Brittany Ferries confirms post-August schedule changes, as demand slumps

19th August 2020
  •  Brittany Ferries Armorique leaving Plymouth - credit southwestairpics.co.uk
  • Brittany Ferries Armorique departs UK - credit southwestairpics.co.uk
  • Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven

19 August 2020

Following the imposition of quarantine on travellers returning from France and the effect this has had on existing reservations as well as forward demand, Brittany Ferries today confirms changes to scheduled services. The news follows a weekend in which 35,000 passengers either cancelled or delayed their travel plans with the company. Forward demand for autumn sailings is also extremely weak.

As a consequence, the company has been forced to change its schedules, with the first changes applying from the end of August. The following ships and route amendments have now been confirmed:

  • Brittany Ferries Armorique will be laid up from 31 August. She currently serves the Plymouth to Roscoff route.
  • Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven will replace Armorique on the Plymouth to Roscoff route from 10 September with three return trips per week. Pont-Aven will also continue to operate one return sailing from Plymouth to Santander and from Roscoff to Cork during the week.
  • Brittany Ferries Bretagne will be laid up from 7 September. She currently serves the Portsmouth to St Malo route.
  • Brittany Ferries Etretat will not resume crossings, as planned: Connemara will continue to operate the Cherbourg and Le Havre rotations from Portsmouth, but will no longer serve Spain.

“We warned over the weekend that schedule changes were likely, as quarantine measures have led to a significant drop in demand for our services,” said Christophe Mathieu, director general Brittany Ferries. “This is not something we want to do. However, in the context of a terrible summer season we have no choice but to consolidate sailings that, by virtue of lack of passenger numbers, are uneconomic to run. These extraordinary decisions are regrettable and we apologise in advance to all those whose travel plans will be disrupted.”

Around 50,000 passengers with existing bookings will be affected by the schedule changes. Brittany Ferries apologises in advance for the inconvenience and will do all it can to accommodate displaced customers on other services. The call centre is expected to be very busy in the days ahead. Passengers are therefore asked to wait for notification of any change to their booking and – where possible – to make alternative arrangements via the My Booking facility on the website:

For more visit: https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/coronavirus

 

Key company figures (normal year):

  • Turnover: Approximately €444.2m per year
  • Multi-million Euro investment in three new ships, including two powered by cleaner LNG (liquefied natural gas)
  • Employment – Between 2400 and 3100 employees (including 1,700 seafarers), depending on the season. 360 in the UK.
  • Passengers: Between 2.5 and 2.7 million each year travelling in approximately 900,000 cars
  • Freight: 205,400 units transported annually, and one freight-only route linking Bilbao and Poole
  • Twelve ships operating services that connect France, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain
  • Twelve ports in total: Bilbao, Santander, Portsmouth, Poole, Plymouth, Cork, Rosslare, Caen, Cherbourg, Le Havre, Saint-Malo, Roscoff
  • Tourism in Europe: There were 854,000 unique visitors, staying 9.2 million bed-nights in France.

Downloads

Brittany Ferries Armorique leaving Plymouth - credit southwestairpics.co.uk (Image file)
Brittany Ferries Armorique departs UK - credit southwestairpics.co.uk (Image file)
Brittany Ferries Pont-Aven (Image file)
TAGS: