The ferry firm has restated that it will not be introducing fuel surcharges this summer. Christophe Mathieu said that the company bought its fuel prudently – and would not be running out.
‘There is no chance that Brittany Ferries will run out of fuel,’ he said.
‘Our prices rose by inflation earlier this year, and by inflation alone. There will be no fuel surcharge. We are able to make this price promise to passengers because we took prudent steps to hedge the majority of our fuel costs before the crisis began [with crude priced at about $70 a barrel].
‘”Hedge your bets” is an expression we all understand,’ Mr Mathieu said. ‘Sometimes you win.
‘Sometimes you lose.’
He said that he was annoyed to see airlines announcing flight cancellations and putting up fares, using the US-Israel war with Iran as the excuse to make up losses.
‘I don’t think anyone has the right to adopt the posture of a bad gambler, least of all a sector taking people on holiday,’ he said.
‘The apparent willingness to reach for the war in the Middle East as an excuse to recover losses in the guise of surcharges, or by cancelling flights that don’t make a profit, makes me angry.’
Mr Mathieu wrote to all customers at the beginning of the month.
‘I want our ships to be full of holidaymakers this summer and I hope my message of confidence helps. But I also want to offer a counterpoint to seeds of anxiety and fear that have been sown and propagated by many airlines, in an already charged atmosphere of uncertainty.
‘Everyone should be confident that their holiday company will do the right thing, not cancel promised services because the numbers are not as good as budgeted. Nor must they pile on the pain of a gamble gone wrong, by levying fuel surcharges.’
The company has enjoyed a bright start to the year, with passenger carryings continuing to rise on Guernsey routes.
You need to be logged in to comment.