Are re-booking options different if booking through Virgin Atlantic than booking through an agent?

aroominyork

I want to book flight LHR-TLV on Virgin Atlantic for next April. If I book through Virgin Atlantic they include "For all flights and holidays up to 30th April 2022, you can change your dates as often as you like. You can even choose a different destination or make one name change (if you’d like someone else to benefit from your ticket). You’ll just need to make sure you travel by 30th April 2023, and make any changes before your original departure date."

I spoke today with a travel agent which has a re-booking option for which you pay extra (but still less than the Virgin fare) also with unlimited changes but you have to travel within a year of the date when the original booking is made. Might the agent I spoke to have been confused about what his agency is offering, or can travel agents have a different set of re-booking options from those the airline offers?

bagand96

Be very careful. 

When you book via an agent, you will have the airlines T&Cs, and the agents T&Cs as well, so an extra layer of T&Cs.  A lot of agents will charge their own administration fees for things like cancellations or changes. So you might be correct, what the agent might be offering is a flexible policy based on their own charges, but you might still be liable for any airline charges. 

The airlines own T&Cs may also be different for customers booking direct, and via an agent. Usually they won’t be majorly different, but in current times it’s worth looking into W bit more. 

If you’re doing this over the phone it’s quite difficult to try and get to the bottom of all the relevant T&Cs easily. At least online they will be there to read before booking. 

Weigh up what the price difference between Virgin Atlantic and the agent is and see if it’s worth it.  Also consider very carefully the agent and their reputation.