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.
American's three major unions this week filed grievances against the airline regarding controversial bonuses that about 1,000 management employees are scheduled to receive in April. The grievances were submitted by the Allied Pilots Association, Association of Professional Flight Attendants Association and the Transport Workers Union. The three groups say the bonuses --which are based on stock performance -- violate the Annual Incentive Program (AIP) that was part of the concession negotiations in 2003.
Three Democrat lawmakers yesterday introduced a bill -- backed by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association -- that would make it harder for FAA to impose a wage settlement on labor groups in a negotiations impasse. The legislation would still allow FAA to send a contract dispute to Congress in an impasse, but it introduces two extra steps that would alter the process considerably. The FAA Fair Labor Management Dispute Resolution bill was introduced by Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.).
FAA says it has seen dramatic reductions in overtime spending and sick leave at its New York terminal radar approach control (TRACON) since the agency investigated alleged abuses of the system by controllers and introduced a new scheduling system.
