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.
While British Airways tries to hammer out a last-minute deal to prevent a strike by cabin crew workers, its competitors are already sizing up the market opportunities that will arise if BA has to cancel flights next week.
Continental plans to launch daily nonstop service between Jackson, Miss. and Newark, the first time the two airports have been linked directly. The flights will begin Sept. 5, using Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets operated by ExpressJet. Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) hailed the new direct service as the first between Mississippi and the New York metropolitan area. The airline said Lott and Jackson community and business groups pushed hard for this service.
The airline cost index increased by 19.3% in the third quarter, a substantially higher growth rate than the 3.3% rise in the Consumer Price Index for the same period, the Air Transport Association revealed last week. The composite cost index rose to 176.7, with fuel and labor by far the largest components. Fuel represented 27.4% of the total and labor 23.6%. The index is derived from a formula that combines several cost inputs. It also gauges changes in fuel efficiency, labor productivity and breakeven load factors.
