P&O Ferries launches night travel promotion

P&O FERRIES is offering a 25% discount to passengers who travel between 6pm and 6am in May or June. 

The offer is for anyone taking a holiday of more than five nights away. 

Passengers must book before June 15 and travel between May 1 and June 30. 

Terms and conditions apply as certain vehicle types and durations might be exempt. 

Prices between Dover and Calais for a long break start from £39 each way. 

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Ferry numbers dented by Calais-Dover disorder

FERRY operators have attributed a slip in passenger numbers to the much-publicized disruption on the route between Calais and Dover. 

The number of passengers who travelled on the 75 ferry routes in 2015 was 38.9 million, a drop of 0.6% on 2014. However, the number of cars that travelled on that route was up 1.3% to 8.61 million. Discover Ferries insisted that despite the drop, the number of passengers was still 800,000 up on the 38.1 million who travelled in 2013.

The total passengers carried by P&O Ferries and DFDS Seaways on routes to Calais and Dunkirk were down by 2.2% last year from 13.2 million in 2014 to 13.01 million in 2015.

Ferry routes to domestic destinations such as the Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Channel Isles, and Scottish Islands were the top performing sector in 2015, with the total number of cars travelling up 4.5% to 3.69 million. Passenger numbers were also up by nearly 0.4% to 16 million. Isle of Wight ferry routes carried 1.2% more passengers than in 2014, with figures reaching 8.74 million.

The number of cars travelling on the North Sea ferry routes run by Stena, DFDS, and P&O Ferries increased by 3.9% to 445,000 in 2015.

Passengers on the three Irish operators of Irish Ferries, Stena Irish Sea, and P&O were marginally down by 1.9% from 4.87 million in 2014 to 4.78 million in 2015.

Discover Ferries’ director Bill Gibbons said: "The 2015 figures show the ferry industry is resilient and adaptable. Domestic ferry routes carried nearly 16 million passengers – their best year since 2011 and despite the summer issues at Calais last year, P&O Ferries and DFDS operators adapted their capacity and sailings to great effect, and other continental ferry operators took up any car customers who were able to re-route.’

Mr Gibbons said other challenges included the introduction by the UK government of exit checks.

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New DFDS ferry enters service on Dover-Calais route

DFDS SEAWAYS has welcomed its new Côte des Dunes passenger ferry into Dover, following her inaugural sailing from Calais.

Côte des Dunes has undergone a complete transformation since DFDS took delivery of her at the end of last year. Facilities include a self-service restaurant, a large shop, a dedicated children’s area, and a Road Kings area for commercial drivers, which has showers, a restaurant, and a lounge.

Côte des Dunes is the first of two new ships scheduled to enter service on DFDS’ Dover-Calais route this month. Both vessels will join Calais Seaways on the service, boosting DFDS’ daily sailings up to 30. When combined with DFDS’ three ferries on the Dover-Dunkirk route, the company will operate the largest fleet on the Dover Strait, with up to 54 daily sailings to the two French ports.

www.dfds.co.uk  


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UK ferry sector records consecutive annual growth

A TOTAL of 21.3 million short sea ferry crossings were made last year, mainly on cross-Channel routes, latest official figures show. This was up by 4% year-on-year and was the first time since the mid-1990s that two years of consecutive growth had been recorded.

The number of travellers using the Channel tunnel was also up, by 3% to a record 21 million in 2014. 

The figures released by the Department for Transport suggest demand for travel to and from the Continental Europe remains strong despite competition from budget airlines. 

Dover-Calais remains the busiest route, with 10.8 million passengers, although increasing numbers are travelling between Dover and Dunkirk. This is now the second most popular international ferry route out of the UK, with more than 2.5 million passengers last year. Portsmouth-Caen was the third most popular route, accounting for 967,000 passengers in 2014.

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Spanish flights delay warning; Eurotunnel entrance blocked by strikers

A WARNING of flight delays has been issued ahead of the latest planned strike by Spanish air traffic controllers this weekend. Airlines have been notified of a second wave of industrial action for three hours each day on Saturday and Sunday – a peak weekend for summer holiday travel.

It follows action by controllers in Spain on July 11 and 12.

Walkouts are planned between 10am and 1pm on Saturday and 5pm and 8pm on Sunday.

easyJet said: ‘We plan to operate our normal schedule and like all airlines flying to and from Spain, we expect to be impacted by moderate delays during this period as a result of the strike. We recommend that all customers flying to or from Spain on those dates check the status of their flight on our Flight Tracker page before going to the airport.’

Calais Eurotunnel entrance hit by fresh strike action

Eurotunnel has been hit by further problems as striking ferry workers set fire to tyres in Calais, blocking one of the entrances to the French terminal. Plumes of smoke could be seen billowing over the port as authorities worked to remove the blockade and repair the road this afternoon.

A statement on Eurotunnel’s website read: “The Maritime Nord Union has this morning blocked access to, and exit from our French Terminal in the Calais direction. Entry is still possible from the Boulogne direction following local diversions in place. If your arrival to check-in at Calais is delayed, please rest assured that we will accommodate you on the next departure with space available.’

Eurostar said its service was unaffected.

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Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/41407408@N00/332101971">3 Hour Line to check in at TAM</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license), http://www.flickr.com/photos/27119837@N06/8140636461">Eurotunnel - Le Shuttle</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(license)