Eurotunnel Le Shuttle Breaks Getaway Week Record

Regulatory News:

Groupe Eurotunnel (Paris:GET):

Last week, following the start of the UK school holidays, Eurotunnel Le Shuttle broke the record for outbound summer traffic to the continent.

In one week, just under 50,000 cars, campervans, motorcycles & coaches boarded Eurotunnel Le Shuttle for their 35 minute crossing to France (equivalent to c150,000 passengers); proving once again that Le Shuttle is the number one choice for UK holidaymakers driving to Europe for their summer break.

The increase of +3% compared to the equivalent week last year, in a cross-Channel market that has performed at just +1% so far this year, suggests that Eurotunnel Le Shuttle has once again outperformed the ferries.

The growth was achieved through Eurotunnel Le Shuttle’s yield management strategy, which offers the option to travel at less busy times and spreads traffic away from the peak periods. This also has the advantage of ensuring smoother traffic flows for customers across the whole week, thereby enhancing the travel experience for everyone.

In a continuing trend, about 4,600 pets (mainly dogs) also travelled with their owners during this period. This was another significant increase on the same period last year (+4%) and now means that Le Shuttle is by far the preferred route for pet owners, with about 90%² of all pets travelling through UK ports and airports under the Pet Travel Scheme in 2014 carried on the service.

Jo Willacy, Eurotunnel Commercial Director, stated: "Cross-Channel passengers have once again voted with their feet and their paws. Eurotunnel Le Shuttle is the fastest, smoothest way to get away and 50,000 drivers have taken advantage of the speed, ease and reliability of our service to get them and their families off to a great holiday start. With traffic levels like this at the start of the season, it looks like 2014 could be a bumper year.”

¹ 49,500 more precisely
² Latest AHVLA figures confirm that Eurotunnel Le Shuttle has carried 88% of all pets travelling under the Pet Passport Scheme in 2014 year to date; this compares to 68% in 2013