Letters / Travel has become a lottery

Travelling to and from Shetland, as well as within Shetland, has become a nightmare experience.

A few weeks ago, we were travelling to Spain. The journey got off to a very bad start, when we were told that our booked ferry was cancelled, because the crew needed to have a lunch break. We had to rush our packing and take an earlier ferry.

Yesterday (Monday), I flew back from London, and was told by Loganair that the flight would be via Orkney, adding significant time to my journey.

When we landed in Kirkwall, I received a message that the last Yell ferry would be 6.55pm, because of crew sickness. I missed this by a mile and had to stay in a mainland hotel, for £144.

There is no potential compensation of the expense and massive inconvenience.

I understand that crew sickness can be an unexpected issue, and crew certainly deserve their lunch break, but surely there should be better contingency planning.

Every form of Shetland travel, internal and external, has become a lottery, and we are usually compelled to travel at least a day in advance, to feel comfortable that we will reach our destination.

Shona Skinner
Yell