V-Flyer

Hi everyone,

I recently booked a flight to Havana, returning to London from Varadero. Having just gone online to get a quote for a friend who might join us, the return leg is showing no flights available 10/3/18. (Alarm bells sound as I would be shocked if it was sold out already!)

Cuba is complex because flights have to be booked through Virgin Holidays, not VS - due to legal restrictions.

I go on Virgin Atlantics live chat to find out what's going on and the agent insists my flight from Varadero to London is full... having checked my seat map, it is wide open in all cabins (so I feel this is HIGHLY unlikely).
I call VS and the agent informs me the Varadero route is soon to be ceased. He goes away to find out when, and upon return tells me an announcement hasn't been made so he can't provide any info and refers me to VH.

I ring VH and they too cannot understand why all VRA flights are unable to book for the whole of 2018. They claim it could be a technical issue, and they'll get in touch with me next week.

Looks like I will have to wait for VH to contact me. I cannot fly on any other day because of work commitments so am hoping the find a way to re-route us to London via Miami... lots of mixed messaging and the waiting game begins!

Decide what re-routing YOU want, and if and when the time comes to call VH present it to them, rather than leave them to decide how to get you home.

They're unlikely to refuse any reasonable request in the event of a route cancellation.

Always did strike me as an odd route that one. Brave of VS to try, but probably doomed to fail.

They've be changing the VRA schedule around for a while now. There's no flights from Sept -Dec but after that was supposed to be back to normal. All flights to HAV and VRA are normally full so it wouldn't make sense to kill the VRA however that doesn't mean they won't. Load check for my VRA next April shows 0s across all fare codes so looks like I'm in the same boat. Already got switched to HAV for this October which is a shame as VRA is a far nicer airport

VS on Twitter confirmed the route ceased at the end of this summer

Any advise on what to do next?...

I would double check your booking on virginatlantic.com to see if it is still in tact, as that will be the first place you'll see any changes.

If there's been a change - the only people who can reschedule it are Virgin Holidays as that was the point of sale. I've just had a schedule change for a trip to Dubai, and am currently waiting VH to contact me. Apparently they have a team that go through flight changes and then contact you to offer alternatives. Until they do, unfortunately the reps cannot touch it without you being charged a change fee.
They go through them in date order, so if you're departing in March you might be waiting a little while.

SlimpyJones wrote:I would double check your booking on virginatlantic.com to see if it is still in tact, as that will be the first place you'll see any changes.

However they are having IT issues this morning so it is not possible to login!!

chrisfinch_2000 wrote:Hi everyone,



Cuba is complex because flights have to be booked through Virgin Holidays, not VS - due to legal restrictions.

Has this changed then?

Admittedly it was a while back but we flew with VS to Havana booking direct with them.
No accommodation involved though. Booked a Casa ourselves.

It's changed since VS switched to the DL booking system last November.

As DL is US-based, any travel involving Cuba is clearly a red tape minefield.

gumshoe wrote:It's changed since VS switched to the DL booking system last November.

As DL is US-based, any travel involving Cuba is clearly a red tape minefield.

Yes but strangely you can still book direct to Cuba with Delta just not VS

Hi

I'm booked on the flight back from Varadero in Late April 2018. My booking still shows on my account

I phoned Virgin, who tell me that their computer (ie Delta's) can't see Cuba flights. That's why it says there aren't any
He says that Virgin Holidays are still taking bookings, and confirmed that my booking is in his computer

So I personally think it's an IT issue that's caused the scare

Here's hoping...

Peter

I spoke to flying club earlier in the week and they said they are in the process of transferring those booked on VRA flights to HAV if this is a suitable option.

Virgin Holidays also were aware of it when I called to change my hotel booking as they commented that they could not understand the decision what with the amount of hotels that end of the island

I've done a number of load checks on Expert Flyer for various dates for the 119 and 120 and all fares are showing 0s which gives an indication the schedule is changing

VH are no longer taking bookings to VRA using Virgin flights. The VS system used to show a price to VRA (as it still does for HAV) but only when clicking book was the call to action to ring VH.

Virgin confirmed the route is stopping, they just haven't formally announce it, hence the fob off with 'IT issues' and 'we can't see the flights'.

I think people already booked to Varadero this winter will get a free bus transfer from Havana

virginboy747 wrote:I think people already booked to Varadero this winter will get a free bus transfer from Havana

That's good, I'd expect a private transfer though if travelling UC especially if as is often the case luggage takes two - three hours to be delivered at HAV. Two and a half hours on a bus to Varadero after waiting for all other passengers to get their luggage would not be fun!!

MoJoJo wrote:

virginboy747 wrote:I think people already booked to Varadero this winter will get a free bus transfer from Havana

That's good, I'd expect a private transfer though if travelling UC especially if as is often the case luggage takes two - three hours to be delivered at HAV. Two and a half hours on a bus to Varadero after waiting for all other passengers to get their luggage would not be fun!!

The time we went to Cuba we got abandoned at HAV by the company running the transfer service as we were delayed trying to track down luggage - which turned out to be still at LGW. Still, VH did a good recovery (only after I contacted them, mind) and we had a great time.

Anyone booked on a VRA flight after this summer should expect an email on or around August 12 according to what FC have been informed about flights

The Nice people at FC have transferred us to the Havana flight on the following day (Monday not Sunday) in April next year. And what's better is that we still have our favourite seats (6A/K) in the nose. And they 'kindly' dropped the charge for changing reservation when I pointed out it was their idea to cancel the Varadero flight not mine!

So we'll just have to have an extra day in Cuba!

Peter

Peter - I'm curious, was your booking through virgin holidays or direct with the airline? I only ask as I've been waiting weeks for VH to contact me after our flights to DXB were cancelled!

Last time I was on a flight booked via VH that was cancelled they didn't contact me. I found out by logging into the VS booking and funding I'd been shifted to a flight the following day

So far FC haven't changed my VRA flights for next April despite asking! I'm on a G so booked direct with VS

MoJoJo wrote:Last time I was on a flight booked via VH that was cancelled they didn't contact me. I found out by logging into the VS booking and funding I'd been shifted to a flight the following day

Did they eventually contact you in the end? I'm told they go through date order. We've got a Nov booking for DXB and am still waiting for the email to discuss alternatives even though the flights were cancelled two and a half weeks ago.

SlimpyJones wrote:

MoJoJo wrote:Last time I was on a flight booked via VH that was cancelled they didn't contact me. I found out by logging into the VS booking and funding I'd been shifted to a flight the following day

Did they eventually contact you in the end? I'm told they go through date order. We've got a Nov booking for DXB and am still waiting for the email to discuss alternatives even though the flights were cancelled two and a half weeks ago.

Nope!

To answer the question

- My Varadero booking was through Virgin Atlantic - not Virgin Holidays
- I found out the flight had been cancelled through V-Flyer, although I didn't believe it at first
- I still haven't been 'told' that the flight has been cancelled
- I phoned Virgin Atlantic to reschedule my flight
- They said 'but why'
- I told them they'd cancelled the Varadero service in 2018
- They said they hadn't
- I told them to talk to their supervisor
- They told me it WAS cancelled
- I then requested seats on the following day's flight back from Havana (It was only a one way I'd booked)
- They told me that I'd made a mileage booking for the two seats I had, and that there was only one reward seat available on the Havana flight
- I told them that since they'd cancelled the service I'd booked, they'd need to release a revenue seat for milage for me
- 3 days later I got my new eTicket AND I've got the seats I had on the Varadero flight - 6A/K in the nose!

Hope this helps

Peter

Cheers Peter/MoJoJo

My DXB issue has been patched up finally, placed another call to VH and was rather insistent and they agreed to change the booking then and there without me having to wait.

Now just waiting on my CH guest passes to arrive! Only been a month :P

Thanks Peter. I spoke to FC yesterday and was told the team that deal with all the rebooking of cancelled flights would be in touch soon as they were working on all the cancellations....

However, following your last post, I have just called FC again and am now transferred to the Havana on the following day. Luckily there was a reward UC seat available or it would of added more interest getting them to change one of the available fares for me. Why none of the agents I spoke to on previous calls could of done this for me I do not know.