These terms and conditions contain important terms you should be aware of. In particular, clause 2 states when you are and are not able to request a refund of Economy X fees.
Economy X terms and conditions
1. Purchasing Economy X
1.1 These Economy X terms and conditions apply to your purchase of Economy X seats and are in addition to Virgin Australia’s Conditions of Carriage, the Fare Rules and Privacy Policy, which you accept at the time you purchase a fare.
1.2 Economy X is available on flights operated by Virgin Australia and Virgin Australia International and selected Virgin Australia marketed flights which are operated by third parties on behalf of Virgin Australia. Economy X is otherwise not available on flights operated by our codeshare and other third-party airline partners,.
1.3 Virgin Australia may change its published fees at any time. You will be required to pay the Economy X fee that is published on our website at the time you purchase an Economy X seat.
1.4 Economy X fees are per person, one way and per sector.
1.5 Economy X fees are in the applicable booking currency, being the country of origin specified in your booking or purchase.
1.6 Velocity Platinum members and up to 8 additional companions travelling on the same booking may reserve an Economy X seat for free on domestic and short-haul international flights operated by Virgin Australia if available at the time of the request. Economy X seats will not be automatically assigned to Platinum members.
1.7 Economy X seats are subject to availability and may be sold out at the time of booking or at any time prior to your travel date.
1.8 You may be able to change the Economy X seat that you have selected up to 30 minutes before your scheduled flight departure, subject to availability of other Economy X seats. You can request a change to your selected Economy X seat at the airport or by calling the Guest Contact Centre.
1.9 Velocity members will not earn Velocity Points or Status Credits on the amount paid for an Economy X seat.
1.10 Economy X seats include a number of featured benefits which may vary depending on whether your flight is domestic or international short-haul, your departure airport and your aircraft type. A full list of benefits can be found on our website.
1.11 Should any benefits included for your specific booking be removed after you purchased an Economy X seat but prior to your travel date, we will try to give you reasonable notice of these changes if they are material changes. Where we remove a benefit, you may be entitled to a refund in accordance with clause 2 below.
1.12 Economy X seats may or may not be able to recline.
1.13 We will endeavour to accommodate your Economy X seat selection. However, we do not guarantee you any particular Economy X seat, even if you have nominated a seating preference or if you have paid to be seated in a particular seat. We may change your Economy X seat at any time, even after you have boarded the aircraft for any reason, including for safety or operational reasons.
1.14 If you choose to change your booking from a direct flight to connecting flights, you will need to pay an additional Economy X fee for the additional sector. This additional fee will be payable at the time you make the change.
1.15 Economy X fees are non-transferrable (to other passenger) and cannot be used towards any other service or product.
1.16 These Economy X terms and conditions are in addition to, and do not vary the fare rules that apply to your fare.
1.17 To the extent of any inconsistency between these Economy X terms and conditions and the Conditions of Carriage, the Conditions of Carriage shall prevail.
2. Refunds and your rights
2.1 This section 2 outlines when we will provide you with a refund of the Economy X fee you have paid under these terms and conditions. There may be additional circumstances where you are entitled to a refund of the Economy X fee under the Australian Consumer Law. For more information about your rights under the Australian Consumer Law, please see our Consumer Guarantees page.
2.2 In the event Virgin Australia re-accommodates you onto another flight, for any reason other than the Guest’s act or omission, Virgin Australia will use reasonable endeavours to transfer you to an Economy X seat on the new flight. The transfer of Economy X seats in these circumstances is subject to availability.
2.3 If we do not provide you with an Economy X seat that you purchased, you are entitled to request a refund of the Economy X fee, for that specific part of the journey, if:
(a) you were rebooked to another flight:
(i) by Virgin Australia for reasons within its control (as set out in clause 8 of our Guest Compensation Policy);
(ii) because you missed your connecting Virgin Australia flight after an inbound flight on Virgin Australia or its codeshare partners;
(b) Virgin Australia cancelled your flight and you were unable to be reaccommodated on another flight;
(c) we changed the aircraft operating your flight and there were no Economy X seats available on the alternative aircraft;
(d) we used our right to assign or reassign your Economy X seat either before or after boarding for operational, safety, security or other reasons, and you were not provided with another Economy X seat;
(e) you were seated in an exit row, however were assigned a standard Economy seat because you no longer wanted to sit in an exit row or no longer meet the exit row safety conditions, and we were unable to accommodate you in an alternate Economy X seat; or
(f) you purchase an upgrade to another class of travel, including UpgradeMe bid and UpgradeMe Points.
2.5 To the extent permitted by law, Economy X fees will not be refunded if the following occurs:
(a) If you have purchased an Economy X seat and choose to change or cancel your booking;
(b) we offer you a complimentary upgrade to a higher class of travel and you accept that offer;
(c) if Virgin Australia changes or cancels your flight and Virgin Australia reaccommodates you on another flight which you accept (or if Virgin Australia changes the aircraft type for your flight) and cannot provide your Economy X seat, but can provide a like-for-like seat (“like-for-like” being another Economy X seat which is the same seat type (window, middle or aisle)); or
(d) where some of the product features are not utilised by you during your travel.
2.6 Refunds can be requested through the General Enquiries form on the Virgin Australia website or through the Manage your Booking section on our website when you update your booking in accordance with clause 2.3. If we agree that you are entitled to a refund, the Economy X fee will be refunded to the original form of payment.
3. Exit row safety conditions
3.1 Some Economy X seats are located in exit rows and guests must accept the exit row safety conditions to sit in these rows. If you change your mind and no longer wish to sit in these rows,or are unable to meet the exit row safety conditions at time of travel, you may move to an alternate Economy X seat outside of these rows for no additional fee. Please let us know as soon as possible if you no longer meet the exit row safety conditions. If no other Economy X seat is available, you will be assigned a standard Economy seat and may request a refund of the Economy X fee in accordance with clause 2.
3.2 To be seated in an exit row seat, you must:
(a) be 15 years or older;
(b) be physically able to reach, locate and operate the emergency exit window or door, and to quickly pass through the exit;
(c) be able to understand and acknowledge instructions given by our cabin crew in English about the tasks you will be expected to perform in an emergency evacuation and read the safety card provided by our crew for that purpose;
(d) be able to check outside conditions and respond to cabin crew commands before opening an exit;
(e) be able and willing to assist the crew and other passengers in the evacuation of the aircraft;
(f) not have any condition (be it a consequence of age, frailty, injury, physical or psychological disability, mobility, vision or hearing impairment, sickness, injury or anything else) which may prevent you from performing the duties listed above;
(g) not be travelling with a carer, a guide dog or an assistance animal;
(h) not be carrying an infant; and
(i) not require the use of an extension seat belt.
4. General
4.1 You have certain rights under the Australian Consumer Law. These include Consumer Guarantees that the services we provide to you will be carried out by us with due care and skill, will be fit for purpose and will be supplied within a reasonable time. You may have rights to seek a remedy from us where we fail to provide services to you in accordance with the Australian Consumer Law. Nothing in these terms and conditions affects those rights or any other statutory rights you may have under applicable laws (including the Australian Consumer Law) that cannot be excluded.
4.2 Virgin Australia may modify and change these terms and conditions from time to time. The terms and conditions which apply to your purchase of Economy X are those in effect at the date of purchase, as published on our website.
4.3 The failure by Virgin Australia to exercise its rights will not be construed as a waiver or relinquishment of the future performance of any of its rights, and the Guest’s obligations with respect to such future performance shall continue in full force and effect.