Channel operators revamp websites

Thursday, 23 May, 2005 0

Cross-channel operators P&O Ferries and Eurotunnel are to copy no-frills
airlines by offering customers a simplified price structure when they book
on the internet.

From next month, the companies will unveil revamped websites with cheap
fares for people who book in advance. Prices will change frequently depending on demand and rise closer to departure – a system favoured by airlines like Ryanair and EasyJet.

The no-frills carriers have succeeded in persuading the vast majority of
their customers to book online and the cross-channel operators are hoping their new systems will lead to an increase in direct bookings.

P&O Ferries offers 25 sailings a day from Dover to Calais with one-way
fares from £30 to over £200, while Eurotunnel has up to four crossings per hour between Folkestone and Calais, with prices from £49 to £320.

Various fares are currently available on different dates throughout the season but both companies have been criticised for their complicated pricing
structures and various restrictions on bookings.

P&O Ferries and Eurotunnel will also follow the airlines by offering people a choice of crossings. When holidaymakers use the companies’ websites to
request a particular trip, they will also be given the prices of crossings
immediately before and after the one requested. People can then compare prices and, if they wish, choose a cheaper alternative.

A spokesman for P&O Ferries said: “We have around 20,000 reservations a day and it has all got too complicated. We are starting with a clean slate and
making it far easier for people.”

A spokesman for Eurotunnel added: “The market has changed. The no-frills
airlines have changed the way people look at pricing and we have to respond.”

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Phil Davies

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