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.
Continental selected Swedish company Carmen Systems to provide its preferential bidding system to the airline to organize pilot scheduling. Continental said it has been interested in adopting PBS technology for some time, and the carrier believes it can improve its scheduling efficiency and save money. Carmen said it now provides PBS and crew management systems for three of the five largest U.S. carriers. The Continental contract is for five years. -AS
U.K. commercial flights increased 5.7% to a 2.3 million flights in 2005, the highest annual rise since 1999, National Air Traffic Services said last week. Domestic traffic grew 5.1% last year, but the growth rate slowed significantly toward the end of the year. The peak growth of 9.5% came in May, and by December, the year-over-year increase in domestic traffic fell to 0.4%.
Tom Quinn, director of the Federal Air Marshals (FAMS) program, last week announced his retirement from the Transportation Security Administration. Quinn, who headed FAMS for the past four years, oversaw its expansion after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. "Tom guided the transition of the FAMS from a small group of professionals to its position today as a highly respected member of the entire law enforcement community," said TSA Assistant Secretary Kip Hawley. Quinn also "ensured a smooth transition" for the FAMS program to TSA, Hawley said. -AS
