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.
UPS last week said its profit climbed 8.9% to just over $1 billion for the September quarter, and it predicted a "solid" holiday shipping season. "The small package business should be strong in the fourth quarter" due to international deliveries and U.S. holiday shipping, said UPS. In the third quarter, global small package volume grew 5%, while revenue was up 10.5%. The increase in small package volume meant 721,000 extra packages a day.
For American and Continental, the minor victory of a profitable third quarter should be a prelude to an even more important achievement--both carriers are poised to record full-year profits after spending almost all of the past six years in the red.
Continental yesterday posted a third-quarter net profit of $237 million, helped by 17% growth in passenger revenue and an easing in fuel prices. The profit was a significant turnaround from last year's third quarter, when Continental achieved a $61 million profit. Analysts expect that Continental will record a full-year profit, only the second since 2000. The airline also managed a net profit of $38 million in 2003, although that number was deceptive because without special items Continental would have recorded a $209 million loss.
