Flight disruptions

If your flight was cancelled on 29, 30 or 31 October due to the impact of Hurricane Sandy and you wish to rebook please contact your travel agent or travel provider to rebook on the next available flight.

Passengers who booked directly with Virgin Atlantic via our contact centre or website can call our flight disruption line on + 44 (0) 844 209 8711 in the UK, or 1-800-862-8621 in the USA.

Passengers from cancelled flights who do not wish to rebook to the next available flight can choose one of the following alternative options:

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.

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.
  

Nearly all passengers who were stranded in New York or London have been rebooked on new flights. If you have not been rebooked please call our flight disruption line on + 44 (0) 844 209 8711 in the UK, or 1-800-862-8621 in the USA. In order to receive your new flight details, as a matter of urgency.

We respectfully remind all passengers that we will not reimburse accommodation or meal costs if you decline to travel on the first available flight we offer you.

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, if your flight has been cancelled or delayed overnight before you have started to make your way to the airport, and if you have not chosen the ticket refund option passengers may make their own arrangements and claim back reasonable hotel accommodation and meal costs for the number of days they were delayed between the original scheduled departure, up until the next available flight we offer.

We respectfully remind all passengers that we will not reimburse accommodation or meal costs if you decline to travel on the first available flight we offer you.

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

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

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

As a guide based on an assessment of average hotel room costs in New York, Boston and Washington hotels we suggest our passengers spend no more than $250 per night for a room, and no more than $60 per person per day for meals. Please remember any and all accommodation, meals, telephone and transport claims must be supported by receipts before reimbursement will be considered.

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 eucare@fly.virgin.com attaching scanned copies of your receipts (preferably in a .pdf format).

OR

Please send a letter and copies of your receipts to:

Virgin Atlantic
EU Care
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

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

EU Financial compensation
In certain circumstances the EU regulation requires airlines to pay financial compensation to passengers if their flight is cancelled within 14 days of departure or delayed more than 3 hours. However this requirement does not apply if the cause of the delay or cancellation was due to “extraordinary circumstances” which include weather conditions and the closure of airports.

Flight cancellations and delays due to the approach, impact and aftermath of Hurricane Sandy qualify as “extraordinary circumstances” and therefore we will not be issuing financial compensation to passenger on cancelled or delayed flights, other than reimbursement of reasonable costs of accomodation, meals, transport to and from the airport and two short calls or e mails as detailed above.

Do you need a letter for your insurance company confirming your flight was cancelled and the length of your delay?

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

• Your full name (as well as any former names you might have been known by)
  
• Your full address (as well as the address where you were living when you made your booking, if it's different)
  
• 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

Whilst we can issue a letter confirming flights were cancelled or delayed, our customer privacy policy does not allow us to confirm if particular passengers were booked on the flight. If you require this type of documentation please ensure you also enclose with your request

• A signed letter requesting the information
  
• A photocopy of your photo drivers licence or passport, showing your name, address, photograph and usual signature
  

Ticket refunds

If your flight was cancelled and you wish to claim a refund of the unused part or parts of your ticket please view our refunds 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.