The boss of Red Funnel has apologised to customers and recognised that the level of service provided by the company this weekend is ‘not acceptable to the Island’. The apology comes after Red Eagle was pulled from service on Saturday evening, causing significant disruption and 850 people being rammed onto a delayed 18:00 from Southampton. That came just 12 hours after a different technical issue led to vehicles being trapped on the main deck and only 2 days after returning from a refit in Falmouth. Red Funnel’s hi-speed Red Jet service remains suspended this lunchtime after Red Jet 7 was withdrawn from service yesterday afternoon due to a water jet issue. Red Jet 6 had already been withdrawn from the West Cowes-Southampton route on Friday due to a similar issue, which prompted a revised timetable. 
Isle of Wight MP has blasted the cross-Solent operator saying that Fran Collins, the Chief Executive, should “either run a bloody service or get somebody else to do so”. It has been confirmed that Hovertravel (and Hoverbus) will now be accepting Red Funnel tickets for Sunday and Monday, for those wishing to cross the Solent via its Ryde-Southsea route. This will remain the case until the Red Jet service is operational again. Addressing the situation, which saw just 1 out of 7 boats operational last night, Chief Executive Officer of Red Funnel, Fran Collins, has said:
“I wish to apologise on behalf of everyone at Red Funnel for the disruption experienced by many of our customers travelling between Southampton and the Isle of Wight yesterday. We know that this level of service is not acceptable to the island, and nor is it aligned with our own standards. “Our teams worked tirelessly to rectify the issues and support passengers, and we continue to focus on restoring the Red Jet service as soon as possible. “Affected passengers may be eligible for compensation, which can be claimed by completing the form on our websitehttps://www.redfunnel.co.uk/service-disruption-claims, or by phoning our contact centre (023 8001 9192). “In addition, we will be contacting passengers who were pre-booked on the affected vehicle ferry sailings to offer a voucher in recognition of the disruption to their travel. “For customers affected by the disruption on our Hi-speed services, we will be contacting season ticket holders and customers using books of tickets, to offer compensatory extensions to their tickets. “We also advise customers with specific dated tickets that are affected over this period to contact customer services ([email protected]) with details of how they were disrupted so that we can assist them on an individual basis. “Yesterday our on the ground teams issued vouchers for hot and cold drinks for those customers experiencing extended delays. “Looking forward, I am pleased to say that the vehicle ferry service is running to its timetabled schedule with 12 scheduled daily crossings today and into next week. “Our Red Jet service remains suspended for the time being. An alternative service has been put on for Monday 18th March, with an extended crossing time of 50 minutes. “We’d like to thank all our customers for their patience as we try and return to a normal timetable as safely and quickly as possible, and I apologise once again for the disruption to their travel.”
