bristol170kj Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Morning all, Is anyone booked on the sailing from Portsmouth to Bilbao next week? If so have you heard from Brittany Ferries? Their web site is showing departures as normal from next Wednesday 22nd April. I know its tough times and we do not yet know how the government will respond this coming Thursday regarding the lock down. I'm interested to know as we are booked in early May and am getting nowhere in speaking to them via email. I would have thought that they would have at least started to cancel next weeks departures. TIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malc d Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 bristol170kj - 2020-04-13 9:55 AM I know its tough times and we do not yet know how the government will respond this coming Thursday regarding the lock down. TIA I would guess that it is not just a matter for the UK government - no doubt the Spanish government will be involved in any decisions about ferries arriving. :-| Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BruceM Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 Well as I see it, if you cancel you pay and if they cancel they pay so I’d imagine that they’d not want to cancel tourist sailings until the last moment. Whilst it’s unlikely that tourist travel restrictions will be lifted by the 22nd May and even if they are it’s probably inadvisable to travel to Spain in May unless Covid-19 immune, Brittany have nothing to loose by waiting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 I would guess they have other things on their mind right now, as explained in this article today in the Financial times. The link may hit a paywall, but the text is below. I would also guess that the ferry companies will not be back to normal (if ever) this year and that great changes are to be seen for the future. https://www.ft.com/content/40a0a566-c470-4aa3-84b7-7ad538124e95 "Ferry operators have warned that without government support they may have to close some sea routes carrying essential goods like food and medicines into the UK because of the hit from coronavirus. The lockdown has led to a collapse in traffic, blowing a hole in the business model of operating the large roll-on/roll-off ships for both car passengers and freight. These services carry a large amount of the imports from mainland Europe and Ireland. At least one ferry operator has requested direct financial assistance from the British government, rather than tapping any of its emergency loan schemes to keep the vital services running. The UK imports almost half its food and is heavily reliant on sea routes. Denmark’s DFDS, which has already cancelled some ferry sailings, has demanded that the UK “share in the losses” of operating certain routes. “We don’t want to borrow money to cover losses,” chief executive Torben Carlsen told the Financial Times. “They can write us a cheque, they can buy some of our?.?.?.?passenger or freight capacity.” “The routes from Dover are broken right now because they’re normally depending on both freight and passengers,” he added. “Somebody needs to make sure that model works in this period so we can continue carrying all the freight”. Rival P&O, which transports about 15 per cent of all goods into and out of the UK, is looking for a £150m bailout from the government but it declined to give any further details and whether that included loans. The company is pulling together an overall rescue package worth £257.5m which will also include cost savings, deferred pension payments and a possible contribution from its Dubai-based owner DP World. Bob Sanguinetti, chief executive of the UK Chamber of Shipping, warned that some companies were considering taking vessels out of service. “We are being told that it is fast becoming cheaper to lay ships up than to keep them running at a loss. This will put at risk our vital supply and essential logistics lines — the life blood of this nation.” Ireland’s government this week announced that it would provide up to €15m to ensure that critical sea routes remained operational. Coronavirus: Rishi Sunak's rescue package for UK's economic emergency Other ferry operators are also looking to the UK government for help. The French parent group of Brittany Ferries is tapping Paris for loan guarantees but is also seeking some financial help from the British authorities “to cover [its] costs in running services in freight-only mode”. It said: “We’re not seeking a bailout from UK plc, just a little assistance while we bring in essentials during the immediacy of the crisis. We need to break even, to keep lines open that we would otherwise have to make a commercial decision to close.” Meanwhile, Stena Line, which this week furloughed 600 of its UK staff and made 150 redundant, has applied for government loan guarantees but said it had yet to receive confirmation that it had qualified. Coronavirus business update How is coronavirus taking its toll on markets, business, and our everyday lives and workplaces The government has offered emergency financing to businesses through a number of schemes, including guaranteed loans and an offer to cover up to 80 per cent of employees’ wages, but a number of industries have warned that many companies are still struggling to access them and are running low on cash. The Road Haulage Association has told the FT that almost half of the UK’s lorries are parked up because of a plunge in demand and has estimated that the sector needs a cash injection of £4bn to survive. The lobby group’s chief executive Richard Burnett said the thin margins in the sector made the emergency loan schemes unappealing as financing the extra debt would be unsustainable in the long run. “We're seeing cash flow run out. Hauliers have reached a tipping point.” The Department for Transport said it recognised “how challenging this period is for the transport sector” and urged all companies to tap the various government schemes. “We will continue to directly engage haulage and maritime companies and associations to tackle these challenges.”" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 13, 2020 Share Posted April 13, 2020 bristol170kj - 2020-04-13 9:55 AM ...Their web site is showing departures as normal from next Wednesday 22nd April.... This is indeed true, but when I started to run a ‘test booking’, the following message appeared on the initial screen Coronavirus (COVID-19) travel information: April travel dates are not guaranteed pending Government travel guidelines. If you book on a sailing that is later cancelled, we will notify you and provide the option to amend the booking or receive a credit for the value of the ticket. In principle I could have made a Portsmouth-to-Caen booking for 22 April (when the ferry would be Mont St Michel leaving Portsmouth at 22:00) but I’m very doubtful Brittany Ferries will have resumed passenger-carrying services on that date or for some considerable time afterwards. Brittany Feries has been operating a freight-only service, but - as will be seen from the following link - the type of on-board services available to truckers is very restricted (drivers are invited to bring their own food/drink with them and are expected to stay in their cabin throughout the crossing) Such restrictions are hardly going to be practicable for passenger-carrying crossings. https://www.brittanyferriesfreight.co.uk/ferry-routes/timetables Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 16, 2020 Share Posted April 16, 2020 I notice that Brittany Ferries (BF) has - predictably - extended the period during which there will be no BF passenger-carrying services. A provisional date of 22 April had been given for resumption of passenger-carrying services. According to the latest BF timetables the new date for resumption of passenger-carrying services is 15 May. (Obviously that’s also provisional!) https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/planning/sailing-updates https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/ferry-routes/planning/timetables Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristol170kj Posted April 17, 2020 Author Share Posted April 17, 2020 bristol170kj - 2020-04-13 9:55 AM Morning all, Is anyone booked on the sailing from Portsmouth to Bilbao next week? If so have you heard from Brittany Ferries? Their web site is showing departures as normal from next Wednesday 22nd April. I know its tough times and we do not yet know how the government will respond this coming Thursday regarding the lock down. I'm interested to know as we are booked in early May and am getting nowhere in speaking to them via email. I would have thought that they would have at least started to cancel next weeks departures. TIA An update - Yesterday, we received an email from Brittany Ferries confirming cancellation of our ferry in early May. This came as a voucher for future travel/holiday, valid for 2 years. There was no option for money back refund and the e-mail was from an unattended account. Also there are no telephone staff to call so all contact must be from their "contact me" section on the web site. There was no mention of what we do with our return (yet), booked for beginning of June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 17, 2020 Share Posted April 17, 2020 Brittany Ferries (BF) website has a "Coronavirus updates and advice” FAQ section https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/coronavirus/faqs A couple of the FAQs seem to be relevant to your return booking. I’VE GOT A VOUCHER BUT IT DOESN’T COVER THE FULL COST OF MY BOOKING If your return sailing is among those we’ve had to cancel (view the latest sailing information), we’ll automatically get in touch with an e-voucher for the value of that sailing. If you have a return sailing unaffected by the cancellations, don’t forget it can be amended to a later date online using our Manage My Booking facility. and MY OUTBOUND SAILING HAS BEEN CANCELLED BUT NOT MY RETURN, WHAT SHOULD I DO? Our best advice is to postpone your return sailing to a later date this year. This can be done online using our Manage My Booking facility. If your return sailing is among those we have to cancel, we’ll get in touch with you to explain your options. The BF website has a page about cancellation charges and conditions https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/faqs/booking-information/what-are-your-cancellation-charges-and-conditions but the information deals with cancellation by the traveller, not cancellation by Brittany Ferries. This 2012 link is interesting https://www.thetravelmagazine.net/ferry-cancelled.html as it includes the following statement: New EU regulations guarantees reimbursement or rerouting New European Union regulations on passenger rights in “maritime and inland waterway transport” – including ferries – come into force on 18 December 2012. Under this legislation, passengers will be guaranteed reimbursement or rerouting, if their ferry is cancelled or the departure is delayed by more than 90 minutes. They will also gain “adequate assistance” for snacks, meals, refreshments and, where necessary, accommodation for up to three nights. Financial coverage will be up to €80 per night. If the arrival of the ferry is delayed or the crossing cancelled, compensation of between 25% and 50% of the ticket price will be awarded. This would have pleased passengers caught up in the Brittany Ferries strike but may have ruined the ferry operator financially. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Plenty of very critical comments on the TrustPilot website about Brittany Ferries issuing travel vouchers instead of monetary refunds. https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.brittany-ferries.co.uk (It’s interesting that some people say they will be going to court about this.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyboyprowler Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 I see that the OP's ferry has been cancelled, but it is worth noting, that even if you could get to Spain or France by Ferry, most if not all camp sites and aires are closed by law, until further notice, so it would be very difficult to find anywhere to stop, especially over night, until the restrictions have been lifted. Our van is still in lockdown in Almeria, and the lockdown is unlikely to be relaxed before mid June. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrix Meanderer Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 We've moved our BF booking from the end of June to end of August as we're (still) hoping to see a stage of the Tour de France on 8th September. Moved our campsite booking as well to match previous itinerary. This means we'll not have to pay the BF balance until 1st July by which time the travel situation may be clearer. Hoping that the TdF actually happens, if not it could be a very late Summer holiday :-D BF "flexi" booking system is very good and there is no charge to move your booking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Brittany Ferries new ticket types for travel from 22 April 2020 are explained here: https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/faqs/booking-information/ferry-ticket-types Unsurprisingly “FLEXI” tickets are the most expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest pelmetman Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Our ferry for the 24th of April from Santander has been cancelled 8-) ......... Which is a relief B-) ...... As I know I'd struggle to get there :D .......... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
globebuster Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Derek Uzzell - 2020-04-18 9:16 AM Plenty of very critical comments on the TrustPilot website about Brittany Ferries issuing travel vouchers instead of monetary refunds. https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.brittany-ferries.co.uk (It’s interesting that some people say they will be going to court about this.) Our Ferry for the 15th of May has been cancelled - with an outbound only voucher. I have contacted BF. They replied with the explanation regarding the return as previously mentioned - no voucher if the return is still 'live' Annoyingly it appears that you can't re-arrange through the 'manage my booking' facility - if the outbound trip has already been cancelled! Clearly it's better to move the whole trip forward by some months the way things stand, but it's a complete cock-up at the moment. I've been a Club Voyage member for nearly 20 years, doing at least 4 trips annually and I do think they are being a bit cheeky, especially as I paid the balance for this trip on the 16th of March! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrix Meanderer Posted April 18, 2020 Share Posted April 18, 2020 Derek Uzzell - 2020-04-18 5:53 PM Brittany Ferries new ticket types for travel from 22 April 2020 are explained here: https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk/information/faqs/booking-information/ferry-ticket-types Unsurprisingly “FLEXI” tickets are the most expensive. Yes it is but in these uncertain times, going for the cheapest fare is not IMO the most realistic option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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