interview
There is also strong inbound demand for a direct route to the heart of London from Münster given the large number of SMEs based in the airport’s catchment area. In addition, our new route will open up the cultural and historic heart of the Westphalia region of Germany to families and couples looking for a relaxed weekend break. How have you dealt with the competition from British Airways CityFlyer? The only routes we compete on directly with BA CityFlyer are Amsterdam and Edinburgh. But competition is always good because it challenges you, forcing you to adapt and to be flexible. We are doing great with competition on our Amsterdam flights; we are doing very well, as are British Airways. I think that in any industry it’s always good for the customer to have choices. How has the recession affected THE company? CityJet took quite significant losses in 2009 but now we are improving, giving consumers the opportunity to utilise the cost structures; choosing from our CityValue rate, the CityPremium rate or the CityFlex rate which is aimed at both SME’s and leisure passengers travelling in economy. The fare is fully flexible and fully refundable and can be changed or cancelled at any time up to 15 minutes before departure. CityJet has taken a big hit; not only has our business struggled but the profile of our passengers has changed as well as the number of passengers who are travelling. Everybody has been hurt in some way by the downturn, including people who live and work in the City, which is why we have become more flexible. We need to have a strong core business travel network because it’s all about London City airport, but in addition to that, we have leisure flights during the middle of the day to optimise the use of our aircraft. For example, in the summer we fly those same business travellers who know the quality of our service and the convenience of the airport with their families to their second home or for a weekend away. There is a very ambitious master plan for London City Airport and there is definitely a huge opportunity for growth there, especially when compared to the restrictions in place for other airports on slots expansion plans. What trends have you seen in the aviation industry? The traveller is now a professional traveller and social networks and the arrival of the internet has changed completely their choice awareness level. I think there’s a huge challenge for the airlines to deliver now because there is complete transparency; you are so visible that you can’t hide anything. The relationship with the customer completely changed. We are in the service industry which is something people have to remember; our job is about delivering a service. For me, the relationship with the passenger has completely changed in the last decade.
There is a very ambitious master plan for London City Airport and there is definitely a huge opportunity for growth there I have lots of customers that come right to me directly so I talk to them. You need to stay in contact and be connected to ensure real relationship management today. How are you keeping up with technology? I am on Facebook, Linkedin, all of them. Plus, the new CityJet website has been designed to expedite the booking experience. Signposting is much clearer and cleaner with reduced links making navigation swifter across all pages. A new design will direct traffic more efficiently to the appropriate page whilst a new magazine style panel layout serves highlight offers, routes and promotions. What do you expect to be the biggest changes in the aviation industry over the next five to ten years? We are preparing for the arrival of new technology concerning the environment. But this is a very slow process and you have to make sure that you’re ahead of it. If you weren’t in this job where would you be? Like any woman probably would, I’d love to work in the luxury industry, but that’s partly because it’s always been a dream of mine to work for brands like Chanel or Louis Vuitton, mainly because of the margins. Coming from the aviation industry which has such small margins, you always dream about those sorts of brands because you know they make such a huge profit. But on a general basis I would like to stay in the service industry because your customer is really unique. cityjet.com
december 2012 CW 69