Published 26/08/2011 09.56 PM | Updated 1/09/2011 21:00H UK Local

CONTACT INFORMATION:

If your flight was cancelled please call our flight disruption line on + 44 (0) 844 209 8711 in the UK, or 1-800-862-8621 in the USA to rebook on the next available flight. If you have already been rebooked to a flight departing after 2 September 2011 please contact us as we have more seats available now and may be able to improve on the date.

View telephone details of our other worldwide contact centres.

• Virgin Holidays customers should contact them directly on 01293 496883.
• Virgin Holidays Cruises customers should call 0871 226 8185.

It is our intention to carry passengers from cancelled flights to their destination, at the earliest opportunity. On some flights space may be limited and therefore the following alternative options are also available to passengers:

Refund of unused flights, if travel has not commenced.

All refunds will be credited to the original form of payment. Passengers requiring a refund should go back to the point of sale. There is no need to call us if you want to cancel your flight completely and claim a refund. Go back to your travel agent, or if you booked direct with Virgin Atlantic follow our on line refund process.

or

Re-book to a later date.

Take a Virgin Atlantic flight to your destination at a later date convenient to you, subject to availability of seats in the same ticket class.

or

Re-book on a Virgin Atlantic flight to/from another destination.

Subject to availability in the same ticket class, any additional fare or seasonal supplements will be collected.

• Passengers on through tickets involving other carriers must notify us before travel commences. Passengers with connecting flights issued on separate tickets must make their own arrangements with the other carrier including the payment of any additional costs and amendment fees.
  
• Passengers on package holidays must refer to their tour operators who may not operate the same policy. 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.

HOW DO YOU CLAIM YOUR COSTS BACK FOR HOTELS AND MEALS IF YOU HAVE INCURRED ANY?

The EU regulation 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 requires us to offer affected passengers on cancelled flights or flights that have been delayed overnight the following care package.

• Meals and refreshments in reasonable relation to the waiting time
  Plus
  
  
• 2 short telephone calls, or telex, or fax, or e-mail messages.
  Plus
  
  
• Hotel accommodation if the delay goes into the following day
  Plus
  
  
• Transport to and from the hotel.
  
  

This care package is offered to passengers who are away from their usual residence/home and is usually arranged by our airport staff however hotels in The airport vicinity are in very short supply and therefore, if your flight has been cancelled and if you have not chosen the ticket refund option you may make your own arrangements and claim back reasonable hotel accommodation and meal costs for the number of days you were delayed between the original scheduled departure, up until the next available flight we offer. We will not however reimburse the costs of any passenger who declined to accept an earlier flight home when presented with the option by Virgin Atlantic, Virgin Holidays staff or their travel agents.

Our assessment of 'reasonable' is based upon the following principles:

Hotel accommodation - Is based on a minimum of two people sharing one room (with the exception of passengers travelling alone on a single reservation). In a 'no-frills' /express type hotel

Meals and refreshments - Include breakfast (if it has not been included in hotel offering) followed by one snack and one main meal per person per day, plus approximately six regular soft drinks or beverages per person per day.

Transport to and from the airport and hotel - Using public transport

How to make a claim

As soon as you have returned home and have had the chance to gather all your paperwork and receipts, please email EUcompensation@fly.virgin.com, attaching and scanned copies of your receipts (preferably in a .pdf format).

OR

Please send a letter and copies of your receipts to:

Virgin Atlantic Customer Relations
EU Compensation
PO Box 747
Dunstable
LU6 9AH

We require the following details to be sent to the addresses above:

• a list of the passengers and booking references being claimed for
  
  
• a summary listing all your expenses
  
  
• all itemised receipts
  
  
• contact details of the lead passenger to whom reimbursement should be paid.
  
  
  

Please use this address only for reimbursement of hotel, meals, transport and communication costs.

We are unable to reimburse any of the following:

• Un-receipted expenses
  
  
• Top range and/or luxury hotels and/or restaurant/eateries
  
  
• Payments to friends/relatives offering bed and board
  
  
• Alcohol
  
  
• Room service
  
  
• Entertainment
  
  
• Replacement flights on other airlines
  
  
• Any other purchases not related to meal and accommodation requirements
  
  
• Expenses incurred if the passenger declined to accept the offer of an earlier flight, if they were presented with that option.
  
  

Any other feedback about your recent experiences should be sent to customer.relations@fly.virgin.com.

If you require a letter please email requestaletter@fly.virgin.com, with the following details:

• Your booking reference number (It will be a 6 character with a mixture of numbers and letters e.g. BJVC1X)
• Your original date of departure along with your actual date of departure
• Your original flight number along and your actual flight number
• Your current postal address

We will then send the letter to your postal address as soon as we can.

If your flight was cancelled and you wish to claim a refund of the unused part or parts of your ticket, please view our Refund Process Here

If you purchased your ticket from a travel agent, you should apply to that agent for your refund.

Otherwise, if you have a paper ticket, please cancel your booking and provide us with a brief explanation of your refund request and return your unused paper ticket(s) to Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Virgin Atlantic Airways,
UK Refunds,
PO Box 340,
LU6 9LF

Fax: 01293 444456
Email: refunds.hq@fly.virgin.com
Opening hours: 09.00 - 12.00, Monday to Thursday.

Please note - send us all relevant supporting documentation to avoid any delay.

MORE INFORMATION ON REFUNDS

We have a number of refund related FAQ's, which may help to answer any queries you have.

Explore our refund focused FAQ's here.