Virgin changed flight times

Nygie

Hi all

Had a search and could not find anything that was particularly recent.
We book flights with Virgin (through a third party) to New York in October. A while back they changed the outgoing from a very good 10:40AM (12:30 Arrival PM) to a pain in the backside 13:40 (arriving at 16:60) just in time for rush hour. We were not happy they seemed to have used the good times to get people to book early!
Today I looked on the Virgin app to see the return flight had been moved a day into the future meaning instead of arriving home early Sunday morning it's now Monday morning. This means an extra day off work and we will have to get an extra day on the hotel if they can fit us in and an extra day on the car parking. Approximate cost to us of 650 GBP which includes lost wages hotel and car parking.
Where do we stand can we claim for this or ask for a full refund so we can get the flights we want.
Thanks
N

richardw

Are you originally on Virgin or Delta aircraft on the return leaving on the Saturday?

Have the outbound flight numbers changed?

Nygie

It was with Virgin operated by Delta on the return.
The outgoing flight number is the same.

richardw

Call the third party you booked through and find out if they have been notified of the changes and why the changes have taken place.

Nygie

OK Thank you

Alan_Bowen

With numerous flights a day to NYC I very much doubt it was necessary to cancel all seats on the day you were travelling back, I suspect the agent made a mistake, it may well be worth contacting the airline and see whether they agree!

Nygie

I called the company I booked with and they told me the original return flight which was operated by Delta was no longer in service. They told me to ring Virgin. The flights were showing correctly in the Virgin Atlantic app last time I checked.
Another call to make tomorrow.

bagand96

Virgin should be able to reaccomodate you onto another flight on your original date. In fact, while you're at it I'd see if they can reaccomodate you onto a different flight out as well, with better times. It's worth asking given the inconvenience.

The snag might be that Virgin might not be able to do this directly with you. Often, when booked via an agent only they can actually make changes to the booking.

However it's definitely worth you speaking to Virgin. If they will deal directly with you then great. If not, well you might get some sense out of them on what they are prepared to do, and you can then go back to your agent and tell them what you want.

Duckyduck

Just in your comment about arriving in time for rush hour... expect to be at the airport for at least an hour after the arrival time to collect luggage/get through immigration etc. Plus you'll be going in the opposite direction of most commuters anyway.

Nygie

We spoke to Virgin and they couldn't help us get back on the original date.
Rang them back again asking if they could bring us back 2 days earlier as the hotel is fully booked so we cannot stay the extra day plus we have work they were extra unhelpful. They told us to go back to the travel agents!
We did that and we got on a flight 2 days earlier and they charged us for the change! $89 each.
So we are 2 days short on our holiday now beauty!
Would this be covered under travel insurance?

jpsartre

Virgin weren't being deliberately unhelpful. They don't control the booking and cannot make changes, the agent does/can. Sounds like you booked through a dodgy agent, a decent one would have moved you free of charge. Next time book direct from the airline and you won't have these kinds of issues. As for what your travel insurance covers, you'll need to look at your policy.