www.thelocal.fr/20140627/uk-bans-eurotunnels-cross-channel-ferry-link
Do these Competition Commission guys live in a parallel universe that I know nothing about ?
Since MFL have been in operation across the channel the fares have dropped and there is fierce competition between them and P&O.
Get rid of MFL and P&O have the ferry crossing to themselves. (DFDS have always been a very small player on the Dover-Calais route.)
Put simply when Eurotunnel get rid of MFL, the others - P&O will be ripping us all off.
Or have I misunderstood ?
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>>Do these Competition Commission guys live in a parallel universe that I know nothing about ?
I sincerely wish they did. Rather sadly they live in ours. I've had extensive dealings. I think when dealing with simple they can cope i.e. Burger King must not buy McDonalds.
But as soon as it gets to complex business models with a variety of products they are completely out of their depth, but still feel a driving need to use their authority to prove that they are important and relevant, when of course they are neither.
In the instances where I have encountered them they have done far more harm than good.
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I guess the decision is based on something like this. MyFerry looks is owned by Eurotunnel. The reason they bought MFL is to to become the dominant company in the channel crossing market. By engaging in fierce competition they are driving prices downwards and DFDS are making large losses. DFDS will inevitably have to withdraw from the market. P and O will then be the only competitor with MFL and MFL will then allow prices to rise to a level that is much closer to the fares for the tunnel thus greatly benefiting their business at a cost to the consumer.
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Understood.
However, removing MFL from the market is effectively going to achieve the same result for the consumer - prices up. So it's a no-win situation for you and me as users.
The whole channel crossing business is a racket that the mafia would be proud to boast about.
Do you remember Speedferries ? I used them a lot and took an interest in the operation. P&O put a lot of effort into putting them out of business, such as blocking their access to berths "by accident", scheduling departures at the same time and arranging priority for their bigger less agile boats causing more delays to the new guys on the block. I wouldn't be surprised if there was an element of sabotage too.
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"However, removing MFL from the market is effectively going to achieve the same result for the consumer - prices up. So it's a no-win situation for you and me as users."
DFDS and P and O are genuine competitors and should result in better prices for the consumer compared with P and O and MFL.
As a subsidiary of Eurotunnel MFL have no real interest in competing in the ferry business, they simply will allow prices to rise to tempt more people to use the tunnel. Eurotunnel could even withdraw completely form the ferry business leaving us to the mercy of P and O. Neither MFL or DFDS are making money at the moment.
Actually we are in an era of real bargain travel across the channel. Am in France at the moment and it only cost me £82 return Dover/Calais at peak times.
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>> ...By engaging in fierce competition they are driving prices downwards and DFDS
>> are making large losses. DFDS will inevitably have to withdraw from the market. P and
>> O will then be the only competitor with MFL and MFL will then allow prices
>> to rise to a level that is much closer to the fares for the tunnel
>> thus greatly benefiting their business at a cost to the consumer.
>>
I assume you are talking about the Dover - Calais route ? I use the Dunkirk route when I'm not in a hurry and it is always busy. They operate three or four ships on that crossing.
DFDS will offload or drop out of a market rather than run a loss leader which is why they pulled out of the Irish Sea and Newcastle - Bergen routes. If they are running Dover - Calais then they are making money.
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DFDS have now pulled out of Harwich-Esbjerg so no ferry routes at all UK to Scandinavia. There are freight ferries but non-freight customers are only allowed on if there is space.
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>>Actually we are in an era of real bargain travel across the channel<<
Only if you use Dover/Calais or Dieppe/Newhaven.
Those of us out to the west know different.
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I always use Dover-Calais wherever I'm headed on the other side. The European motorway system is so easy and generally quick by comparison to ours.
I can understand caravanists etc using the longer crossings to cut down on driving distances but in a car without a trailer I'd just prefer to get over the water and get going.
Going down to the Vendee again later in the summer and using the short crossing it's an easy 12 hours door to door even allowing for the 200 odd UK miles. Tend to use the ferry rather than the tunnel for cost and kip benefits.
Last edited by: Runfer D'Hills on Sun 29 Jun 14 at 10:52
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There needs to be more competition on the western routes. When P&O withdrew from these, Brittany Ferries became the only operator, then LD Ferries came along, but seem to have withdrawn and DFDS taking over at Le Havre. Travelling with my caravan in September I have been quoted over £500 return to Cherbourg, Caen, and Le Havre.
Travelling from Hull to Zeebrugge with P&O, as a unitholder, I have been quoted £358 return which includes all meals and a Premiere cabin. Unfortunately, I have the dogs, one of whom has Epilepsy, so the crossing is too long.
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Hull to Rotterdam or Zeebrugge is a luxury crossing for us these days.
715€ return for two adults and two children, evening meals only car, no trailer is flying money with the downside of 24 hours door to door each way vs 6 hours.
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I agree. Got back today from Dinan in Brittany. Took me 5 hours to motor the 300 miles to Dover. Got an earlier ferry than I had booked at no extra charge. The overall experience took a turn for the worse when I hit the English road system. An hour queuing for the Dartford tunnel and I then heard the A11 blocked both ways so drove back to Norwich via the A12.
Five hours in England to drive 150 miles!
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I've just got back from France; used Brittany's "economie" 12.00 Portsmouth-Le Havre service to go over. Basically it's just a smaller boat with fewer facilities, but perfectly adequate and gets you over there at a sensible time. Recommended.
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>>Recommended.
... But a bit spartan for 24hours to Santander!
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>> ... But a bit spartan for 24hours to Santander!
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Depends what you want. I didn't use a cabin given that I had a say crossing to France, but from what I can gather the only difference is vinyl flooring rather than carpets. For the rest of it, the food was perfectly adequate, as was the bar.
The cost difference on the Santander route is £100 each way. IMHO that offsets a few superfluous material comforts on the crossing. It would seem that many others think likewise as it is booked up for a while in advance.
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UK Competition Commission stops MyFerry Link - No FM2R
