Ferry passengers are to be granted the same rights to compensation as air passengers by the European Parliament should their journeys be cancelled or delayed.
At the moment, sea passengers only get their money back or a place on a later sailing if the journey they booked does not happen.
Those flying by plane, on the other hand, are compensated for the inconvenience.
Now new rules laid down by the EU will give equal protection – but it won’t happen for another two years.
Head of Research at Holiday Which Rochelle Turner said: “This is great news for ferry passengers, putting them on an equal footing with airline passengers.
"All ferry passengers will now be able to rely on getting fair and adequate compensation if they are delayed or if their trip is cancelled, regardless of the ferry operator they use.”
by Dinah Hatch
