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.
Southwest is hiring JDA Aviation Technology Solutions to help evaluate is maintenance programs, the company said. JDA will make recommendations on how the airline can improve maintenance processes. A team of JDA experts will “begin the assessment immediately and provide Southwest with a complete report.”
Continental CEO Larry Kellner tells airline employees that recent ticket price increases have not been matched by low-cost carriers, so price hikes have resulted in “very little” revenue gains. While Continental “doesn’t want to overreact to current conditions,” it appears unlikely that high fuel prices are going to abate in the near future, Kellner says. He also notes that talk of industry consolidation is “dwindling,” as the merger talks between Delta and Northwest have cooled off.
GOL yesterday announced changes to the domestic network of its VRG subsidiary. VRG is creating a hub operation at Brasilia with an increase in flights at this airport. More flights are also being added at Sao Paulo’s Congonhas Airport following the recent lifting of flight restrictions there. The network changes are designed to “broaden [VRG’s] presence in high-traffic business markets.”
