IRISH Ferries has changed its pricing strategy for the shoulder season in a bid to compete more effectively with the low-cost carriers flying to Ireland, including Ryanair and Virgin Express.
The ferry operator has launched a five-day return lead fare for a car plus one passenger, replacing the car plus five passenger lead-in price that has become common in the industry in recent years.
General sales manager Darragh O’Reilly said:”The car-plus-five fare is fine in summer, but we don’t think it works in a competitive marketplace in the off-season when there are likely to be fewer people travelling together.
“We are not simply cutting rates, but rather repackaging the way they are presented,” he added. The new fare, for a car and one passenger, leads in at £69 on the Pembroke-Rosslare route. A fare for a car plus five passengers is still available and costs £109. The equivalent fares on the Holyhead-Dublin route are £99 and £129, while the Dublin Swift fast-ferry service costs £139 and £179 respectively.
All prices are valid until December 16.
O’Reilly said there has been a good response to the Dublin Swift fast-ferry service launched on the Dublin route in June.
This is to be joined in 18 months by a new £55m roll-on, roll-off ferry, which Irish Ferries said will be largest in the world in terms of capacity.
It is being built by Aker Finnyards in Finland and will hold 1,300 cars – twice as many as the Isle of Inishmore that now operates the Holyhead-Dublin route – and 2,000 passengers.
Isle of Inishmore will either be moved to another Irish Ferries route or chartered out.