PSA refers to Ryanair documentary to encourage ferry travel
Ferry Online Travel News 15/10/2009
PSA says airlines treat passengers with scant respect
The Passenger Shipping Association (PSA) has been quick to respond to the BBC Panorama documentary on Ryanair aired this week, by urging travellers to ditch airlines that are treating passengers with "no respect".
Bill Gibbons, the PSA director has said airlines are treating passengers with less and less respect, as they scrounge for ways and means to get more money out of travellers on every pretext available. Gibbons backed the ferry services in the UK instead, saying travellers are treated much better on these, with no add-on charges like luggage charges or online check-in fees. There are also no fees for any extra luggage brought onboard, the director pointed out.
Gibbons pointed out that on several continental ferries, there is actually no charge even for extra passengers, so long as everyone in the group boards in one car, allowing four or more travellers to travel for a one-car ferry price.
On the other hand, British Airways' latest seat reservation charges will mean families may have to pay extra -- per person -- just to make sure they are sitting next to each other on their flight.
Gibbons comments came just ahead of the documentary being aired. He says it's time passengers gave airlines like Ryanair a taste of their own medicine, by opting to travel on UK's ferries instead. Gibbons says Britain's ferries are the nation's best kept secret transport.
According to PSA statistics, over 40 million travellers used Britain's ferries last year.
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