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.
Alaska Airlines took another step in its cargo improvement plan by adding two more 737-400 Combi aircraft to its fleet, with another two to follow by yearend. The carrier intends to spend $100 million to upgrade its cargo infrastructure and fleet. The four combis -- together with another freighter of the same type added last year -- will give Alaska 20% more capacity than the 737-200 combis they are replacing.
One of the features of the post-2001 airline environment in the U.S. has been the blurring of the boundaries between the traditional airline categories, and this trend shows every sign of continuing. Analysis of third-quarter cost data shows that while expenses for network carriers continue to decline, those for low-cost carriers (LCCs) are creeping upward--and some LCCs have effectively elevated themselves out of this category entirely.
The legacy of an air traffic controller strike more than 25 years ago has returned to haunt the FAA with a new staffing predicament that could linger into the next decade. The FAA is faced with a wave of controller retirements from a workforce that was mostly hired in the same nine-year period, following President Ronald Reagan's decision to fire striking controllers en masse in 1981. About 70% of the current controller workforce of nearly 15,000 will become eligible to retire within the next eight years, the FAA estimates.
