Hundreds in Condor protest
CONDOR'S level of service was the subject of a demonstration attended by about 300 people at North Beach this morning.
Organiser, Jonah Lloyd said the turnout was as good as he had hoped for.
'I think it showed the level of feeling about Condor and it was not just people moaning for the sake of it,' he said.
Zef Eisenberg, who presented the meeting, asked people to sum up their concerns. Principal issues included the lack of reliability, timetabling, pricing, and the loss of day trips to Jersey.
Outgoing HSSD minister Deputy Paul Luxon will take up the position of Condor chief executive officer in May. He told the meeting he had not intended to speak, but given events of the last month, thought he had to.
He said Condor's management and investors were only too aware of people's concerns and said he was confident that a reliable passenger ferry service would be restored and that Condor Liberation would be a part of it.
Some demonstrators held placards. One man said Condor's management had 'stuffed its staff' with its choice of boat and that the company had given just about every excuse it could in the last year for its lack of performance.
News emerged yesterday that a boat would be drafted in from operator Brittany Ferries to ensure Easter services were able to run. It is currently unclear how long the short-term charter of the 98-metre Normandie Express will last. It is believed the potential deal will allow Condor time to fix the Liberation for the summer season.
