Spirit of Tasmania booking website temporarily went offline in Australia due to demand
In Australia, the website of ferry operator Spirit of Tasmania temporarily went offline due to high demand after ticket sales opened for the new Spirit of Tasmania IV and V vessels. As ABC News reports, sales were due to begin at 10:00, but users were placed in an electronic queue because of the large number of bookings.
As of 11:00, passengers could view available sailings but could not complete ticket purchases: the system displayed an error message. TT-Line, which operates Spirit of Tasmania, received an inquiry from journalists about the situation.
Additional seats and cabins
Before the new stage of ticket sales, tickets were offered only within the capacity of the older Spirit I and II ferries, and bookings were available until June 6, 2027. The operator has now opened additional places on sailings that had previously sold out, offered cheaper fares and, for the first time, opened sales of cabin places for passengers with pets.
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The new ferries will operate across Bass Strait between Geelong in the state of Victoria and Devonport in Tasmania. TT-Line says the new vessels will have 301 cabins, be able to carry 470 more passengers and have three times more capacity for caravans than the current ferries.
Launch after delays and cost overruns
Spirit of Tasmania IV and V are to replace the Spirit I and II ferries, which have operated on the route between Victoria and Tasmania since 2002. The launch of the new vessels has been accompanied by delays and rising costs. A parliamentary inquiry previously heard evidence that the ferry replacement program cost A$717 million more than the initial business plan had projected.
According to the Spirit of Tasmania website, the scheduled first passenger sailing on October 31 has not yet been confirmed, and details are to be announced later. TT-Line chief executive Chris Carbone called the opening of bookings an important milestone ahead of welcoming the first passengers aboard the new vessels.
