Red Funnel has announced a further 72 ferry cancellations across 6 dates on its East Cowes-Southampton route, including in the first week of the school summer holidays.
An influx of visitors to the Isle of Wight and the continuing absence of 30% of the workforce has been blamed for the disruption in service, with the lack of staff mainly down to self-isolation requirements and recruitment troubles.
Lower numbers of staff affect the company’s ability to load and unload ferries quickly. In addition, there is a minimum number of critical roles required to ensure the safety of passengers and a minimum staff to passenger ratio.
The cross-Solent operator says it is working to protect the busy Friday to Monday weekend period to safeguard customer’s weekend travel plans. However, to enable this, the decision has been taken to cut the service provided on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday for the next 2 weeks.
A total of 24 sailings have been cancelled on 20th, 21st and 22nd July, plus 27th, 28th and 29th July. The following sailings have been cancelled:
Departures from Southampton (Tues-Thurs):
-
- 05:00
- 08:00
- 11:00
- 14:00
- 17:00
- 21:00
Departures from East Cowes (Tues-Thurs):
-
- 06:30
- 09:30
- 12:30
- 15:30
- 18:30
- 22:30
The last opportunity to depart the Island on all the affected days will be 21:00. On these days, freight ferry Red Kestrel remains in service with a change to the schedule with sailings departing 34 minutes later, departing Southampton at 04:59, 07:59, 10:59 and East Cowes at 06:29, 09:29, 12:29.
All customers with bookings on cancelled sailing times will receive an email and/or text notification with their new departure time. These notifications will be sent starting in the next few hours, with all messages expected to be delivered within the next 24 hours. The majority of customers can expect that their booking will be moved to 1 hour later than their original departure time; however, customers should verify their new departure time by consulting their email and/or text messages.
Fran Collins, CEO of Red Funnel, says:
“I am very sorry that these actions have been necessary and we thank our customers for their continued patience and understanding as we continue to do the best we can to keep sailing during these challenging times. I also extend thanks to our incredible teams who are working very hard to provide more certainty to our customers and minimise the impact on local traffic. We will continue to review our schedule regularly and keep customers informed should any further changes be necessary”.
Happy we not relied on this bunch of cowboys during Dunkirk. A bloody disgrace and as a very frequent traveler with them in the past . NO more now! Red Funnel like the Cowes Bridge, Pathetic!!!
Well I disagree I am an islander who works for a large removals company we are on red funnel almost everyday of the week and even with delays and complications we are happy with their services and have no doubt they will get things up and running as normal very soon I think that you are pathetic Chris and what you have said is disgraceful!!!.
It’s about time the track and trace app was scaled back, now most sensible people are fully vaccinated. People are sitting at home twiddling their thumbs when they would rather be getting on with life as normal as possible. Another monumental cock up from Boris and Co.
If only there was some kind of link, between the island and the mainland…maybe a fixed one? I don’t know it’s something islanders should consider as I am just spit balling ideas. I mean, could get the same company who did the famously reliable floating bridge to do it.
Good to see red funnel thinking of the islanders that need to use the ferry for work during the week and not try to make max money from the tourists trade at the weekends. NOT
Well said
Why are they using the pathetic test and trace NHS app?
It’s not compulsory and it doesn’t work.
Delete it! Simples.
This woman hasn’t got a clue how to run the company she should resign. How can she work out that crew will be self isolating in 11, 12 and 13 days time has she got a crystal ball. Utter incompetence by the top management
How does this woman even hold her job?
Agree, she is out of her depth. Former ferry captain from Condor. Clueless
Agree, she is out of her depth. Former ferry captain from Condor
If everyone deleted track and trace from their phones ,they would not get pinged and have to isolate .
Stumpy Dave – idiotic comment from an insensitive, selfish, uneducated nincompoop. Stay away from me!
Imagine 30% of any of the emergency services going down it would be position no one would want to be in , so these services have a back up plan ,
wheres Red funnel back up plan ,,,, simple ain’t got one what way to run a business .
You will see ferry prices rise to cover what they would of made during the time their not running .
if I have to travel to mainland wightlink only has been for years .
FIXED LINK PLEASE
Well said
No fixed link needed just stay here why do you need to go anywhere else if you work over there I understand and as for the comments slagging off red funnel there Better than Wight link any day .people come to this island to live and try to change everything this island would be totally ruined by a fixed link
Well….that’s not due to a sudden shortage of staff is it…like I said it’s political !
get the flipping bridge built.
Is this the same ‘Fran Collins’ that was once in charge of Condor Ferries?
If so, she is the person responsible for the entire Channel Island operation leaving Weymouth and moving it into Poole, around 2015, then blaming anyone she could possibly find!
Yes as Robbie Williams sings She’s the one
I don’t understand why we are in this position now 16 months down the line when the peak of the virus seems to be over. It’s not just over here as the news reported tonight of companies (Nissan, Rolls Royce and others) suffering from staff shortages as so many staff are isolating. Genuine question from me. What has happened/changed? Has the tracing app gone into overdrive?
Absolutely disgusting. Red Funnel needs to get their house in order. This shortage of staff seems to have come about very suddenly. They have made millions over the years, thanks to islanders and mainlanders alike. Poor show RF, poor show.
Not just Red funnel having problems. Calmac providing a monopoly service to the Hebrides are constantly cancelling services. Unreliable old ferries that keep breaking down leaving some islands isolated for days on end. Just after this article on my phone there is another news item about the ongoing saga. Do the Island is not alone.
Strange !! Red Funnel have all 3 car ferries running today Sat.. so they have
full crews ..so if they are cancelling sailings in the future the they must be
expecting staff to be testing positive in the future ..wonder how they do that ..
Looking at ferry bookings ?? Mmmm
Fire the CEO, couldn’t organise a drink in a brewery.