IRISH Ferries has changed its fares structure so passengers only pay for the exact number of people travelling.
The operator has also opted for fixed pricing, going against the trend in the ferry industry of showing ‘from’ prices in the brochure which can be moved up or down to suit market conditions.
Under the new structure, featured in Irish Ferries 2000 car fares and timetables brochure, all prices are based on a car plus driver. Additional passengers in the same party pay a per-person supplement.
Previously, the lowest fare available was for a car plus five passengers even if there were only two people travelling.
Irish Ferries launched the ‘car plus one’ concept in an autumn promotion last year. Sales manager UK Daragh O’Reilly said that standardising it for 2000, and opting for fixed prices, meant the brochure is simple for agents and clients to use.
“There is enough confusion already among agents and clients about what they pay without fluid pricing,” he said.
O’Reilly also forecast that fluid pricing could create problems for agents, with clients annoyed at paying more than is quoted in the brochure.
“The way we have done it is what you see is what you pay. Agents can feel confident offering our product and it is quick, as they do not have to phone for a price.”
A standard single fare for a car plus one passenger on the Holyhead-Dublin route leads in at £89 for the traditional cruise ferry and £119 for the Dublin Swift fast ferry.
Five-day returns cost £109 on the cruise ferry, compared to £129 for a car and five in January last year.
There is also a new 48hr return aimed at the short-break market created by the launch of the Swift last June, which halves crossing time to 1hr 49mins. The cost for a car and one passenger is £119.
Additional passengers pay a standard £10 one way, £20 return.
n Irish Ferries has expanded its travel team with the appointment of Rachel O’Grady as national key accounts manager. She was previously with Cyprus specialist Sunquest.
Marie McCarthy, who joins from a travel agency in Birmingham, is looking after the travel trade in the Midlands and South Wales, while Aiden Walsh, a newcomer to the industry, is responsible for the travel trade in London and the southeast.