Flight Advice

merlin051

Right bit of a long story, but I've ended up splitting up with my Girlfriend.

I have a flight booked with Virgin, Gatwick to Orlando in September, I was travelling with my Girlfriend, her Aunty and her Uncle.

I no longer wish to go on holiday with her for reasons which are obvious.

Unfortunately her uncle was the one who booked the fights so I do not have any of the detais.

I know the flight is with Virgin, and I know he booked it through some other third party via thomas cook.

Firstly I would like to cancel the flight and get my money back, how-ever her uncle is telling me this is not possible due to some booking terms.

Secondly I would like to change the name on the ticket to one of my Girlfriends mates so she can go with her instead essentially buying the ticket from me. But her Uncle says this is also not possible due to some booking terms.

Thirdly since all of the above are not possible I would like to re-schedule my flight to a later date when I do not have to go with my ex-girlfriend and her family, but her uncle says this is not possible due to, you've guessed it, some booking terms.


Is there some way I can circumvent these 'booking terms' go straight to Virgin and sort this mess out?

I find it hard to believe that with almost 2 months notice at the time I am unable to even change the name on the ticket and incur some reasonable admin fee for doing so.

If I can by some miracle actually get the flight/ticket details from her Uncle, what are my options?

Has anyone had any similar experiences with this previously?

At the moment there is a return seat to Florida that is going to go empty but I've still paid for it.

Any advice much appreciated.

Mike

dzug1

1. Go on the holiday. Once you are there you could find your own independent accommodation
2. Lose the money. It is possible that the tax element of the fare can be refunded - but airlines are entitled to charge an admin fee for this which may cancel out the refund

T&C for just about all cheap air fares work on the basis of no refunds. That's why they are cheap. And the cheaper they are the more restrictive the conditions

Alan_Bowen

If you didn't book the flights then the travel agent isn't going to take any instructions from you at all. Did you pay for your own flight, presumably by paying your uncle? If so then I suspect the best you can hope for is to get your money back from uncle and re book if you want to go on your own. Cheap flights usually have a 100% cancellation charge so you can't just cancel and get a refund, as to whether a name change can be made, that might be possible but many low fares to Orlando don't even allow that and without knwoing the class of ticket you almost have, it is impossible to say. If names cannot be changed, then Uncle is right, the money is gone. As you have discovered, splitting up can be expensive in many ways you never thought possible...sorry

merlin051

The flight cost £680, which I've been told was then upgraded by her Uncle.

And Yes I paid her Uncle

I would not consider this a 'cheap' flight to Florida.

richardw

merlin051 wrote: »

At the moment there is a return seat to Florida that is going to go empty but I've still paid for it.

It won't be empty, they oversell seats, it is how airlines make money.

cactusdust

You could go and relinquish your romance and end up having steamy SOTB Florida Keys style.

robpw2

i would go anyway and then when i get there have an amazing holiday on my own

luci

merlin051 wrote: »

Firstly I would like to cancel the flight and get my money back, how-ever her uncle is telling me this is not possible due to some booking terms.

Secondly I would like to change the name on the ticket to one of my Girlfriends mates so she can go with her instead essentially buying the ticket from me. But her Uncle says this is also not possible due to some booking terms.

Thirdly since all of the above are not possible I would like to re-schedule my flight to a later date when I do not have to go with my ex-girlfriend and her family, but her uncle says this is not possible due to, you've guessed it, some booking terms.

Firstly, only the lead passenger can cancel or change the flight, if it's even possible. If it is a non-refundable non-changeable fare then not even her uncle would be able to get a refund.

Secondly, if it is a non-changeable ticket then a name change wouldn't be possible. If it is changeable this would normally incur a name change fee plus any difference in the cost of the flight.

Thirdly, only her uncle can request a date change as the lead passenger. However whether it is even possible depends on the type of ticket and fare.

£680 may not seem cheap, but that sort of fare is a restricted fare, ie non-refundable and possibly non-changeable. A full fare ticket which allows changes and refund would cost at least twice that price.

luci

These are the fare conditions for the lowest priced flights with Virgin:-

Fare not guaranteed until payment is made and accepted.
Passenger name changes are not permitted.
If the fare permits date changes, additional charges may be incurred depending on seasonality, availability and any applicable rule conditions still being met.
Cancellation or change fees are charged per person.
Administration fees may apply in the event of cancellation.

Penalties
Changes any time charge gbp 90.00. Waived for illness or death of passenger or family member. Note - before departure of the outbound journey for changes made prior to the departure of the scheduled flight - reprice using current fares. After departure of the outbound journey for changes made prior to the departure of the scheduled flight - reprice using fares in effect at time of original ticket issue. No show - for changes made after departure of the original scheduled flight charge gbp140 and reprice using current or historical fares as above infants - no penalty - reprice fare as above. Children - no discounts - apply as per adult. Waiver - for death/illness of pax or immediate family member as evedenced by a death/hospital certificate - keep the original fare and rebook as required. Upgrades - prior to departure of the original scheduled flight - may be upgraded to a higher cabin without penalty. Reprice using current or historical fares as above. Resulting fare must be equal or higher than original fare. Residual amounts - no refund will be given if repricing results in a lower fare. Multiple charges - apply the highest charge of all fare components within a pricing unit regardless of whether that fare component has changed. Cancellations any time ticket is non-refundable. Waived for illness or death of passenger or family member.

If all else fails then you should be able to get the taxes back, subject to an admin fee, but again only her uncle can request this and it would be refunded to him as the lead passenger.

FWIW, the current price of a restricted ticket in September is £624 and a flexible ticket, which allows cancellations, is £1451.

k3lvc

merlin051 wrote: »

The flight cost £680, which I've been told was then upgraded by her Uncle.

And Yes I paid her Uncle

I would not consider this a 'cheap' flight to Florida.

Lowest current costs in September on that route are £624 which are non-refundable/non-changeable so looks like £680 will be on the same basis.

Time to either

a) swallow the pride and go - get checked in at the other end of the plane and make your own arrangements at the other end

b) get ack on good terms with Uncle and salvage whatever you can from taxes etc - you're not going to be able to do this without his help

c) write off the money

cubegame

k3lvc wrote: »

Lowest current costs in September on that route are £624 which are non-refundable/non-changeable so looks like £680 will be on the same basis.

Time to either

a) swallow the pride and go - get checked in at the other end of the plane and make your own arrangements at the other end

b) get ack on good terms with Uncle and salvage whatever you can from taxes etc - you're not going to be able to do this without his help

c) write off the money

Or

d) Inform the Uncle that unless you get the money back in full you will be informing the US authorities these passengers are intending to stay in the USA illegally or are travelling to commit a crime.

:rotfl: