High-salaried urbanites boost North Sea rail and sail traffic by 23 per cent

High-salaried urbanites boost North Sea rail and sail traffic by 23 per cent

Stena Line 13 July 2009

New segments of the UK population have boosted numbers using rail and sail packages to Holland by 23 per cent this year. Leading ferry operator Stena Line reported the trend-bucking year-on-year increase for January to June 2009 on its dutchflyer service across the North Sea, ascertaining the demographic of travellers contributing to the growth through research by economic consultancy Experian.

The dutchflyer service, which comprises rail travel from London Liverpool St and East Anglian rail stations to Harwich, ferry crossing to the Hook of Holland and onward travel to any station in Holland, has experienced increasing popularity. Between 2007 and 2008 Stena Line reported 39 per cent annual growth in dutchflyer traffic.

The success of the dutchflyer rail and sail package comes against the backdrop of a 2.8 per cent year-on-year decline in passengers leaving the UK out of BAA’s seven airports, Eurotunnel’s 15.8 per cent dip and a 5.3 per cent decrease in English Channel ferry traffic from 2007 to 2008.

Experian “Mosaic” research to identify and categorise those using dutchflyer recognised that 26.71 per cent fell into the “urban intelligence” group, which subdivides into two main types of traveller:

  • Counter cultural mix - young, well informed professionals; trendy city dwellers; some in good jobs and others with lower incomes
  • City adventurers - 20-something high-flying singles with pressurised, high-salary jobs; often London-based


Previously, travellers using Stena Line’s dutchflyer service had been predominantly cash-poor students and backpackers.

Lars Olsson, Stena Line’s commercial manager for travel on the North Sea, said, “The rising popularity of Stena Line’s rail and sail service over the past year has been a significant trend in itself, but it’s interesting to note that the main travellers contributing towards dutchflyer’s growth are now young, trendy city-dwellers and ambitious, workaholic singles.

“These groups have started considering alternatives to air travel because they’re less cash-rich and even more time-poor than in the past, so the overcrowded chaos at airports and exorbitant departure taxes are deterrents. The dutchflyer service links London and East Anglia with Dutch cities via rail stations and ferry decks from £35 one-way.

“We’re seeing a particular increase in dutchflyer passengers taking the overnight ferries so that they arrive at their end destination early the next morning without having had to pay accommodation costs in euros or endure 4am check-in for a flight”.

To make a booking visit dutchflyer.co.uk or stenaline.co.uk, call Stena Line on 08705 70 70 70, or visit your local travel agent

Notes to editors:
BAA airport statistics provided by the BAA press office. Eurotunnel and Channel ferry statistics provided by the Passenger Shipping Association.

The Mosaic classification system of UK consumers was provided by Experian.

In the UK alone, Stena Line offers two daily crossings on its Harwich to Hook of Holland route as well as over 30 daily crossings on its five different routes to Ireland (Stranraer to Belfast, Fleetwood to Larne, Holyhead to Dublin, Holyhead to Dun Laoghaire and Fishguard to Rosslare) providing fast and efficient crossings with excellent onboard services and facilities.


DUTCHFLYER FACT SHEET
Stena Line’s dutchflyer service by rail and ferry provides city-to-city travel between the UK and Holland, starting from just £29 one-way. www.dutchflyer.co.uk

The service, bookable in one ticket, comprises train travel from any National Express East Anglia station to Harwich International port where one of two daily Stena Line ferry services continues the six-hour crossing to the Hook of Holland. Onward travel is included to any rail station within the Netherlands with Holland’s NS railway system (www.ns.nl/en).

National Express East Anglia departure stations include major stations, such as:

  • London Liverpool Street (1:25 hrs)
  • Cambridge (2:10 hrs)
  • Colchester (0:25 hrs)
  • Ipswich (0:28 hrs)
  • Norwich (1:08 hrs)

Times are average journey times to Harwich International Port. For a complete list of National Express East Anglia stations, visit    
National Express East Anglia

Stena Lines ferries leave Harwich daily at 09.00 (arr. 16.30) and 23.45 (arr. 07.45+1).

In Holland the train station is conveniently located outside the Hook of Holland port, with Rotterdam and The Hague accessible in under an hour on the NS rail systems, and Amsterdam less than 90 minutes away.

Return Stena Line services from the Hook of Holland to Harwich leave daily at 14.30 (arr. 20.00) and 22.00 (arr. 06.30+1).

PRICING INFORMATION

  • dutchflyer services from Harwich International Port to any Dutch station start from £29 one-way
  • dutchflyer services from any National Express East Anglia station to any Dutch station start from £35 one-way
  • Cabins start from£10.50 per person (day sailings) or £18 per person (overnight) one-way based on two sharing

 

 

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