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Virgin have cancelled the inbound flight of a trip this April. The outbound currently is still on.
We are a party of 7 and flights for the same dates or similar have skyrocketed!
What can I do?
What are my rights?
I don’t even know yet what happens about a refund/partial refund.
Thank you so muchFirstly have they rebooked you onto another flight yet? Check MMB rather than emails.
If not look at what other flights / routings are available and then call VS asking for one of those if they havn’t already put you on one.
As they have cancelled you won’t need to pay any fare difference on alternative flights.
What’s MMB?
They have not rebooked me.
On my online account it says flight as normal but email says cancellation will be processed over weekend.
I am waiting to get through on the phone to them.
How close to the flight may I ask them for. I currently have an afternoon flight and I don’t want to travel in the morning- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
MMB = Manage My Booking
If you’ve been told the cancellation won’t be processed over the weekend then wait until next week as it’s over the weekend when the auto rebooking will take occur
Until the flight is actually cancelled in VS systems then phone agents can’t do anuthing and will treat it as a voluntary change.
As to what flight options are available it would depend on the route involved.
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
The airline will also owe you the cost of any extra nights hotel caused by their cancellation and need for.you to be rebooked. Plus meals at any mealtimes in this extra wait time at reasonable local rates and any extra transport required to and from the extra night(s),hotel.
This under duty of care part of EU261 / UK261 as Virgin, assuming it is them operating the flight, is UK/Europe based.
I certainly wouldn’t be in a position to agree to an earlier flight as when I travel I’ll have plans arranged right up to the last minute
Thank you CC and LL.
MMB came up as Making Me Blush on google!
I spoke to a VA agent who said that the Flight will be changed from 17:30 to 07:20. I did not agree and will wait until they do change it themselves.
It is 10 hours earlier and a disaster for me travelling with kids and a baby so early.
What rights will I have?What flight have they cancelled on you? (from where to where? – it doesn’t make much of a difference, but I’m curious what they’re culling this time)
What alternatives flights are there? For simplicity, they should be easily able to put you on a Delta alternative if there is one 🙂 I had to suggest this when it happened to us (and mention our rights), they weren’t proactive offering it
Goes off to check my emails for my forthcoming VS April flights
Forget giving any reason. Just tell them that you’re not able to travel earlier. No reason to make it a discussion topic they dont need to know detail
Ah – a bit more detail here:
https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/virgin-atlantic-airways-flying-club/2069104-summer-22-operational-update.htmlAs I’ve mentioned already you need to come up alternative routings that suit you better than the likely one they’ll suggest.
If you tell us the route involved we may be able to suggest alternatives including flights on Delta or KLM and Air France – but it’s likely they will involve connections and added complications that may make the early start more appealing than it is at the moment.
As others have said, despite what Virgin say you don’t have to accept the change.
Of course you can’t force them to fly at the original time, but you have the right to be rebooked on any flight that closer matches your original plans. Theyll try to restrict that first to Virgin flights, then to their partner airlines, but you can insist on ANY airline that matches close to your original booking. Those are your rights, but you’ll likely need to fight for them.
Thank you so much. This is all really helpful. There is a direct flight with a different airline at a very similar time.
So my understanding is that it may not be easy but I can definitely stand firm in my right for them to put me on that other airlines flight?And what about taking the inconvenient flight they offer + compensation? Is that ever offered?
Thank you so much.You can insist on as close timing to your original cancelled flight as reasonably possible.
You can come up with alternatives and suggestions but you don’t get to choose which airline if there are several reasonably close enough and the same sort of journey (eg you can try to insist on still travelling direct and not on an airline with stopovers that would make you much later. Virgin gets to choose.
As @SteveJ has said Virgin will have its own totem pole of preferences to offer you and if one of their preferences is reasonably close enough you will have to accept it. So try to propose alternatives that they are going to it more convenient to provide you if you can.
I’d not be willing to leave any earlier though as I would have plans.
You can come up with alternatives and suggestions but you don’t get to choose which airline if there are several reasonably close enough and the same sort of journey (eg you can try to insist on still travelling direct and not on an airline with stopovers that would make you much later. Virgin gets to choose.
This is why it would be very helpful if londonfly said what the route is so we can suggest some alternatives that VS would likely go for.
I’m curious too – I can’t think of a VS route that would have this time change ! EDIT: could be Tel Aviv?
- This reply was modified 55 years, 4 months ago by .
It is TLV-LHR
Original booking leaving 17:30There is an ELAL flight 17:20
EasyJet 15:15Virgin don’t partner with either of them. I’d be insisting on the ElAl flight.
Do Virgin fly TLV daily? If so and you fancy an extra day for free and a free dinner then you can insist you have plans all the way to lunchtime on your original departure day, so you’ll take the day after morning flight on Virgin instead, and they can pay for your extra night and meals, as well as compensation as an EU airline bringing you back late. A pain with kids in tow I grant you.
Exactly.
take the day after morning flight on Virgin instead, and they can pay for your extra night and meals, as well as compensation as an EU airline bringing you back late. A pain with kids in tow I grant you.
I don’t know TLV but is there a decent in-airport hotel from where you can easily walk to check-in? I’d maybe be asking to overnight there (or you may need to book it yourself and claim it back), then enjoy your full day as planned, and go to the airport late evening.
I have just come off the phone with Virgin. They have said that since it is over 14 days away(My flight is end of Aprill 22), they can only offer refund or a partner airline. Since there are no partner airlines from TLV to LHR they will not offer an alternative airline. They are only offering a flight on Virgin 2 days later than scheduled. I told them there is a ELAL flight 10 minutes earlier than my schedulded flight but the agent said that they can’t help me.
Is this right?
What do I do?I have just come off the phone with Virgin. They have said that since it is over 14 days away(My flight is end of Aprill 22), they can only offer refund or a partner airline. Since there are no partner airlines from TLV to LHR they will not offer an alternative airline. They are only offering a flight on Virgin 2 days later than scheduled. I told them there is a ELAL flight 10 minutes earlier than my schedulded flight but the agent said that they can’t help me.
Is this right?
What do I do?No Virgin are still lying.
Look at Tedl posts and their replies.
They do have to reroute you and at operating airline’s cost.
14 days requirement applies only for compensation which you are not owed due current exceptional circumstances.However they owe all of duty of care including rerouting and all below even if they cancel a year ahead. Fact. Eu261
You have the right to say you still need to travel on same day as reasonably close to same flight timing as possible and they have to provide a ticket even on another airline that meets those conditions or you buy it and enter tedious but reliable process to reclaim.
If you can accept their flight 2 days later ask them to provide you hotel and transport to and from hotel which they must provide under duty of care. Highly likely they fail to do so this so you have right to get all this yourself and claim plus all meals at reasonable local prices while waiting.
Thank you so much LL.
What is Tedl posts?
How do I need to accept this change of 2 days later in order to claim hotel and meals for the extra days? Do i need to speak to them(2 hour phone wait) or if I change online will I be entitled to the same rights and compensation?
@LondonFly, did you ever get a satisfactory outcome? You can look up the detail of EC261/2004 online, particularly check out what it says in article 5 (cancellation) and your referenced rights in article 8.
You might then want to look up the email address for Virgin Atlantic’s CEO and complain to him (which will be handled by his Executive Office team).
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