In case you haven’t heard, my brief time here in New York is over, as I have been appointed CEO for CityJet.

In case you are unfamiliar with CityJet - as many Americans may be - let me provide you with a brief introduction:

    1)      CityJet is a wholly owned subsidiary airline of Air France and KLM that has its operations based out Dublin and is the biggest airline operator out of London City Airport

    2)      CityJet offers over 600 flights a week to 15 major European cities, including five hub airports (Dublin, London City, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Rotterdam and Antwerp)

    3)      With just a 15 minute check-in time at London City airport – we have the shortest check-in time of any UK airport. Not only that, but we were voted the Most Punctual Airline in Europe this past Summer

    4)      We offer two kinds of on-board product, CityPLUS – what we call our premium Economy product, and CityVALUE – our regular Economy product. What we can boast, is that we are a full service airline and do not charge for onboard services – something that we offer for at a competitive price. Plus, you are still earning your Flying Blue miles

    5)      CityJet is a fun and engaging airline: you will find us at all the Leinster Rugby games (as we are their official sponsor), and online from Twitter (@CityJet) to Facebook (CityJet) to YouTube (CityJet). Trust me, we may be a smaller operation, but we’re committed to engaging with our customers at every possible opportunity.

I cannot quite express how excited I am about my new position and challenges that I will be facing. Some of my top priorities at CityJet that I will begin working on immediately include: refining the organizational structure, following our recent acquisition of Belgian airline VLM; striving for profitability in an economy that is currently lagging behind that of the U.S.; and of course, consistently working on achieving the highest possible standard in product and consistent customer experience.

So as you can see, I’ll be just as busy, if not more so, in my new position as this is just the beginning of my check-list that I have already begun working on.
 
I have enjoyed my experience in New York, so much so, that my family will actually remain in New York for the rest of the year. So I am still a semi-New Yorker as I will be back every week; plus I am still training for the New York marathon (I have a number, so it is definitely happening). I may not have been in the U.S. for very long, but I made strong connections with many people, both professionally and personally, and I can honestly say that this past year has been one of the best of my career.

Though I am sad to be departing so soon, I know I am leaving the U.S. Air France and KLM team in good hands with Patrick Roux, who is the new Senior Vice-President of the Americas. Patrick has spent over 20 years working for Air France and KLM in a vast array of responsibilities, and I have no doubt that he will continue to ensure that we are providing our customers with the best in service and network with Joint Venture partners Delta and Alitalia.
 
I am energized and thrilled about the new adventure of the year ahead, and would like to invite you to continue to follow me on this upcoming trip. I will be continuing ‘Skywriting with Christine,’ but will be taking a very brief break as I transition. But, I promise you that I will re-launch very soon with just a few cosmetic changes. Rest assured that in the new iteration of my blog, I will still continue to update you on my job and life – just that I will be taking on a completely different market. 

See you all very soon from the other side of the pond.