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Reported that LHR-PVG is being cancelled from Oct 26, leaving no VS flights to Far East.
Damn, someone please say the frame is being sent to Seoul
China was very cheap in the recent BA sale which suggests yields aren’t great and the Chinese carriers have the advantage of overflying Russia reducing their flight times/fuel costs. So not very surprising ! Most biz travellers who head east would be on oneworld I’d have thought, much stronger out to that region between BA / CX / AY / JL
Singapore please!
China was very cheap in the recent BA sale which suggests yields aren’t great and the Chinese carriers have the advantage of overflying Russia reducing their flight times/fuel costs. So not very surprising ! Most biz travellers who head east would be on oneworld I’d have thought, much stronger out to that region between BA / CX / AY / JL
Yes, PVG-LHR is now 12h30 on MU vs 14h35 on BA – long daytime flights. Before all the no overflight restrictions, both flights were just 11h30. There seems to be very little British tourist interest in China generally – lots of Americans and French.
Do we know if Virgin will have to offer rerouting options for flights after this that have already been booked? Or will it be a refund and if alternative flights are significantly more expensive then we’ll just have to suck it up…
Flying over Christmas, had a look and equivalent BA flights are significantly more expensive!
Yes, do not under any circumstances accept a refund as they do have to re route you. I’d wait a couple of days as policy re re routing may not be I place yet. Same applies to reward seats. I’ve read before that Virgin have tried to play fast and loose and push peeps towards refunds in contravention of their rights. You won’t necessarily get your choice of carrier and route incidentally
Checking VSbulletin (Virgin Atlantic’s trade update site) changes will be made in the Global Disribution System for bookings by Saturday 20th July – would probably recommend holding off contacting VS until next week regardless of where you’ve booked (VS cash, VS points or third party) when *hopefully* they will have a rebooking policy. https://flywith.virginatlantic.com/us/en/partner-hub/vsbulletins.html
From a personal point of view, hoping they comply with regulations for rebooking on another carrier – had no choice but to take refund when they cancelled LHR-HKG-LHR!
Thanks for the info Hampshire, will definitely be aiming for a rerouting, won’t matter too much if it’s a day or two either side but BA have flights on the same day at almost identical times so would definitely be the preferred option!
We flew BA to Shanghai in February 2024 and the cabin manager told me that the LHR to PVG flights are less than half full, and there is very little business travel. The move by Virgin to cancel the route is because the demand isn’t there. Don’t take the refund, as Virgin are required to move you onto another carrier.
Thanks Mark 🙂
I remember when HK was cancelled people have to contact the CEO office to get rebooked onto Cathay Pacific so this may be an avenue to pursue if the call centre doesn’t play balm
Based on feedback on here when Virgin cancelled earlier routes I would expect Virgin to try really hard to bully people into taking a refund which they don’t have to do.
Looks like the Korean Air/Asiana merger is still on so at least Virgin sounds to be keeping Seoul?
For Korean/Asiana to happen, VS needs to keep Seoul (and will be strongly pushed to by Korean). The slots are coming from Korean, so they just need a frame to continue to plan running that route. I suspect that the dropping of PVG means that India routes that increase in frequency from end Oct. now have an airframe.
Re: carrier, suspect SkyTeam member, so China Eastern likely. Default option is likely to be a refund, but I suspect they will be amenable to rebooking on to MU without much push. Non-Sky members, though, might need a bit of a push…
Spoke to Virgin yesterday, they will email customers tomorrow and then further options by Monday 22nd
Just received the email – complete with solemn looking VS staff member on the header image – without notifying any option to rebook. Text as follows:
Hello,
We’re getting in touch to let you know that your flight from Shanghai to London Heathrow has been cancelled.
We know how disappointing this must be for you, and we sincerely apologise for any inconvenience and disruption to your plans.
For the past 25 years, we have proudly served Shanghai, connecting our customers with family, friends, and business partners. We have supported global supply chains through our cargo operations, especially during the pandemic when we transported vital goods and medical supplies to and from Shanghai.
However, significant challenges and complexities on this route make it difficult for us to sustain our operations. After careful consideration, we have taken the difficult decision to suspend our Shanghai to London Heathrow services. This was not an easy choice, and we are very sad to say goodbye to our wonderful customers and colleagues in Shanghai.
Depending on how you booked your flight, you have various options to claim a full refund.
If you booked your flight directly with Virgin Atlantic
Please follow this link to request your refund. Once requested, you will receive an email from us within the next 7 working days to confirm that we have processed your refund. Depending on your payment method and card issuer, we expect your funds to be returned within 3-5 working days, however some providers can take up to 14 working days.Just so you know, your flights will not yet show as cancelled on My Booking, as we will be updating our system on the weekend of 20 July to reflect the change. We appreciate your patience and understanding.
Thank you for choosing Virgin Atlantic. We hope that you will fly with us in the future and experience our service and hospitality on other destinations.
Yours sincerely,
Louise Phillips
Vice President – Customer Care
Cheeky VS!
I’ve just received the same email. Is it still better to wait Monday to call them?
Cheeky VS!
Indeed – If one clicks on the “Refund” tab (and follows through), then one loses the right to alternative flights.
Very cheeky!A public spirited passenger affected by this should really immediately write a joint letter to the CEO’s of Virgin and the Civil Aviation Authority attaching a copy of this email which is an outrage. Virgin mistreated passengers similarly when pulling both the São Paulo and Hong Kong routes.
A public spirited passenger affected by this should really immediately write a joint letter to the CEO’s of Virgin and the Civil Aviation Authority attaching a copy of this email which is an outrage. Virgin mistreated passengers similarly when pulling both the São Paulo and Hong Kong routes.
Agree. Hardly demonstrating the “service and hospitality” referred to in the letter. Weasel Airlines.
Isn’t it in the regulations that passengers must be notified of their rights?!
Looking forward to tales of HFP tenacity in the foreseeable!
They are apparently reviewing ‘if’ they will be able to offer any alternative flights, lols.
Cheeky baskets with that letter.
They’ve made a commercial decision and they are trying to avoid paying out the rights which passengers have.
All that sop about how heartbroken they are to ‘say goodbye to staff in Shanghai” and how it touches their heart to disappoint customers…I mean, really. It”s about cold hard cash.
Have the class to willingly inform passengers of ALL their choices, Virgin *including the passenger’s right to choose to have you rebook them on another airline, to the destination you’ve now cancelled*. This regardless of Virgin’s wish to just refund instead. You are legally required to inform passengers of these rights.
With the soft soap cr4p in the letter as well, that’s insulting.
@LadyLondon – it’s scandalous and I’m disappointed that nobody has stepped up and said they have notified the CAA. Fortunately not everyone accepts this sort of conduct. I am confident Ms Phillips will have to eat her words.
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