Stena Line claims to attract Ryanair customers

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Stena Line, one of the leading ferry operators in Europe, has said that service is so poor on no-frills carrier Ryanair that increasing numbers of travellers are choosing to take the three-hour ferry journey across the Irish Sea.

For the month of February, the ferry line reported a 10 per cent rise in the number of passengers on the Dublin to Holyhead service, and claims that the increase is largely due to passenger dissatisfaction with air travel conditions.

The line’s chief executive, Gunnar Blomdahl, said his business continues to make an effort to improve service standards while Ryanair, which is the dominant operator between Dublin and London, seems less concerned about its passengers, employing staff that many customers find “insulting”.

“I think we have benefited from all the trouble you have at the airport. First you are insulted by a Ryanair person, then you have to get through security,” Blomdahl said. “We have gone the other way and made it easier. The ferries are also much better than they were four or five years ago.”

In the past, the crossing between Dublin and Holyhead was often rough and the facilities were rather drab. The ferry was used by those who couldn’t afford the high airfares on British Airways or Aer Lingus. Blomdahl said that conditions are much different on Stena Lines crossings today, with major improvements in both craft and service standards having been made.

Thanks to www.guardian.co.uk for the above quotes, for more information on this article please visit their website.

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