Channel Tunnel flexi-fare
I'm trying to plan next years trip and looking at using the tunnel for the first time.
We live in North-west England and so usually take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen and holiday in west side of France. Next year we are booked for Switzerland and then onto St.Tropez so decided to try the tunnel as we are taking a little over 3 weeks and leaving late June.
I was quite surprised by the high price of the tunnel to book flexible tickets, but if I book a fixed time, what happens if we get held up in traffic and miss our "slot"? Is there any flexibility at all in a standard ticket? I was looking at travelling out and return on Sundays if that makes a difference.
Comments
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This is what a Eurotunnel booking says:
Please keep to your booked departure time if you want to be assured of a fast crossing.
However, we do recognise that it is not always possible to plan your arrival time at Check-In accurately. So, if you arrive at Check-In within 2 hours of your booked departure time, we will, at no extra charge, transfer you to a space on the next available shuttle. Your booking will not be transferable if you arrive at Check-In more than 24 hours after the booked departure time.
However, please note that this could be quite a long wait if we are very busy.0 -
Basically, if you have a flexi-ticket, and arrive early or late, you will simply be put on the next train with no supplement. If you have a standard ticket and arrive outside the two hours periods you will be put on the next train with space, and pay a supplement for that crossing, and this space may not be for some time. The supplement will vary - if you're put on a peak time train instead of the off-peak one you booked then you may pay a substantial supplement, but if both crossings are off peak then the supplement will be much less.
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Lou, In the days when we used the tunnel we would always book a standard ticket for a breakfast time train for the return but aim to arrive in Calais at tea time on the previous day. That solved any anxiety about being held up by traffic and allowed us the best dinner that Calais could provide - and that was how we discovered the Cote d'Argent restaurant by the beach and the Fort Lapin campsite just along the road. if you are fearful about vagrants in Calais these days you can modify the plan and stay and dine in Boulogne instead. One can eat well there too.
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However, I wouldn't panic too much! Yes you ought to keep to the time on your ticket but last year we arrived at the check in desk to be told "You're early" - I replied with "I know but only a few hours/easy journey etc" the response was "No, you're a day early!"
Afterwards and tracking back we realised we had left a campsite in Le Mans a day early and every subsequent one a day early! We were let on with no problems but I wouldn't recommend it!
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Our experience on the last few crossings is that there is little opportunity to arrive early and get an earlier crossing. On several occasions there have been ‘emergency timetables’. I think they manage capacity very tightly. If you stray into a different fare zone they will charge you extra.
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Their T&Cs are quite clear - if you arrive within 2 hours of your booked departure you will not be charged extra regardless of the fare zone.
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On the outward journey we have to come round the M25, the chances of delays are quite high so we always allow plenty of time which means mostly we arrive early and have always been offered earlier trains. On the return journey we do much the same as ET. Never had a problem or been charged extra.
peede
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Once I gained a days holiday, turning up a day late for the ferry.
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I've never done it myself, but I know there are folk on here who book a one way ticket from Folkestone to Calais and then when they are ready to come back, ring up and book another one way ticket back. That might solve the problem for the OP?
David
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If you stray into a different fare zone they will charge you extra.
Not our experience at all; we've arrived in a different fare zone before now, but still been put on the next available train. Most recently last September: had booked 18.20 (which is the fare zone 18.00-20.00), arrived 16.30 and were allocated 17.20 (which is fare zone 16.00-18.00). In the event we actually travelled on the 16.50 as they were just loading the last vehicle when we came through and they waved us forward. No extra to pay at all.
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The way the Ts & Cs read it implies that they are talking about arriving late not early. However, it’s a bit academic if you arrive early and there is no availability which has been our experience.
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