their success will be measured by how smoothly and rapidly the carriers can integrate—and whether streamlining can offset substantial merger costs.
Continental is planning to increase frequency on its Rio de Janeiro nonstop flights. The airline is asking the U.S. Transportation Dept. for approval to operate year-round daily flights between Houston and Rio, and also through flights from New Orleans to Rio, beginning in June 2009. The carrier will operate a Boeing 767-200 on the Houston route.
Delta and Northwest may have closed their merger deal, but they still face many challenges in combining two complex and sprawling operations. “The shouting and hoopla [of the merger announcement] is over, now all they’ve got to do is pull it off,” noted ACA Associates analyst George Hamlin. The two carriers will look for gains as quickly as possible from rearranging their fleet and schedule within their combined network, although it will be several months before the real savings are seen.
