Brittany Ferries bookings jump 40% amid air fears

The Brittany Ferries ship Pont Aven. Brittany Ferries. The company has seen a 40% rise in summer bookings as fears over airline fuel shortages continue to impact travel plans.

Transport operator Brittany Ferries has seen a 40% rise in summer bookings as fears over airline fuel shortages continue to impact travel plans.

Brittany Ferries serves routes from Ireland to Europe including Cork-Roscoff, Rosslare-Cherbourg, and Rosslare-Bilbao. Almost 132,000 passengers travelled from Ireland to France and Spain on these routes in 2025.

On Thursday, Brittany Ferries said summer bookings had risen by 40% across the company in the past fortnight. The company said this "reflects a growing shift among travellers away from uncertainty in air travel towards the reliability of travel by sea".

Brittany Ferries said suppliers have guaranteed uninterrupted access to all maritime fuels, including Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), heavy fuel oil (HFO), and marine gas oil (MGO) across its network. As a result, the company says there is no risk of fuel shortages disrupting sailings or family holidays this year.

"Like many major transport operators, Brittany Ferries hedges the majority of its fuel purchases well in advance, meaning prices were secured months before recent global instability. This approach shields customers from short-term fluctuations and avoids the need for reactive fare increases," a spokesperson for Brittany Ferries said.

Brittany Ferries chief executive Christophe Mathieu said that there will be no additional price increases for holidaymakers beyond inflation-linked adjustments already applied earlier this year. “We make a clear promise to our customer: if you’ve booked with us or are considering it, we will get you to a safe and enjoyable holiday destination this year. We will not engage in loss recovery or profiteering.” 

The Cork-Roscoff service resumed for the 2026 season in recent weeks. More than 70,000 passengers travelled from Cork to Roscoff in France with Brittany Ferries in 2025.