Changes on the Horizon for Brittany Ferries as they Adopt a Fleet-Wide No-Frills Model
The Breton shipping company which operates freight and passenger services to France, Spain and Ireland is now adopting a “no-frills” service for their entire fleet.
The company once admired for the gourmet food offerings on-board are now set to completely outsource their on-board catering and bar services to a US-based international outsourcing firm. The global outsourced catering firm will now look after restaurants and bars of the entire fleet. It is expected the new firm will replace the Breton company’s deluxe Commodore in-cabin breakfast service with a more slimmed down offering while still “delighting customers with the premium service which they have been accustomed to”. A “long-life” croissant, a soft drink (Coke, Sprite or Dr Pepper) and a complimentary bag of peanuts and / or travel-size tube of Pringles will now supplant the waiter-delivered service. According to Sally Jefferson spokesperson for Global Catering Solutions, Inc the breakfast will now be left in passenger cabins the night before in a new “foil packed” solution which “locks in the freshness”.
On-board bars and restaurants will no longer bear unique names like Les Abers or La Flora. Their names will be now be standardised to “Le Bar” and “Le Restaurant”. Jefferson speaking from GCS headquarters in Kansas City, MO claims this new stardardised approach will meet the demands of the modern traveler better “while maintaining a distinctive French flavor”.
And it’s not only on-board where passengers are going to notice changes on the horizon. The company’s former flagship the MV Bretagne will be sold to EasyCruise. It’s expected that get full EasyCruise branding treatment - a bright orange colour. She will be converted to a party-ship plying the Carribean catering primarily to North American Spring Break party market. It is expected that her orange glow will be seen for many miles.
In order to meet new emissions regulations from Brussels, the company’s current flagship the MV Pont Aven will need her funnel vertically extended by another 5 meters.
The MV Normandie will be sold as an offshore accommodation block for oil workers. She will now mainly be a “static” vessel moored off the southern coast of Guandong, China.
As part of the companies drive for increased onboard sales, lottery tickets will now be sold on board and advertisements for the tickets will be frequently broadcast during crossings.
To further streamline and standardise operations at BF, it is expected that on-board art collections are to be replaced with stock photography and “generic art pieces”. Works from the Scottish artist Alexander Goudie will be replaced with more contemporary images of France such as the Eiffel Tower, man-with-beret carrying a baguette and pictures of a café called “Café du Provence”. For the new Spanish-themed “E-Flexer” class of ship coming onstream next year, passengers will be able to enjoy “contemporary stock art” which, according to the company enables them to enjoy the delights of Spain the moment they step aboard. It is expected these art pieces will include pictures of the Alhambra at sunset, the Guggenheim, a large paella and a sunny beach. Jefferson of Global Catering Solutions, Inc said their on-board catering solutions would reflect the “cuisine of the holiday destination”. She stated “paella would now be offered to those passengers travelling to Spain” while “fish and chips, curry and Shepards Pie” would be offered to passengers traveling to British ports from the Iberian Peninsula. Interesting times ahead for the Breton firm.
