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.
After weathering two days of fierce criticism from Congress about its lack of action on flight delays, the White House yesterday announced plans for two new measures at New York-area airports. President George W. Bush and Transportation Secretary Mary Peters said DOT has formed an industry-government committee to look for ways to reduce congestion at New York airports, and they also said FAA will meet with airlines to reduce overscheduling in peak hours. Congressional Democrats, however, said the administration is offering few new ideas.
The Oneworld alliance is launching a range of new fare and marketing initiatives to increase its share of the Italian, Dutch and Belgian markets. The alliance said these moves represent its biggest effort yet in the three countries. Oneworld will trial combinable fares in these markets, allowing passengers to "mix and match" published fares from any alliance member. It will also introduce special versions of round-the-world fares. Both initiatives are being trialed for the first time.
House aviation subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello (D-Ill.) accuses FAA of not acting aggressively enough to prevent airline overscheduling, and suggests the focus by the agency and airlines on the "NextGen" ATC system is a red herring. The FAA has "failed in its responsibility" to hold airlines accountable for scheduling practices, Costello said during an aviation subcommittee hearing Wednesday. He promised to continue to hold FAA's and airlines' feet to the fire on this issue, by scheduling similar hearings at least once a quarter.
