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.
Qantas will upgrade its online check-in system beginning early next year, and will offer paperless check-in as part of the changes. Passengers who check in and select their seat online can have a 2D barcode sent to their mobile phone or portable device, which can be scanned at security. Baggage can be taken straight to bag-drop facilities, and a dedicated online check-in bag-drop will be available for international passengers.
Continental last week released a generally upbeat near-term outlook, suggesting that demand will stay reasonably healthy and planned capacity cuts will succeed in boosting yield considerably. The airline said it is “comfortable” with its bookings for the next six weeks. Domestic, Latin American and Pacific bookings are up slightly, with transatlantic flat and Pacific markets down slightly. JP Morgan analyst Jamie Baker observes that Continental’s language appears to be “an effort to assuage largely misplaced investor fears that demand is poised to crater.”
Alaska Airlines says it will cut 8% from its year-on-year capacity, beginning Nov. 9, and will trim its work force by 9%-10%. The capacity reductions will mean 15 fewer departures. The work force cuts include 80 management positions already announced, and 850-1,000 operational positions.
