Ports chief predicts more competition in inter-island travel

Friday 14 October 2016

Ports of Jersey boss Doug Bannister is convinced the failures of both air and sea passenger services between Jersey and Guernsey will trigger fresh competition for the inter-island routes.

Airport statistics show that the number of passengers travelling between Jersey and Guernsey has fallen significantly since 2008. In that year there were 160,000 passengers on the route, but by last year that had fallen to 120,000, a drop of 25%.

Condor have also reported falling numbers between the two Channel Islands, so much so that it triggered a meeting with Jersey Consumer Council earlier this year to address customer concerns over their timetabling, fare structures and the well-documented difficulties with the company’s £50 million Liberation vessel.

At a meeting of Jersey Chamber of Commerce yesterday, Mr Bannister, Chief Executive of Ports of Jersey, said: “I think if you take across air and sea we are about 50,000 passengers down between the islands year on year. 

“I really believe it is an under-served market and I think there is an opportunity there. I think therefore, wherever there is an opportunity, somebody is going to come and step in. We are looking at it very closely.    

“We know a significant part of that loss of travellers is scheduling, we know that. I know that Condor are working on introducing improved inter-island schooling for next year and that will be welcomed. There are some efforts being made by Blue Islands and FlyBe to improve their capacity.”

Mr Bannister said Condor’s numbers for cars and passengers are both sharply down. 

“I have spent quite a lot of time with Condor. One of the challenges they have got is not bad decisions or bad communications, or even operational performances because actually the business has performed pretty good, but it is to do with legacy perceptions. 

“Bookings out of the UK on Condor are holding, bookings out of France are holding, bookings out of the Island is where it has taken a tumble. That’s not because we on the Island know better, but Condor are a victim of perception and they are fun to poke at.” 

He joked: “Condor is absolutely the very best ferry company operating on this island! If I can help Condor become the very best company it can be, providing a good reliable service, then that’s what I have got to do. 

“We have got to work with Condor to make them better than they are and they are making progress on a whole area of things. We have had a lot of good engagement with them, so this starts to set the platform for where we can see some real progress and get the numbers going back up again.”