By Isle of Wight ObserverRed Funnel has published new timetables for its cross-Solent routes which are effective from now until 4 November 2019.
The new summer vehicle timetable adds an extra 16 sailings per week between Southampton and East Cowes and follows a period of consultation in which 83% of customers preferred the proposal which has now been implemented.
The new timetable is available to book online or by phone from today. Customers who are able to book in advance will get the lowest available vehicle fares at their preferred sailing times and bookings made in 2018 for travel in 2019 will be at this year’s prices. Furthermore, any vehicle booking made more than a month in advance can be secured with just a £25 deposit – the balance is required 30 days before departure.
In addition, My Reward members will receive loyalty points which can be saved to fund future bookings, Signature Lounge upgrades, priority loading/unloading or pay for food & beverage purchases.
Additional freight-only sailings will be added to the East Cowes – Southampton timetable starting in Q2 2019. These service will be operated by the new freight ship Red Kestrel which is currently under construction.
Jonathan Green, Red Funnel’s marketing & communications director commented “We were pleased there was overwhelming support for the timetable proposal that we consulted on in September. The changes improve the frequency of our East Cowes-Southampton service by adding 16 new crossings per week from 29 March 2019.”
“To help the environment, we also plan to reduce the number of timetable leaflets that we print each year by 50,000. In their place, we will be offering a new wallet/purse friendly timetable card at our ticket offices which will never expire. It can be scanned by a phone or tablet to give instant access to our online timetables and our daily schedules in real-time. This initiative will save energy, paper and printing ink as well as reducing waste.”
The new timetables are available to view and download at redfunnel.co.uk/timetables
