Sailing to Europe is cheaper than flying - especially for families - say the ferry companies in a new campaign to highlight the hidden costs of budget flying and point to the deals available on sail-drive holidays.
Nine leading ferry companies have banded together to launch a joint website - sailanddrive.com. This carries price comparisons that show savings of up to 60% for sail-drive holidays against fly-drive prices on low-cost airlines, and has links to deals available through the ferry companies.
Bill Gibbons, director of the Passenger Shipping Association, said: "The low-cost airlines have made all the running in the last two years. It is time for us to fight back: we haven't shouted loudly enough about the true value of a sail-drive holiday.
"Airline pricing is very misleading. Often the headline price on a website is a one-way fare, excluding taxes, with very few seats at the advertised amount. The price rises alarmingly when you add in the cost of parking your car at the departure airport and hiring another one when you arrive."
A typical price comparison on the website contrasts the travelling costs for a family of four on an eight-night holiday in August at Orleans in France; it shows savings of £316 for the family:
· Sail-drive: return Portsmouth-Caen fare with Brittany Ferries is £398 for the family, plus driving costs and breakdown cover. Total: £524.
· Fly-drive: Return Ryanair flights from Stansted to Tours are £142.84 per person including taxes; nine days car hire £178.97, airport parking £56, plus driving costs. Total £840.
The fares were those quoted two weeks before travel when low-cost airline fares are higher than those available for early-bookers. But the ferry companies point to their own early-booking and other special deals. On the website this week, these include:
Dover-Calais: P&O Ferries offers savings of up to 50% for five-day and period returns for travel next year. These include a peak season return on certain sailings of £136 for a car and up to four people (up to five extra passengers can go free). This must be booked and paid for by October 31.
Portsmouth-Le Havre: P&O Ferries has a £99 fare for a car and up to four passengers, for up to five days' travel, taking the 3pm ferry outbound and 8.30am return. Book by August 31 for travel up to December 31.
Brittany Ferries has a September day-trip offer to France for £19.95 per person and £19.95 for a car. Supplements apply on some Friday and Saturday sailings.
