Ponant, Packaged for the UK
Ponant Explorations sailings now come with flights, transfers and hotels through Aviate. It removes the biggest barrier to selling French luxury expedition cruising from the UK.
UK advisors who wanted to sell Ponant but did not want to build the flights themselves now have a packaged option. Since 1 October, the French line’s sailings have been available as fully packaged holidays through flight consolidator Aviate, under the name Ponant Travel Collection. For a line whose voyages start and end in ports such as Brest, Tromsø and the Caribbean, packaging the flights is what makes the sale possible.
What’s on sale
The Ponant Travel Collection combines Ponant Explorations voyages with flights, transfers and accommodation, supported by a dedicated Aviate team, Travel Gossip and Seatrade Cruise News report. When the partnership was announced in August, Cruise Trade News reported that the packages would be sold under Aviate’s ATOL licence. Aviate, part of Travel Innovation Group, works with more than 1,200 tour operators and agents in the UK and more than 50 airlines, according to Seatrade.
Sample itineraries cited at launch include:
- Nordic Sea Treasures: 11 nights from Brest to Tromsø.
- Pearls of the Caribbean: 7 nights calling at Guadeloupe, Dominica, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
The incentive
Agents who register by 31 October 2026 earn an extra £100 commission on eligible bookings of Ponant Explorations’ new routes, for departures up to the end of December 2027.
Why Ponant is doing it
Before this, UK agents had to arrange everything outside the cruise themselves. Anthony Daniels, Ponant Explorations’ general manager for the UK and Ireland, said in Seatrade’s report that the partnership “removes a longstanding barrier for agents who have long admired the product but found it difficult to package independently due to no bonding agreement for flights.” On launch day he said: “This partnership represents something we’ve been building towards for some time and we couldn’t be more excited about what it means for the UK travel trade.”
The UK is a priority market for the line, according to Cruise Trade News. Seatrade reported that Ponant’s brand awareness in the UK stands at 5%, while sourcing from the UK and Ireland is growing at 40% year on year.
For advisors
- Register with Aviate before 31 October to qualify for the extra £100 on new-route bookings departing up to December 2027.
- Pitch to luxury cruise clients ready for something smaller: Ponant’s small ships and port calls suit clients moving on from larger luxury lines.
- Lead with the Caribbean for winter and Norway for summer: the launch itineraries show where packaging the flights adds the most value.
- Confirm the ATOL details and flight routings on each quote before presenting a fully protected package.