Missed departure ,!! Help needed

Whilst I'm glad you're home I think you are being a little harsh - I'd say VS have actually been very helpful given they had no real obligation to help you.

I agree - VS deserve nothing but praise for giving you 2 free flights when they actually owed you nothing.

It must have been frustrating getting so many mixed messages from different agents but at the end of the day every one of them would have been perfectly within their rights to say no.

The moral of the story is never leave it to chance getting to the airport.

Update!!!


It has been a mixed bag from virgin with some good and bad service,

Good to hear you got home safely.
Not sure how you can say "bad" service. From your story, I understand your frustration and worry. But VS was under absolutely no obligation here. They helped you out, they gave you a free ticket, and they deserve full credit for that.
If you need this sort of flexibility, there are tickets that offer this at a price.

The people I think you should follow up is your insurance comnany.
Can you let us know who it is so we can avaoid them.

It has been a mixed bag from virgin with some good and bad service, but it just shows it all comes down to wether the person that your talking to really wants to help or not. So all I can say is the staff at the check-in in Miami were amazing!

Whilst I'm glad you're home I think you are being a little harsh - I'd say VS have actually been very helpful given they had no real obligation to help you.
Can you tell us who your travel insurance is with given they won't cover missed departure caused by an accident the claimant isn't actually involved in (which as Preiffer has already stated is ludicrous ! ) ?
DL

googling missed departure insurance actually shows some insurers dont cover for traffic delays

Policies will vary as to what constitutes a valid claim. For example, most insurers will pay out if you have missed your flight because of a problem with public transport, or your car has an electrical or mechanical breakdown on the way to the airport.

But some of these won’t pay out if the reason is that you were in a traffic jam in your own or a rental car, and some will only provide cover if the car is involved in an accident.

So check the small print of travel insurance policies to see what each excludes and includes

http://www.which.co.uk/consumer-rights/ ... d-flights/

I can understand the mixed bag comment, some VS representatives said one thing, some said another, none were consistent, but they did bring the OP's family home so much kudos to them. That said I agree, VS had no obligation, you missed your flight, you agreed to the T&Cs when you booked, unfortunate but that's the case.

Really if someone at VS said "you're on Thursday's flight" then another person said "but" we want $4,000, I'd be miffed too.

One thing though, I don't understand what the medical condition has to do with things VS wise ... that surely is an area for the insurance company - and by the way I'd love to know who they are and would broadcast not to use them, ever.

[Neil]

Re the insurance - when we had the Plat AmEx card the insurance benefit on that was woeful in the event of missed flight on the return, certainly not covering the full cost just a nominal amount, even though the rest of the policy was very good. So even the presumed good insurance policies can be pretty rubbish at times.

I guess this acts as reminder to us to check the really important elements of our policies rather than just looking at the highlighted excellent key features (according to the supplier)

Re the insurance - when we had the Plat AmEx card the insurance benefit on that was woeful in the event of missed flight on the return, certainly not covering the full cost just a nominal amount, even though the rest of the policy was very good. So even the presumed good insurance policies can be pretty rubbish at times.

I guess this acts as reminder to us to check the really important elements of our policies rather than just looking at the highlighted excellent key features (according to the supplier)

Interesting. I looked at mt "Five Star" policy and found the following

"What you are not covered for (exclusions)

3. Missed departure claims due to road traffic congestion or road closures where you have not left reasonable time to reach your departure point on time or are not travelling by scheduled Public Transport.
4. If you did not use Public Transport and you missed your departure because of heavy traffic or road closures that were not sufficiently severe to warrant reporting on a recognised motoring association web site or on television, news bulletins or in the press."

So if you set out after having been told that there were delays on the media you'd be covered? ?|

Hi all, the "bad" bit I agree was out of frustration but if you were told to carry on to the airport that was still over 100 miles away and there was no chance in you getting your flight, and you advised them of the likely time you'd get there, to finally arrive with your family and no one from virgin was there and wouldn't be the for another 20 hrs, and you have children with you, that's not right! I do appreciate what they have done for us, but some things as pointed out, could be done a hell of a lot better.

Hi all, the "bad" bit I agree was out of frustration but if you were told to carry on to the airport that was still over 100 miles away and there was no chance in you getting your flight, and you advised them of the likely time you'd get there, to finally arrive with your family and no one from virgin was there and wouldn't be the for another 20 hrs, and you have children with you, that's not right! I do appreciate what they have done for us, but some things as pointed out, could be done a hell of a lot better.

Sorry I'm lost ?| . You were still 100 miles away when you called VS (which would have been "pushing it" around the MIA area in two hours regardless) and eventually got there to find no staff there and 20 hrs until they re-appeared ( which implies you arrived WAY WAY after the fllight had closed/ depsrted).
Struggling to see what's not right, and still interested to know who the insurer is.
DL

Hi all, the "bad" bit I agree was out of frustration but if you were told to carry on to the airport that was still over 100 miles away and there was no chance in you getting your flight, and you advised them of the likely time you'd get there, to finally arrive with your family and no one from virgin was there and wouldn't be the for another 20 hrs, and you have children with you, that's not right! I do appreciate what they have done for us, but some things as pointed out, could be done a hell of a lot better.

I'm sorry but I think you're being totally unreasonable in expecting ground staff to do overtime to be at your personal beck and call.

We're not talking Heathrow or Gatwick here, where VS have their own ground staff on duty all day who could have assisted you. They have one flight a day out of Miami and presumably only contract agency ground crew for the time needed to service it.

To keep a member of staff back to meet a passenger who - through no fault of VS - has missed their flight would cost them money they don't need to spend.

At the risk of sounding harsh, it's your fault you missed the flight and you were extremely lucky to be given free flights home. They would have had every right to charge you.

[preiffer]

Aaaaand... (the eternal unanswered question) - what insurance did you actually hold for this trip?

I'm not going to call it quite yet - but I have my suspicions on this one...

Aaaaand... (the eternal unanswered question) - what insurance did you actually hold for this trip?

I'm not going to call it quite yet - but I have my suspicions on this one...

The same suspicions as me evidently ( due to the deafening lack of response).
DL

Hi all, the "bad" bit I agree was out of frustration but if you were told to carry on to the airport that was still over 100 miles away and there was no chance in you getting your flight, and you advised them of the likely time you'd get there, to finally arrive with your family and no one from virgin was there and wouldn't be the for another 20 hrs, and you have children with you, that's not right! I do appreciate what they have done for us, but some things as pointed out, could be done a hell of a lot better.

I'm sorry but I think you're being totally unreasonable in expecting ground staff to do overtime to be at your personal beck and call.

We're not talking Heathrow or Gatwick here, where VS have their own ground staff on duty all day who could have assisted you. They have one flight a day out of Miami and presumably only contract agency ground crew for the time needed to service it.

To keep a member of staff back to meet a passenger who - through no fault of VS - has missed their flight would cost them money they don't need to spend.

At the risk of sounding harsh, it's your fault you missed the flight and you were extremely lucky to be given free flights home. They would have had every right to charge you.

I don't think the "bad" bit referred to was not that staff didn't hang around, but that Virgin on the phone told the pax to go to MIA and rebook when there would have been noone there and there was no consistent message as to paying for rebooking?

Just as an observation, I am assuming the delay was more than 2 hours as that would still have given you an hour left of the 3 hour checkin time and you arrived after the plane departed or would they not let you checkin even though the plane hadn't departed - that would make the situation worse.

David

Sorry I'm lost ?| . You were still 100 miles away when you called VS (which would have been "pushing it" around the MIA area in two hours regardless) and eventually got there to find no staff there and 20 hrs until they re-appeared ( which implies you arrived WAY WAY after the fllight had closed/ depsrted).
Struggling to see what's not right, and still interested to know who the insurer is.
DL

Requoting me from the first page and adding to DL's quote above, I think there appears to be a little more to the timings in this event than we are actually being told.

If the OP got home courtesy of Virgin without having to spend anymore money, I think Virgin deserve a huge thumbs up and any slight issues associated with the return to the UK need to be accepted and ignored.

David

Aaaaand... (the eternal unanswered question) - what insurance did you actually hold for this trip?

I'm not going to call it quite yet - but I have my suspicions on this one...

The same suspicions as me evidently ( due to the deafening lack of response).
DL

Ok guys, yes I agree that it is a bit odd with the timing.
There is no doubt there was a terrible accident on the Florida turnpike on Tuesday morning, 1 kid died another in critical condition - no way that was not on the news so that covers the insurance question of whether or not it was publicised.

Morale of the story has got to be leave plenty of time to get to the airport, better to be sitting waiting for check in to open rather than get there after it has closed..I think that is where the OP fell down and not being sure where to turn, came to us for advice... always happy to oblige

Despite initial hesitation from myself well done to VS for getting this family home y) y)

OP - did you actually have travel insurance at all? I can't understand why you're not naming the company.

Well I'm holding my personal thoughts back, on a number of things raised.

However, moving past that, we're off to Cancun on 6th Oct, and this prompted me to read my insurance. I found this:

"What is covered:...
...as a result of:
• Breakdown of or accident involving the vehicle in which You are travelling; or
• Cancellation or Curtailment of scheduled public transport due to adverse weather conditions, Strike or Industrial Action or mechanical breakdown, derangement or accident."


So, I wouldn't have been insured!!

Scumbags. Time to change insurance.

just checked my travel insurance. I would not have been covered.

Looked at a few providers and found a couple that do cover against this kind of incident.

This has prompted me to check my travel insurance also:

We will pay up to the amount shown in the table of benefits for the reasonable extra costs of travel and
accommodation you incur to reach your booked holiday destination if you cannot reach the final international
departure point on the outward or return journey from or to the United Kingdom because:
• public transport services fail due to poor weather conditions, a strike, industrial action or mechanical
breakdown; or
• the vehicle in which you are travelling is directly involved in an accident or suffers a mechanical breakdown
(this would not include your vehicle running out of fuel, oil or water
or suffering a flat tyre, puncture or flat battery).

So no cover for us either v( Perhaps we should be asking which companies do provide this cover rather than which ones don't. We are insured with Direct Travel.

I have checked 4 companies this AM, all are exactly the same.

So I cancelled my other policy, and took a Virgin Black policy. BUT even that says the same thing - so it must be standard.

Oh well, will set-off 5 hours early and try and talk my way in early to the Clubhouse

But there again - just checked my policy online (as opposed to reading the hard copy from last year) and my policy does now cover for

" heavy traffic or road closures that were sufficiently severe to warrant reporting on a recognised motoring association website or on television, news bulletins or in the press"

We’ll cover if the vehicle you’re travelling in is involved or
in an accident, breaks down, or there is an incident on
the highway you can’t avoid.

Phew I'm safe
Well done to Nationwide then yay - unfortunately they aren't selling travel insurance to the general public anymore I believe, just glad my Mrs gets it free with her account and only cost us £50 to add me, that gives us unlimited worldwide trips for a year y)

I book an airport hotel on the night before my flight simply to avoid this drama. Now it seems I've got to do the same at the departure end or waste a day of my holiday sitting in an airport lounge just in case !

At least there has been some good from the OP posting, we are all studying the small print in our travel insurance policy.

Simon Calder where are you for assistance on this one!

I have checked 4 companies this AM, all are exactly the same.

So I cancelled my other policy, and took a Virgin Black policy. BUT even that says the same thing - so it must be standard.

Oh well, will set-off 5 hours early and try and talk my way in early to the Clubhouse

LV Premier seems to cover this eventuality

Just checked my annual policy with Staysure.

It is a little bit vague, but says:
"What is not covered

Claims due to YOU allowing insufficient time to complete YOUR journey to the departure point"

Interestingly, if you were using public transport, and they were held up in the same accident/road closure, then as long as you get a written statement from them, then you are covered.

I guess it is all to do with someone that the insurance can trust, giving a reasonable excuse for your delay. I guess some people just don't allow enough time, and get caught out.

I'll cancel this new policy then... That's two cancellations in a single day !!

Will look at LV!! Thanks SteveBrass