City Jet sell-off?

Hello Marcus

It would make sense for KLM to take over the LCY flights. It used to operate these itself with F27s in years past. But I wonder if KLM has the capacity to do the job ? KLM runs a tight ship.

Unsure of LCY-ORY. But this service provides a good alternative to Eurostar for those passengers wishing to arrive in a different area of Paris. So it would be a pity were it to be axed.

Not sure how far north of London you reside but note that Darwin will be flying from Cambridge next September. The intention is for Darwin to interline with KLM so that passengers can through check to destinations beyond Schiphol.

http://www.businesstraveller.com/news/four-new-european-routes-at-cambridge-airport

Hi Alex. Thanks for your interesting comments.
I am in an outer North London Borough, so LCY or LHR STN are better for me.
I did look at these Cambridge flights but they were very expensive adding on all the extras.

It seems a confusing arrangement of AF with Cityjet, saying they are Partners, yet they own them and want to sell them off. They do lose money, dragging the AF/KLM Company down, when their planes are pretty full.

I hope KLM preserve the route and put on their own Embraers, many leisure and business people fly on from Schiphol on this feeder route. KLM used to fly the Fokker 50’s, and you could use VLM.
So i wonder what the strategy is with KLm on this route, and if Cityjet are bought out, will the investor merely remove and asset strip the Company from LCY?
They have the largest amount of slots…
Any way of asking KLM /AF?

However, Cityjet they have got run down recently, poorly cleaned, dirty windows always inside, dry un-appealing food despite changing caterers twice.

KLM have flights London -Amsterdam from £99 return ( made a trip on the Embraer 190 from LHR today with them), and Cityjet LCY from £99.
But no bag or FF credits anymore at the base price of City Basic, unless you go to Value fare which used to be the base fare of over £140.
This has just changed, so AF Cityjet basically have 4 levels of fare now.

I see little point in paying £40 more for 1/4 of the Miles for Flying Blue, So with LHR offering premium check in, fast track security, Skyteam Lounge (superb), and all the other priority Boarding and baggage perks, I am choosing LHR/KLM.

So City Jet have got worse in standards, no perks at LCY at all, and are charging much more. I have no problems seeing them leave, but wonder what the strategy is in 2015 Plan of KLM / AF?

Unsure if KLM would fly out of the UK to another country other than NL. But the market would be wide open for all their routes that are profitable, such as Rotterdam, Antwerp and Edinburgh, to name a few.

A decision seems imminent, though this is late being settled…

Indeed Alex.

Interesting also that Etihad also now has a partnership with AF / KLM in almost direct competition with EK, and their taking PAX onwards to Asia and Australasia. But they are “Alligned” with Skyteam, but I do not see the close match of the FFP’s yet.
Also, the strategy of Etihad to economically invest take stakes in other Airlines, then influence them for their own strategies. Emirates merely bursts in, with large new Aircraft, and undercuts existing Airlines on their routes, with no partnerships or investment in others. they have done this to every major city in Europe almost!

I am sure this will affect the Middle East routes as well as further on, for other Airlines from Schiphol.

Still, to the subject, I certainly hope that with Cityjet leaving the AF/KLM group, and presumably Skyteam, that KLM will retain some flights into LCY. They have ordered new Embraers i see also, now KLM Cityhopper, only retaining a few Fokker 70’s to replace, then the entire fleet will be only new Embraer 190’s. Interesting. 100 seats a time, and much better economy, with less fuel, so part of the reducing costs side of the 2015 strategy.

I am sure some of these, could ply the LCY -AMS route, and keep the KLM staff busy with an established route. I doubt AF itself would run their aircraft into AMS from LCY, even though it would keep some of their staff with jobs!

They surely must have an idea of what they will do when CityJet is disposed of on this route?

i like ba to buy city jet’s routes, they could buy more A318 to fly to other places in america for example Washington, Chicago etc.what do you think?

Air France remains in negotiations with “a German Trun Around specialist”, as the link in my opening post indicates. but they have been trying to sell Cityjet and “pending” announcements most of this year.
recently crews on Cityjet told me they were supposed to finalise it and they would be informed in May, which did not happen.

The 2015 transform strategy of KLM / AF does Not include Cityjet, this is why AF is trying to sell them off. then they would have no control over them. I doubt if AF would do this and then still retain their link with Skyteam, so doubtful they would be aligned anymore.

That is if, the new owners do not simply sell the slots at LCY, and the planes, or re-locate the planes, as it losing a lot of money currently.

I wonder if AF/KLM still owns any slots? if so, they may not travel with the sale of the Airline?
In which case, KLM and AF can do as they wish at LCY.

It seems the sell off could be close to completion.

http://www.independent.ie/business/world/air-france-set-to-sell-irishbased-cityjet-to-german-firm-29329156.html

But still no news on whether CJ will be run as it is, with the same routes and aircraft. I wonder how much a slot is worth at LCY, to count those as assets to repair the losses?

I cannot see how it could be, making such a loss, when the service is so poor, and cutbacks have been made.
Better if the slots and routes were given to other Airlines, and KLM took the AMS route back at least.

Thanks Alex.

I read this a few moment ago.
I am sure many other routes will go, or slots be transferred back to AF / KLM (i hope!)

Be interesting to see what the plans are for the Airlines in all it’s elements of assets, routes, slots aircraft, when they get sold.

Losing £ 8.1Mil. last year, it clearly cannot run the way it is now without major changes, and further cuts, ( which i think have been made already to the maximum).

Keep us posted!