Animal fees are our pet hate

BRITTANY Ferries says it is carrying 25% more pets than two years ago. But Connexion readers say taking pets abroad can still be a headache

PET-friendly cabins on Brittany Ferries’ new “Economie” route from Le Havre to Portsmouth are compulsory if you are transporting a pet even in daytime. You cannot leave your pet in the car.
The firm says this is “an operational” deci- sion for safety reasons. This smacks of profiteering and makes the choice of which line to use on this route very easy.

Mark BENNETT, Billio

WILL ferries stop charging for pets leaving Dover for Calais?
It is ridiculous that you have to pay for pets that stay in the car on their return to France. You do not need to pay any extra for more passengers in the car, so why do you pay for dogs?
When dogs leave Calais for Dover, checks are made with dog chips and their passports to ensure all is in order to enter the UK. I can understand having to pay for this, but this does not happen in the other direction. This is also a charge per dog so can be expensive on what at first seemed a good fare.

Wendy SCHOLEFIELD, Auvergne

EUROTUNNEL charges £15 each way and you also have to go to a special place to have the dog checked.
This slows up journeys and is discriminatory against dog owners. I can take nine people through at no extra cost, but have to pay to take a small dog that I can hold in one hand. As a frequent traveller this increases the cost by about 25%.

Chris WILKINSON, by email

ONE hopes these cabins are made known to those of us who are allergic to animal fur before they are allocated to non-pet owners as a journey in a cabin previously occupied by say, a moulting cat, will be a nightmare – no matter how carefully Britanny Ferries claims it will clean them.

Phil WHISCOMBE, by email

LAST October it cost more for our three cats to travel with Brittany Ferries than it did for my wife, me and the car.
We do not get any benefits from this hire cost as the cats stay in the car for the whole crossing and it certainly is not value for money, just another way for the company to make more money.

Mike AITKEN, by email