CityJet responds to complaints with larger plane and timetable changes
CityJet has tipped its wings to customer criticism of its Dundee to London timetable, with plans to introduce a bigger aircraft and reschedule some flights in the new year.
- By Bruce Robbins
- Published in the Courier : 16.11.10
- Published online : 16.11.10 @ 10.51am
From early January, a 50-seater Fokker 50 turboprop plane will become a regular feature of the skies over Dundee as it shuttles back and forth to London.
CityJet said it had decided to make the changes in response to "customer feedback".
The company's chief executive, Christine Ourmieres, said the larger Fokker was a "vote of confidence" in the service.
The company came in for some criticism over timetable changes that took effect at the start of the month.
It said they had to be introduced to make the route financially viable, but regular commuters complained that the new schedule meant it was difficult to keep some early-morning appointments in London.
Whereas the previous timetable saw the Dundee to London City flight touching down at 8.25am, this month's revised schedule had the earliest flight leaving Dundee at 8.30am.
Commenters on this site had expressed their concerns with one telling us, "As a regular user of this service I will find the new morning schedule totally unworkable — easyJet and Edinburgh here I come."
Another added, "With airport parking charges, spiralling flight costs and now useless flight times, Dundee airport is just not an option anymore. Shame, it used to be a good service and I didn't mind the extra expense for the benefit of flying from my home town. Now it is just not an option."
CityJet's main timetable concession, which will take effect in January, is to schedule an early Monday morning flight from Dundee that will get into London at 8.30am.
Ms Ourmieres said, "We genuinely appreciate the feedback we've received from the local community. We're committed to making this route work and getting it on to a sustainable footing.
'Vote of confidence'
"But it's been obvious in recent weeks how much this route means to the local community, and that's a strong foundation for any air service.
"Introducing a larger aircraft on the route is our vote of confidence in the service. We can't wind the clock back to the old schedule, because it simply lost the airline too much money, but we hope that this new schedule, and the larger aircraft, will better meet the needs of the community.
"In addition to meeting the needs of the business community, the airline intends to grow tourism — especially the golf market — and is already running adverts highlighting the tourism attractions in the region, which include golf and other outdoor pursuits."
New flights will be introduced on Mondays and Fridays, providing a morning service from London to Dundee for business people, and also making weekend trips to London and Tayside easier.
The Sunday afternoon service from Dundee will depart later, at 6.10pm, giving people a full afternoon in the city before catching their flight.
CityJet acknowledged the help of Dundee City Council and Dundee Airport operators, Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd (HIAL), in revising the schedule.
HIAL managing director Inglis Lyon said, "A link to London City is a fantastic asset for a city the size of Dundee, but we recognise that ultimately they've got to be able to make a profit to keep the route going, and we appreciate their responsiveness to local feedback."
- Are you happy with CityJet's response? Let us know in the comments below or email online@thecourier.co.uk
01.03pm - 16.11.2010 Rosie Summers - Perth, Perthshire Report This
This is a good response to customer feedback but it doesn't go nearly far enough. Only scheduling the early flight on a Monday with potentially a Friday? That will still mean that my trips will now have to be from Edinburgh and I am a Gold member of Flying Blue as a regular traveller.
06.41pm - 16.11.2010 Thankful Commuter - Dundee, UK Report This
I think we all owe Cllr Fraser Macpherson a big round of thanks for tackling this problem head on over the last few months. Would this city wide problem have come to light if Fraser was not keeping a close eye on the West End?
02.12am - 17.11.2010 Reading between the li(n)es - Dundee, Angus Report This
"the larger Fokker was a "vote of confidence" in the service"... thats funny I thought it was due to the ending of the Scotairways wet leasing contract.
10.01am - 28.11.2010 Fear of Flying - Dundee, Scotland Report This
The Monday flight is a start, but we need a flight that gets us in to London for Business on any day of the week. Late starts mean travelling from Edinburgh or overnight stays. As a Platinum member I am a very frequent flyer on this route and I can't justify the cost of this ticket if it deliver.
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