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.
U.S. carriers saw their domestic yield decline increase in September, reflecting a 10th consecutive month of fare cuts. The Air Transport Association reports that yields were down 18% year-on-year in September, versus a 17% drop in August. “The demand for air travel remains weak, as evidenced by the untenable pricing environment,” said ATA President James May. “While other sectors may be seeing signs that the economy is getting back on track, the airline industry has faced challenges in its effort to generate revenue.”
A bipartisan list of House lawmakers is urging the White House to not even think about including user fees for general aviation in either its FAA reauthorization proposal or its fiscal 2011 budget. Both the Republican and Democratic leadership of the House aviation subcommittee say they support the current mechanism of using fuel taxes to support the aviation trust fund. The letter was signed by 118 House lawmakers.
Delta yesterday revealed eight new international routes for its summer 2010 schedule, with most of its major U.S. gateways gaining Asia-Pacific, European or African destinations. A Delta spokesman said there are no routes being cut as part of this announcement, although there was a substantial round of reductions in June. Taken together, these moves represent a reallocation in capacity. The carrier would not say exactly what effect this will have on 2010 capacity — although it may address this during Delta’s third-quarter earnings call Thursday.
