Irish Ferries passengers whose summer holidays have been disrupted as a result of summer cancellations on Dublin-France sea crossings may be in line for substantial compensation, although that will depend on a ruling from the National Transport Authority (NTA).
Irish Ferries confirmed on Monday that 2,300 individual bookings impacting on up to 10,000 customers on its new vessel the WB Yeats between July 12th and July 29th have now been cancelled.
The cancellations are due to delays in the delivery of the vessel from the German shipyard where it is being built.
A company spokesman said most affected customers had opted to transfer to alternate sailings on different vessels, but delays in departure dates in both Ireland and France would be significant.
According to both the NTA and the Consumer Council of Northern Ireland, impacted passengers may be able to seek compensation amounting to up to half the price of their ticket as well as accommodation costs for up to three nights.
A spokeswoman for the Consumer Council of Northern Ireland said a decision on compensation would ultimately rest with the NTA, which will have to rule on whether widespread redress will be due to affected passengers.
Very rare
She said the eight-year-old EU regulations governing sea transport had yet to be tested in any significant way as such widespread cancellations were very rare.
Under EU Regulations 1177/ 2010 anyone affected by cancellations can choose between an alternative sailing or a full refund. They are also entitled to overnight accommodation if necessary, provided by the ferry company where possible, limited to €80 per night up to a maximum of three nights.
The EU rules state that passengers may also be entitled to compensation depending on length of delay to or from a destination, and that it is a percentage of the cost of a ticket as long as delays are not caused by severe weather or extraordinary circumstances.
An Irish Ferries spokesman said it could not comment on whether it would be forced to pay compensation to impacted customers – over and above a €150 voucher for 2019 travel it has offered – but it was likely to dispute any consumer claims for redress.
In a statement issued on Monday it said it had been forced to cancel the crossings as a result of “extraordinary circumstances,which are outside [its] control”.
However, an NTA spokesman told The Irish Times: "As the enforcement body, National Transport Authority believes these passengers are covered by the provisions of Regulation 1177/ 2010."
Camping holiday
Some passengers who have booked camping holidays as part of a package are already being looked after.
Pearse Keller of Galway-based KelAir Campotel which organises camping hotels across Europe said many of his customers had been hit by the cancellations. However those who had booked holidays which included ferry crossings would either get a full refund on all nights lost as a result of rearranged ferry crossing or be allowed to extend their holiday at the end if availability and individual circumstances allowed.
“We have had two dedicated staff members looking after this since Saturday morning, and have nearly sorted everyone out at this stage. People are being as upbeat as they can in the circumstances in what is a very unfortunate situation.”
Irish Ferries has also deployed a dedicated team which it said has worked through the weekend to contact affected customers.
“While all those affected were updated on the situation by email on Friday – as soon as practical following the shipyards notification – Irish Ferries has also handled over 2,039 individual contacts by phone or through other channels since then,” a statement said.
