Brittany Ferries starts new no-frills service

Brittany Ferries starts new no-frills service, ?Brittany Ferries ?conomie?, from Portsmouth to Le Havre and Santander.

From March 25, there will be a weekend service between Portsmouth and Santander in northern Spain and five return crossings between Portsmouth and Le Havre, one of which will be freight-only.

Branded Brittany Ferries ?conomie, this new product is designed to appeal to those who wish to travel to France or Spain at a reasonable fare without the cruise-style experience normally provided by Brittany Ferries.

Customers can expect quality French catering on board (but with a limited choice) served by bilingual French crew. The cabins will all have en-suite facilities, but without carpets, and there will be a lounge where seats can be reserved on overnight crossings. Pet owners will welcome the 12 pet-friendly cabins and there will be two specially equipped cabins for disabled passengers. Entertainment will be restricted to a movie lounge.

One way fares for a car plus two this spring will start at ?79 to France and ?169 (including reclining seats) to Spain.

Mike Bevens, group commercial director, said: ?Whilst our services to western France have been established for many years, those to Spain are currently enjoying great success, so we are seeking ways to build on this and grow the market. We feel that there is an opening for a no-frills, great-value service which will appeal to those who are on a tight budget and may not have even considered travelling by ferry before. The Brittany Ferries promise has always been about ?choice? ? we have ten routes, plus high-speed services, as well as cruise ferries ? and this is taking the concept one step further.

Whilst Brittany Ferries ?conomie will not provide the same high level of service and facilities with which Brittany Ferries has become associated it will offer something altogether simpler and with exceptional value.?

Bookings will open online at www.brittanyferries.com/economie in a few weeks but in the meantime registrations can be made by calling 0871 244 1400.