Virgin Atlantic are being heartless & cruel

Following the post here y'day regarding the rescheduling of the VS 23 - LHR to LAX flight, I telephoned the UC reservation team to explain my problems to them and asked for some help,

I explained that I have booked an internal flight to Phoenix on 16th April leaving LAX at 19.40 and this was booked because the VS 23 flight lands at 16.05. However by changing the schedule time of the VS 23, we now do not land at LAX until 19.15 which makes our connection impossible.

I asked (pleaded in fact) to be put onto the VS 7 which would enable us to complete our connection. The agent went away to speak to his supervisor and apparently the Revenue team, but then came back to me and said "No" they are not willing to accommodate my request.

We now cannot get to Phoenix until the next day by which time our very special group trip to the Grand Canyon will have already left without us. This cannot be rebooked as it was a private celebration party trip.

We will loose our hotel accommodation in Phoenix which has already been paid for. We will loose all the money for the trip and so as I t's pointless going to phoenix, we will loose the cost of those non refundable fares withnUS Airways

I honestly cannot believe that Virgin cannot be helpful and try to see that they are responsible for ruining our holiday. I know my tickets with VS were booked as totally
non-refundable or changeable but it is VS who are not honouring the contract we had with them thus enabling us to get into LAX to catch an onwards flight. I would never have booked this flight timing which gives us no time for connection. Surely it was not unreasonable under the circumstances to ask them to allocate us seats on the VS 7, which the agent had told me is "wide open"

If any of you have any further advice or suggestions please let me know. I am desperate

I'm afraid I have no practical suggestions but I just wanted to say how much I feel for you . I would be totally devastated in your shoes and I just hope something will happen to the good and that your holiday will not be ruined.

Keeping fingers crossed for you.
Best wishes
hiljil

I echo that sentiment.

Not knowing the ins and outs, can the internal flight be changed? Can VS via social media help?

Be calm, be positive and be hopeful.

[preiffer]

Travel insurance?

Hev60

I'm so sorry to hear about your problems and I do hope you get it resolved for your special trip.

ScoobySu

Keep calling would be my advice! You might get through to an agent who can help?

I called last week and spoke to three different agents, none of who knew how to correctly use an Amex companion ticket. The previous week I spoke to 2 agents both who gave me different prices for M fares within minutes and who didn't understand Amex PE vouchers, or combi fares!

I've found them to be very inconsistent over the phone so persevere and good luck!

Hev60 -- sorry to hear this. I would call back and see if you can get a more sympathetic hearing. Failing that -- social media? travel insurance? Head Office complaint?

I think these situations are manifestly unfair. Customer-initiated changes lead to what are effectively penalties. Airline-initiated changes are made with impunity.

Twitter them.

I am with at420, go for the social media route and bombard them with it and keep on at them until they do the right thing. Out of curiosity what is the load on the flight you want do you know ? It wouldn't be hard to find Richard Branson's email address and you can email him at Knackered Swinger Island.

Email Craig Kreeger, [email protected] explain fully the situation, the costs involved and what will potentially be lost. Make no demands, be polite and not derogatory of VS in any way, after all they're within their rights under the ticketing conditions, and within their rights to change scheduling which isn't always in their control (and is covered in T&Cs). Ask if there is any way he / his office can intervene to avoid the losses, the cancellation of the trip and subsequent need to make an insurance claim.

In the meantime, check with your insurance company what you're covered for - and check what other flights are available with another carrier to get you into LAX on the same date at the right time. If VS won't budge, you'll need to know this because your first option is going to be to cancel the flight and claim from your insurance, before you think about cancelling the whole trip, which will not please your insurer if another flight is available.

Fingers crossed you get it sorted with VS, but in case you don't, have the information you need ready to act without delay. At the same time go the social media route and make another phone or call or two, they'll be logged so that if checked they can see what you've been advised and that you have been trying.

Best of luck.

Excuse my ignorance, but are you not automatically entitled to a refund if they move the flight times and you don't want to fly at the new time?

Twitter them.

+1 to that, and prefix your tweet with "." so that it's clearly public.

Vote with your feet. Take the BA flight to PHX and enjoy your trip.

I've seen it posted somewhere else that VS regards a 5 hour change as 'significant' but with BA it is only 2 hours before they will allow a customer to cancel.

So that might be one pressure point. After all the airlines like to be doing the same as each other (e.g. VS started charging for seat reservations because BA were!)

Also I'm not sure if the 5 hours is an expressed term in the T&Cs or just an internal policy. If the former then to be honest that's tough but if the latter then how are customers supposed to know?.

So again that's another pressure point i.e. VS imposing a policy that may not be expressed in the T&Cs which would be unreasonable.

I think VS are in the wrong here. Yes schedule changes happen but it is how airlines deal with them is what matters.

So I'd post this (politely)on Facebook and also email Craig Kreeger expressing grave disappointment about how unresponsive his staff are being in dealing with a change that is 100% down to VS. You booked in good faith yet VS are breaching that faith.

One day someone will take a case like this to MCOL and will win and like with EU261 the airlines won't like it.

Hello again. You folks are being so kind with your advice and comments - you're making me more emotional than I already feel but thank you so much

Now social media - that is one thing I am not into I have mastered all my i gadgets and have been part of this forum since 2010 but Facebook, Twitter etc are all very foreign to me. I often read posts on here when someone has gone down that route but I wouldn't know where to start. Sounds like a little chat to the grandchildren is called for

I am going to construct a letter or email - so thank you Bretty for the info on the where to send this. Even today when I was talking to the UC agent, I constantly reassured him I was not going to get angry, criticise or make offence remarks as all I wanted was help. I even had to apologise when their refusal, to accommodate my request to be moved onto the earlier flight, actually reduced me to tears (silly old twit that I am)!

There appears to be some 'Conditions of Carriage' sections which apply to my predicament and I will respectfully draw their attention to this.

If I accept the rescheduled VS23 arriving into LAX at 19.30, there are no flights with any other airline which could get us to Phoenix on time (ie for 6am on April 17th).

Eventually I will seek clarity from my Travel Insurance but as we all know, insurance firms will try every which way not compensate for our loses

Do let us know any developments, please .
And Good Luck !

Keep calling would be my advice! You might get through to an agent who can help?

I called last week and spoke to three different agents, none of who knew how to correctly use an Amex companion ticket. The previous week I spoke to 2 agents both who gave me different prices for M fares within minutes and who didn't understand Amex PE vouchers, or combi fares!

I've found them to be very inconsistent over the phone so persevere and good luck!

I would echo the advice to keep calling, I am sure you will find someone at VS who will sort out this issue for you

I'd echo the advice too. Email Craig Kreeger and keep phoning different agents, you really do get different information.

Do ask the grandkids about Twitter, they'll probably be only too pleased to show you how savvy they are.

Please keep posting to tell us what's happening, we're all cheering you on and wishing we could do more.

Good luck.

tontybear - yes apparently the UC agent said that there needs to be a 5hour significant schedule change in order to warrant any intervention by VS. However in the Conditions of Carriage there is no stated precise time, so I cannot see how they can base their 5 hour comment on unwritten words.

I've seen it posted somewhere else that VS regards a 5 hour change as 'significant' but with BA it is only 2 hours before they will allow a customer to cancel.

The "5-hour rule" is what I was told by FC helpline, too. I had a "lucky escape" when the VS39 timings changed by less than 2 hours, so I would agree that calling again and speaking with a different FC helpline agent might help...

Here's the thread with my experience in case it helps. http://v-flyer.com/forum/index.php?f=4&t=288192&p=891617&hilit=vs39&rb_v=viewtopic#p890726

Finally, I'm very sorry and disappointed to hear that VS has been so terrible and inflexible. I am hopeful, however, that you will get to the alternative you suggested, which appears to be very reasonable to me!

Best of luck and let us know how you get on!

Delta DL4659 9.20pm LAX arrives PHX at 10.42pm

Or United 6453 at 10.25pm arrives PHX at 11.47pm

I too would suggest Social Media - I had a problem sorted through Facebook immediately yesterday evening at about 11pm. This morning I spoke to a different agent on the phone and she also went to enormous lengths to ensure that there were no further problems.

I thought that if the schedule of a flight was changed you were usually given the option to cancel or change without penalty ?

Yes JCBR, we were, although they would not put us on another flight to arrive the day we wanted, it was refund , change or cancel altogether. It cost us hundreds to change our plans but we had to, to continue on our holiday. As it was a reward flight we had to go with what Vs offered.

my flight got moved from 17:35 to 13:05
I had tick a box in my login to accept the new flight.. thats not 5 hours difference.

Just another thought - have you thought / asked about maybe taking a different cabin class & partial refund so you can still make your flight?


someone in the other thread said he has managed to change his booking...
http://v-flyer.com/forum/index.php?f=4& ... ic#p894397