Travel Club double discount returns for entire winter season
The Isles of Scilly Steamship Group has announced that it is again doubling the winter flight discount for all Travel Club members – and will introduce the bonus for the whole of the winter season, including Christmas.
The company’s Travel Club provides significantly discounted travel year-round to those who live on the islands, and currently has around 1,900 members from an island population of around 2,200.
Members of the company’s Travel Club will see the 15% discount on pre-bookable Skybus flights double to 30% from Monday 6th November 2017 until the company’s Scillonian III ferry comes back into service in the spring of 2018.
Stand-by air fares for Travel Club members will also remain in place in winter giving discounts of up to around 40% for some seats.
The concessions are part of a package of benefits that the Steamship Company returns to the islands every year that is worth approximately £1 million, or roughly £450 for every inhabitant. This package also includes travel concessions for NHS medical appointments, core funding for the Islands’ Partnership marketing organisation, support of the annual World Pilot Gig Championships and other events, the Community Fund and subsidies for off-island freight services.
Rob Goldsmith, Chief Executive of the Steamship Company, said: “We’re delighted to be repeating and extending our winter benefits for Travel Club members which offer significant flight discounts during the winter months. This follows the launch in May of our new online booking service for the Travel Club, something that three quarters of members had asked us for.
“I’m also pleased to confirm that we will be repeating our popular Community Fund which has given away £20,000 in grants to support community projects on the islands and in West Cornwall in the last year. We hope to announce details of the next phase of the scheme very soon.
“Every year we give back around £1 million to the communities we serve and that’s in addition to the £12.5 million of investments in upgrades to the transport system during the last 5 years. Taken together this represents a benefit equivalent to nearly £8,000 for every resident of the Isles of Scilly during the 5-year period which accords with the Steamship Company’s mission to be a force for good in promoting the prosperity and well-being of our Islands’ community”.