‘Lie flat’ option could be trialled as alternative to pods on NorthLink ferries

A “LIE flat” option for passengers looks set to be trialled as an alternative to the often unpopular sleeping pods aboard NorthLink’s ferries.

Transport Scotland’s interim head of ferries Chris Wilcock made the announcement at Tuesday’s meeting of the external transport forum.

He said he expected that would be “something that people will welcome”.

Wilcock said the expectation is that this trial could happen “relatively soon”, but added that a final decision on it was yet to be made.

The results of the trial could then be fed into the designs for the new freight-flex ferries, which are continuing to progress.

No further information about what the “lie flat” option could look like was provided at the meeting.

Asked whether this would result in a reduction in capacity, NorthLink managing director Stuart Garrett said the ferries would continue to have the same number of spaces.

He said if there were “18 lie flats in a lounge” which normally accommodated 30 sleeping pods, they would have the “ability to recoup that figure elsewhere”.

Forum chairwoman Moraig Lyall said the announcement was “very welcome news”.

“This is something that a lot of people have been calling for,” she added.

NorthLink has been approached for comment.