Flight disruption policy

We want to assure you that in the event of a disruption to your flight schedule, we will be taking steps to minimise the inconvenience to you and make any waiting time as comfortable as possible. All our actions meet the requirements of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of flights.

Virgin Atlantic flight is cancelled

In the event that Virgin Atlantic cancel a flight one of the following options is available to customers holding confirmed reservations.

Re-book/Re-route at the earliest opportunity

Take an alternative flight under comparable transport conditions, to your final destination at the earliest opportunity, subject to the availability of seats in the cabin originally purchased

Re-book/Re-route to a later date

Take an alternative flight to your destination under comparable transport conditions at a later date more convenient to you, subject to the availability of seats in the ticket class originally purchased and seasonal supplements being paid. If the new fare is lower the difference will be refunded

Re-book on a Virgin Atlantic flight to another destination

Subject to availability. Any additional fare cost will be charged. If the new fare is lower the difference will be refunded.

A refund of unused flights if travel has not commenced

We are pleased to confirm that as planned and communicated to our customers, we are on track to clear the backlog of Virgin Atlantic refunds imminently and will return to normal refund timeframes this month. We sincerely thank our customers’ patience during recent months.

New refund requests in November will be processed within a normal timeframe.

Once a refund has been processed it will then be returned to the original form(s) of payment. It may be necessary to allow up to 14 days for the money to show on the customer account due to the process in place between Virgin Atlantic and our Merchant Service Providers (i.e. banks). The length of time may also depend on payment method and provider, or if a Bank Holiday falls during the period of time.

There may also be circumstances where the customers’ details of original form of payment are not correct, or have expired. Customers will receive an email with a secure link to provide new details. If the new details are pending this may be preventing a refund from being processed within the normal timeframe.

Customers booked directly with Virgin Atlantic and have a cancelled flight may apply for a refund here.

General Conditions

• All re-routings involving other carriers must be notified and authorised by Virgin Atlantic before travel commences..

Passengers can amend their bookings by contacting their travel agents or by calling the nearest Virgin Atlantic customer service centre.

Passengers requiring a refund should make an application to their original point of sale.

Passengers on inclusive/package holidays must refer to their tour operators who may not operate the same re-booking policies. Passengers should also be aware that any applicable refund would only relate to the airfare portion of the inclusive package and not the whole cost of the holiday. Your tour operator should therefore be contacted for further advice before you cancel your booking.

Compensation for cancelled flights

In certain situations where a flight is cancelled less than 2 weeks before departure and the alternative flight we offer is more than 4 hours later than the original schedule, compensation under the terms of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 may be applicable.

However there is no entitlement to compensation if the cause of the cancellation was due to extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, this includes cancellations in the event of weather conditions, political instability, unexpected flight safety shortcomings, security risks and strikes.

Compensation shall not apply to passengers travelling free of charge or at a reduced fare not available directly or indirectly to the public.

Compensation application process

Compensation claims cannot be processed at the airport.

Virgin Atlantic flight is delayed

For more than 4 hours

We will provide you with meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, plus two short telephone calls, or telex, or fax, or e-mail messages.

For more than 5 hours

You can choose to cancel your booking and receive a refund of your unused ticket, and for the part of the journey already made if the delay means your flight no longer serves any purpose in relation to your original travel plans. Where relevant if you have already completed one or more segments of your flight we will also offer you a return flight to your first point of departure at the earliest opportunity.

Until the next day (local time)

In addition to the above if you have chosen not to cancel your flight we will offer hotel accommodation and transport to and from the hotel (or to and from your home if you reside nearby).

The care detailed above may be limited or declined if the provision of refreshments, meals and hotel accommodation would itself cause further delay.

All refunds will be credited back to the original form of payment.

Passengers can cancel their bookings by contacting their travel agents and making an application for a refund. Or, for direct bookings by calling the nearest Virgin Atlantic customer service centre.

Compensation for delayed flights

In certain situations where the arrival of a flight is delayed by more than 3 hours compensation under the terms of Regulation (EC) No 261/2004 may be applicable.

However there is no entitlement to compensation if the cause of the delay was due to extraordinary circumstances which could not have been avoided even if all reasonable measures had been taken, this includes delays as a result of weather conditions, political instability, unexpected flight safety shortcomings, security risks and strikes.

Compensation shall not apply to passengers travelling free of charge or at a reduced fare not available directly or indirectly to the public.

Compensation application process

Compensation claims cannot be processed at the airport.

Care in the event of cancelled and delayed flights

If your flight is delayed for more than 4 hours, or if your flight is cancelled and your new flight departs more than 4 hours later

We will provide you with meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time, plus two short telephone calls, or telex, or fax, or e-mail messages.

If your flight is delayed until the following day, or if your flight is cancelled and your new flight departs the following day (local time)

In addition to the above if you have chosen not to cancel your flight, or in the case of cancelled flights you have chosen to take an alternative Virgin Atlantic flight at a later date more convenient to you) we will offer hotel accommodation and transport to and from the hotel (or to and from your home if you reside nearby).

The care detailed above may be limited or declined if the provision of refreshments, meals and hotel accommodation would itself cause further delay.

We will prioritise the needs of persons with reduced mobility and persons accompanying them, as well as the needs of unaccompanied children in the event of mass flight disruptions.

Know your rights

In accordance with our obligations under the regulation we are required to provide a written notice setting out rules for compensation and assistance in line with the regulation, as well as the contact details of the national designated body responsible for the enforcement of this regulation to passengers affected by:

Denied Boarding
Flight Cancellations
Flight delays of at least 2 hours

Compensation and assistance info sheet PDF 103.0KB

If you do not already have Adobe Acrobat, please click here to download from the Adobe Site

Passengers wishing to alter travel plans as a result of government advice

Occasionally, in the event of a natural disaster or political situation the UK Foreign and Commonwealth office (or in the event of a situation arising in the UK the US Department Of State) may advise against all, or all but essential travel, to that area.

On these occasions passengers with non refundable or non changeable tickets purchased before the advice was issued, travelling on Virgin Atlantic flights directly to the affected area, at the time of the incident, may choose one of the following options:

Re-book on a later Virgin Atlantic flight

Subject to seasonal supplements being paid. If the new fare is lower the difference will be refunded.

Re-book on a Virgin Atlantic to another destination

Additional fare cost will be charged. If the new fare is lower the difference will be refunded.

Conditions:

The options will only be available when advice against "all", or "all but essential" travel, is issued by the UK Foreign & Commonwealth office (or in the event of a situation arising within the UK the US Department of State issues a "Travel Warning") and publishes the same on their website at a date after the ticket has been purchased.
The options will be available for a limited time relating to the specific incident or situation.
The change in booking must take place before the original flight.
Travel must be completed within ticket validity or within three months from the original flight, whichever is longer.
All re-bookings are subject to availability in the ticket class originally purchased
All re-bookings are subject to the deduction of a reasonable administration fee
The return flight, if applicable, can be re-booked at the same time,

Passengers can amend their bookings by contacting their travel agents or by calling the nearest Virgin Atlantic customer service centre.

In the event of natural disasters or severe weather conditions passengers may experience some difficulties travelling to and from airports from other areas due to local transportation and other infrastructure disruptions. We strongly advise passengers to make themselves aware of local conditions and seek information from transport and other service providers before their departure.

Passengers on inclusive/package holidays must refer to their tour operators who may not operate the same re-booking policies.

Passengers who miss their flights due to Force Majeure

Virgin Atlantic flights are operating as scheduled however passengers with non refundable, non changeable tickets miss their flights due to Force Majeure

Passengers prevented from travelling due to Force Majeure* (for example the total shutdown of public transport services serving the airport), have the option to apply for a credit for the non-refundable amount of the fare which can be used for future travel on a Virgin Atlantic aircraft subject to the deduction of a reasonable administration fee and provided that you promptly advise and furnish us with evidence of such Force Majeure.

*Force Majeure means unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond your control, the consequences of which could not have been avoided even if all due care had been exercised. Circumstances that are within your control and are foreseeable and therefore not eligible for a future credit include, but are not limited to:

Not possessing valid travel documents for any country you may seek to enter as a point of destination or transit
Failure to arrange reliable transportation or to leave adequate time to complete your journey to an airport in order to check in at least 120 minutes (or longer as may be specified at time of issue of your ticket) prior to the scheduled departure time of your flight.

Passengers entitled to claim a future credit must retain their original ticket and contact Virgin Atlantic immediately either upon arrival at the airport of departure or by e mail to customer.services@fly.virgin.com with evidence of the Force Majeure. If this evidence is accepted a new booking will be made and the appropriate credit, minus administration and commission fees, from the original ticket will be transferred to the new booking. All additional costs must be paid before a new ticket is issued.