After months of frustration and confusion travellers are finally able to buy tickets for some CalMac ferry sailings -
Would-
Journeys on the Stornoway -
Sound of Harris and Sound of Barra sailings also can be reserved from the same date.
Many travellers are vexed at being unable to reserve passage to or from the Hebrides including families make Christmas arrangements and tourists planning an autumn break in the islands.
Booking system update delays were caused by changing shutdown dates for Uig harbour in Skye during pier construction works.
But the new pier closure proposals were confirmed a month ago and had been under discussion for some time before that.
Timetables and the fleet’s drydocking schedule are being updated to accommodate the pressures on delivering ferry services to the Western Isles and Inner Hebrides.
CalMac said the extended discussions took place around the Uig harbour closure which will impact almost all routes across the network.
Robbie Drummond, managing director of CalMac, thanked customers and communities for their patience.
He said: “We appreciate that the uncertainty around the winter overhaul and timetable plans will have been unsettling for our island communities and we are sorry for any anxiety this may have caused.
“We have been working hard to publish the timetables as early as possible, but the revised plan for the closure of Uig, which is resulting in two different timetables and a high volume of service changes to accommodate this year’s overhaul plan, brought an unprecedented level of complexity.
“This involves entering over 58,000 sailings and is on top of the usual interdependencies between routes and connecting services, and tidal restrictions in some areas.”
“We want to assure customers we are doing all we can to deliver the timetables as quickly as possible and want to thank customers and communities for their patience as they bear with us through this period.”
CalMac finally start to sell tickets for winter ferry sailings
4 October 2022
