Spirit of Tasmania Website Crashes Amidst High Demand for New Ferry Tickets

A surge in demand for tickets on the new Spirit of Tasmania ferries has caused the booking website to crash temporarily. The site experienced 150,000 visits in the first half hour after tickets went on sale at 10am.

The high demand resulted in "some delays" when tickets went on sale, with an error message appearing before customers could complete their bookings. At 11am, bookings could be viewed but not completed.

TT-Line Chief Executive Comments on Demand

TT-Line chief executive Chris Carbone said in a statement that the booking engine usually received 2,000 visits on a normal day.

"In the first half hour after tickets were made available at 10am, the booking engine received more than 150,000 visits," he said. "We are delighted that the availability of new inventory attracted such strong interest, with ticket sales up almost nine times when compared to Wednesday last week.

Mr Carbone said that in advance of "strong anticipated interest" the company had taken steps to add additional "surge capacity to its online booking function. "We thank our passengers for their patience and look forward to welcoming them on board in the future," he added.

Passengers React to Booking System Issues

Mornington Peninsula resident Jen Graham had been refreshing the website since 10am and finally secured tickets at 1pm. She said she had been keenly awaiting the new allocation to help get her son and his car to university in Launceston.

"For a company that so heavily promoted and advertised this process, how on earth were they not prepared for the influx of bookings?" she asked.

Central Highlands resident Yvette Baker was unable to book tickets. "I've travelled with the Spirit for over 10 years now and it's always been great," she said. "It's just frustrating to plan for Christmas time as there aren't many bookings."

Boost for Visitor Economy

Tourism Industry Council Tasmania chief executive Amy Hills said it was a "really important day for the Tasmanian visitor economy".

"It heralds that these ships are coming, we have a sailing date, and people are keen to get on the website and get those tickets is music to our ears," she said. "Unfortunately, we do see sites from time to time buckle under pressure, and I'm sure they'll learn from this and improve, and what I'd say to the customers is: be patient and stay with us."

Government minister Jo Palmer said she was delighted to see such high demand. "Isn't it just wonderful to hear that the incredible interest that has been shown now we are open and able to be taking tickets for the Spirit of Tasmania with the new ships?" she said. "I don't think anyone can dampen our spirits today."