Brittany Ferries for 2021

[Yvie R]

Hi All

After a cancelled MH trip to France in May this year, we are hopeful and with it being safe to do so, plan the same trip for 2021.

The route we hope to take would be with Brittany Ferries, Portmouth to Le Havre return. I have looked on the Brittany site but cannot see the route operating for next year.

Does anyone have any more information on whether they will be sailing, if they can safely sail of course? I have tried to find out online but to no avail so thought I would try on this forum as so many of you have a wide range of information and insight.

Thanks all, stay safe.

Yvonne

 

[Busman]

Not sure if this covers it ??

Here are the latest Brittany Ferries route closures because of coronavirus

Brittany Ferries has announced more route closures due to the coronavirus outbreak – with changes across its service to accommodate declining passenger numbers.

www.portsmouth.co.uk

 

[Yvie R]

Ah, yes. Thank you so much for the link, I must of missed this one. Well at least now we know we need to look at alternatives if we want to make the trip.

Thank you Busman

 

[WJACC]

They are in talks with the French government to bail them out. Seems likely they will do, but no guarantees.

 

[Busman]

Ah, yes. Thank you so much for the link, I must of missed this one. Well at least now we know we need to look at alternatives if we want to make the trip.

Thank you Busman

Was only minutes earlier looking at ferries to Spain and saw that link then saw your question

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[Colinyellowspanner]

I’ve just read Brittany’s CEO’s latest announcement which includes a list of all their cancelled crossings, very sad reading. Curiously though, online, their timetables, and booking site make no mention. It’s possible to book and pay for cancelled sailings. More disgruntled Brittany customers methinks.

 

[Jim]

Portsmouth News Yesterday


With the ferry service closing two routes from Portsmouth to France, here’s what you need to know about the full set of changes undertaken by the company:

Ferry Connemara – Cherbourg and Portsmouth, Le Havre and Portsmouth: Laid up from September 7, no further service on either route until further notice.
Ferry Bretagne – St Malo and Portsmouth: Laid up from September 7, no further service until March 22.
Ferry Mont St Michel – Caen and Portsmouth: Normal service (with technical lay-over in December) continues.
Ferry Pont-Aven – Portsmouth and Santander, Plymouth and Roscoff, Plymouth and Santander, Roscoff and Cork. From September 10 until the end of October, three return trips per week on Roscoff to Plymouth. Plus, one weekly Plymouth to Santander sailing per week. And one weekly Roscoff to Cork sailing.
Ferry Cap Finistère – Bilbao and Portsmouth, Santander and Portsmouth. Service continues until a three-month technical lay-over, beginning December.
Ferry Armorique – Roscoff and Plymouth: Laid up from 31 August. From November, Armorique re-enters service on Caen-Portsmouth in freight-only mode, covering technical lay-overs of Normandie and Mont St Michel. She will then be laid up between Jan 2021 and end of March 2021
Ferry Barfleur – Poole and Cherbourg: No resumption of service in 2020.
Ferry Kerry – Roscoff and Rosslare, Rosslare and Bilbao: No Roscoff and Rosslare service from September 7. Rosslare and Bilbao continues as normal.
Ferry Étretat: Laid up until further notice.

 

[Littlewheels]

Reports of a bailout by the Government:

The French government has promised to bail out Brittany Ferries after claims that the cross-channel ferry operator could go bankrupt under pressure from Brexit, the pandemic and Britain’s decision to quarantine passengers arriving from France.

The rescue package is likely to be hammered out in Paris this week after Jean-Marc Roué, chairman of the French company, warned that it faced its “worst crisis” since it began in 1972.

Mr Roué told French media outlets that the group’s turnover, which was €442 million last year, was likely to drop by €250 million this year.

 

[bladerunner]

I was due to be on the Portsmouth St Malo ferry tomorrow but wanted to cancel due to C19. They phoned me to apologize that they were canceling it as the dockers in St Malo were on strike! They had to wait until normal service was resumed in order to prevent it!

 

[nicholsong]

I’ve just read Brittany’s CEO’s latest announcement which includes a list of all their cancelled crossings, very sad reading. Curiously though, online, their timetables, and booking site make no mention. It’s possible to book and pay for cancelled sailings. More disgruntled Brittany customers methinks.

Crafty boost to their cashflow.

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[EuroTrotters]

Crafty boost to their cashflow.

They have emailed me to say they are refunding me by original payment method for our cancelled crossing

 

[EuroTrotters]

Reports of a bailout by the Government:

The French government has promised to bail out Brittany Ferries after claims that the cross-channel ferry operator could go bankrupt under pressure from Brexit, the pandemic and Britain’s decision to quarantine passengers arriving from France.

The rescue package is likely to be hammered out in Paris this week after Jean-Marc Roué, chairman of the French company, warned that it faced its “worst crisis” since it began in 1972.

Mr Roué told French media outlets that the group’s turnover, which was €442 million last year, was likely to drop by €250 million this year.

I thought EU law did not allow this (I’m thinking back to SeaFrance saga with the Eurotunnel and French National Railway).

or will France ignore that ruling like the Germans with their airline(s) ?

 

[Hirsch]

I thought EU law did not allow this (I’m thinking back to SeaFrance saga with the Eurotunnel and French National Railway).

or will France ignore that ruling like the Germans with their airline(s) ?

It doesn't unless it applies to the Germans, Italians or French

 

[Littlewheels]

I thought EU law did not allow this (I’m thinking back to SeaFrance saga with the Eurotunnel and French National Railway).

or will France ignore that ruling like the Germans with their airline(s) ?

Am l wrong but one of the stumbling blocks to settle Brexit is France insisting on legislation that stops the UK giving subsidies to commercial operations in order to keep them going and being competitive l don’t really see much of a difference here.
l do understand the need to keep BF afloat as I were they were a profitable growing business before Covid and they need saving, it would be a great loss the the British as we account for 85% of their business.

 

[Hirsch]

It would also be a great loss to Macron and leave a gap open for some entrepreneurial types. Hang on, I sound like Boris. Forget I said that.

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[EuroTrotters]

I cannot see them being left to sink, the French Gov will keep them afloat.

Too much at stake in my opinion.

Few million, drop in the Ocean compared to what the French & Spanish Tourism industry could lose.

 

[Spriddler]

I cannot see them being left to sink, the French Gov will keep them afloat.

Too much at stake in my opinion.

Few million, drop in the Ocean compared to what the French & Spanish Tourism industry could lose.

I understand that membership of the the E.U. imposes restrictions on the extent to which a member state can support a national industry. Other E.U. countries must be facing similar issues.

 

[The Wino]

I can see it reaching a point where if there are no state subsidies the ferry companies and other holiday companies start to accept bookings on the basis of if people decide not to travel its tough you accept when you book the risk is yours with a huge extra cost for a transferrable ticket.

 

[EuroTrotters]

I understand that membership of the the E.U. imposes restrictions on the extent to which a member state can support a national industry. Other E.U. countries must be facing similar issues.

See my post here

Brittany Ferries for 2021

Hi All After a cancelled MH trip to France in May this year, we are hopeful and with it being safe to do so, plan the same trip for 2021. The route we hope to take would be with Brittany Ferries, Portmouth to Le Havre return. I have looked on the Brittany site but cannot see the route...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Though I think Germany bailed out a couple of airlines and Hungary....., well they do what they like !

 

[The Wino]

See my post here

Brittany Ferries for 2021

Hi All After a cancelled MH trip to France in May this year, we are hopeful and with it being safe to do so, plan the same trip for 2021. The route we hope to take would be with Brittany Ferries, Portmouth to Le Havre return. I have looked on the Brittany site but cannot see the route...

www.motorhomefun.co.uk

Though I think Germany bailed out a couple of airlines and Hungary....., well they do what they like !

I think some countries look for ways of doing things others ways of not doing them.

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[WJACC]

l do understand the need to keep BF afloat as I were they were a profitable growing business before Covid and they need saving, it would be a great loss the the British as we account for 85% of their business.

I'm not sure how profitable, as it needed help not so long ago.

As you say it is reliant on 85% of its revenue from Brits, whose government keeps changing its travel advice every Thursday!! So any government, entrepreneur would have difficulty committing to a large bail out, with that uncertainty unless a plan was put forward to reduce that dependency..

So perhaps a much smaller fleet, a greater emphasis on freight, transfer ships to Irish routes, concentrate on just Le Havre, Caen......

 

[Spriddler]

Deleted - wrong end of the stick

 

[Spriddler]

Though I think Germany bailed out a couple of airlines and Hungary....., well they do what they like !

Yep, there will no doubt be waivers granted and also ignorers doing as they wish.

 

[frogijock]

As the Spanish say “ Laws are made to keep civil servants in jobs, they are not made to be followed “ most EU countries follow same dictum.

 

[Spriddler]

As the Spanish say “ Laws are made to keep civil servants in jobs, they are not made to be followed “ most EU countries follow same dictum.

As when I got to the front of a long and very slow moving queue at a French post office and teased the young lady manning 4 'windows' she replied: "All the while I have a queue I have a job".

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[2657]

I see no difference in France subsidising BF due to the effects of Covid to the UK subsidising it's industry by furlough, loans, deferment of taxes etc.
WJACC mentioned the unprofitability of BF and yet some still criticise them for 'rip off' prices.
All their routes are relatively long, especially the Spain routes, at least two other operators have pulled out of those routes since I have been travelling and BF have filled the gap.
Comparing prices with short crossings of 25 miles or so with a cruise of around a 1000 miles does not stand up. A return crossing to Spain takes more than 2 days whereas around 12 short return crossings would be possible in that time.Also take into account that BF use all French crew unlike the other operators who use anyone that is cheap enough. I think they do well to keep costs as low as they do.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Brittany Ferries Canceled our October Sailing on Pont Aven, offering this time a full refund to the original payment card.

I have opted to re-book on Cap Finistere on an Alternative date.

 

[WJACC]

I see no difference in France subsidising BF due to the effects of Covid to the UK subsidising it's industry by furlough, loans, deferment of taxes etc.
WJACC mentioned the unprofitability of BF and yet some still criticise them for 'rip off' prices.
All there routes are relatively long, especially the Spain routes, at least two other operators have pulled out of those routes since I have been travelling and BF have filled the gap.

One of the issues of subsidies/bail outs is if by doing so you help one company who is in direct competition with another..

In this case there is 'little' direct competition, a bit like say the French government subsidising SNCF to keep open unprofitable rail routes as a 'social' requirement.

 

[EuroTrotters]

Brittany Ferries Canceled our October Sailing on Pont Aven, offering this time a full refund to the original payment card.

I have opted to re-book on Cap Finistere on an Alternative date.

Brittany Ferries have also upgraded our cabin free of charge. So fingers crossed......

 

[Brains]

Shipping (and other transportation such as rail ) subsidies are slightly different to say propping up the local steel industry.

For example the Greek Government subsidies the ferries to all the islands.
If they did not, the ferries would have to change a lot more, which in turn would mean no tourists and more importantly no population on the islands, therefore no ferries.
The same applies to the Scottish islands, the Norwegian Fjords, the Baltic routes, the Spanish islands etc.

As the UK is outside the EU there is no reason why the French Government should not subsidise Brittany Ferries, as long as it brings a benefit to the French Exchequer (85% of the passengers are British tourists about to spend a load of money in France) which means every Euro spent on subsidy will be returned several times over in tax.

Of course if another operator then wanted to step into the route, they could and also claim the subsidy, especially if they could do it for less.

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