Virgin Atlantic - Change flights invalidating entry requirements

Sandtree

So booked to go on hols, on Monday got an email saying must have Covid19 test at most 72 hours before departure and must upload the results no less than 24 hours before departure... all good I thought as I'd already read this and had booked a test in.

Yesterday the 72 hours before departure and so went off to the clinic and had by test at 70hrs 45 minutes before departure which gives 46hrs45 minutes to get the results and upload them.

Last night Virgin Atlantic emailed to advised they have delayed the scheduled time of our flight by 2 hours meaning our test is now invalid. Call Virgin up, the contact centre could see the flight had been moved but had not been warned about it and had no information on what this means/what they should do. Ended up at 11:15pm on the phone to an agent who's have a Skype conversation with 5 other agents who also have callers and 3-4 managers who are trying to work it out with various suggestions like turn up early and hope check in don't notice to lie to the NHS to say you have symptoms of Covid to get a test done tomorrow (now today) and hope that it comes through in time.

Now almost 18 hours on from the email Virgin Atlantic are still unable to advise if someone who's certificate would have been valid on the original departure time but is now invalid with the new departure time will be allowed to check in and board or not.

shaun_from_Africa

Is it Barbados that you are flying to?
If so, then even if they decide at check in that your Covid test is not acceptable, you will still be allowed to fly but it means that you will be required to undergo a test when you arrive and I assume that you will be held at the airport until the test results are back.

Sandtree

There are protocols at BGI if there’s an issue with your test and you can spend the time at the airport, in government provided site or pay to stay at a designated hotel for 24-48 hours.

VS themselves originally stated they would only allow boarding to those with a valid certificate but right now say they don’t know if this will be changed if the cert was valid for the original departure time and only now invalidated by their change. 

bradders1983

Any progress on this?

Sandtree

Yes... Virgin Atlantic confirmed at 8pm last night that despite what their email states they are not stopping people boarding if they do not have a valid Covid19 certificate however they state it will be  the Bajan authorities decision on if they accept tests outside the 72 hour window or if they make you take a new test there... the options there are free test and governmental accommodation  or self funded test and accommodation in one of a small number of elected hotels (but you are confined to room) until test results are confirmed as negative (24-48 hours).

By "confirming" this is "my" contact centre agent getting an email from the Duty Operations Manager at LHR and not some well thought out communication sent round to all staff etc.

Talking on another forum most are saying for delayed flights the immigration officers are being reasonable however this technically isnt a delay but a rescheduling and is potentially slightly different in my mind.

So semi-good news but the blanket not stopping people flying is also not great. There are stories on the other forum of people in surrounding seats being forced to retest and quarantine (as above) because they were sat close to someone on the plane who hadn't taken an appropriate test.

bradders1983

Surely for the sake of less than 2 hours there will be a common sense approach, plus they will know the flight time was changed at very short notice.

Sandtree

bradders1983 said:

Surely for the sake of less than 2 hours there will be a common sense approach, plus they will know the flight time was changed at very short notice.

I am hoping they do but then again if I look up the flight number now it looks like it was always going to leave at its new time. Obv can show emails showing original time on the booking, email showing it was changed etc but well aware that some immigration are not the most reasonable people (namely UK border to be honest)

We had several issues before Mrs got her UK passport... come to think of it the only issue outside the UK was in Egypt where the person got stroppy as her old passport wasn't machine readable, and he tried both the UK PR page and the Indian Visa page before finally huffing and pulling out a keyboard to start typing )

Sandtree

So... we aren’t in Barbados as someone forgot her passport 

In fairness and to give credit where it’s due to VS, given it was totally “our” fault, have  rescheduled our flights at no cost and our villa have done likewise. A more superstitious person may read more into all of this but I’m just looking forward to a warm sea and cold rum.

bradders1983

Rescheduled to when? I assume this means you will need to go for a brand new test after all now?

Sandtree

bradders1983 said:

Rescheduled to when? I assume this means you will need to go for a brand new test after all now?

Both legs pushed back by a week FoC but yes, new test needed now anyway