My flight has been delayed
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I have received a text message to say that I have been delayed, with revised flight details. What is this?
If Virgin Australia has had to delay your flight, this will be directly communicated by either Virgin Australia (via email and SMS) or your travel agent (via phone, SMS or email) (if applicable).
For the latest updates and information regarding your flight, you can monitor our Flight Status page or contact our Guest Contact Centre or your travel agent (if applicable) for further information or assistance.
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I have received an email that I have been delayed, which contains updated flight details. The email has the choice to "view other options". What is this?
If you are happy with the updated flight details that Virgin Australia has selected for you, you will be able to finalise your check in and retrieve your boarding pass. If you are not satisfied with your updated flight details and want to change your flight, you can look at other flight options by selecting "view other options" and selecting an alternate flight across a 3-day window. Once you select a new flight, you can check in and retrieve your boarding pass.
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I tried to view alternative flight options, but I was unable to choose another flight. Why is that?
The ability to change to another flight yourself may not always be available. This is impacted by multiple factors, such as the new flight’s departure time, availability or other restrictions.
Please feel free to contact our Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 for assistance.
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I received a notification from a third party (other than Virgin Australia or travel agent) that my flight has been changed, delayed or cancelled.
Any communication regarding flight changes or delays will be directly communicated by either Virgin Australia or your travel agent (if applicable). Please be wary of information communicated by third parties such as Flight Radar, Skyscanner and Trip Case, as the information relayed may be outdated.
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Can I request compensation if my flight is delayed?
If Virgin Australia delays your flight, you may be entitled to reimbursement of additional costs if the delay constitutes a breach of the Consumer Guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law.
Our Guest Compensation Policy sets out the compensation and assistance we will provide to you where your flight has been delayed. Your claim should be submitted by using our Online Feedback and Claims Form in the first instance. Please keep receipts for all amounts you are claiming. We will not be able to reimburse you for any reasonable expenses if you are not able to provide us with evidence to our reasonable satisfaction that you incurred these costs. Where possible, you should take steps to mitigate costs or expenses you may incur.
You may also have additional rights (including under the Consumer Guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law, for example) where your flight is delayed and we cannot accommodate you on to a new service within a reasonable time.
My flight has been cancelled
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My flight has been cancelled and Virgin Australia has provided me with a new flight. How was this flight chosen for me?
We prioritise based on a variety of factors to ensure that all guests can get to their destination as quickly and safely as possible. We take into account connections, booking size, Velocity status, fare class, booking dates, individual requirement and availability of spots across our network of aircraft.
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I am already at the airport and have checked in my bags. What happens now?
If we’ve moved you to another flight that is departing soon, we’ll locate your bag and move it to your new flight.
If you’ve decided not to travel with us, let our Ground staff know so they can send your bag to the baggage carousel for you to collect.
If your new flight is scheduled for the following day, we’ll send your bag out to the baggage carousel for you to collect. You’ll need to check it back in on the day you are departing.
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Can I request compensation if my flight is cancelled?
If Virgin Australia cancels your flight, you may be entitled to reimbursement of additional costs if the cancellation constitutes a breach of the Consumer Guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law.
Our Guest Compensation Policy sets out the compensation and assistance we will provide to you where your flight has been cancelled. Your claim should be submitted by using our Online Feedback and Claims Form in the first instance. Please keep receipts for all amounts you are claiming. We will not be able to reimburse you for any reasonable expenses if you are not able to provide us with evidence to our reasonable satisfaction that you incurred these costs. Where possible, you should take steps to mitigate costs or expenses you may incur.
You may also have additional rights (including under the Consumer Guarantees in the Australian Consumer Law, for example) where your flight is cancelled and we cannot accommodate you on to a new service within a reasonable time.
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I have missed another flight due to this cancellation. Am I entitled to any compensation?
This will depend on your circumstances. Our Guest Compensation Policy sets out the compensation and assistance we will provide to you where your flight has been cancelled.
Your claim should be submitted by using our Online Feedback and Claims Form in the first instance. Please submit evidence of the booking and costs incurred related to your missed flight.
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I have received a text message about my new flight, and it says "click here for revised flight details". What is this?
If you click on the link and are happy with the chosen flight you will be able to finalise your check in and retreive your boarding pass. If you want to alter the flight from the one you are booked on you can do this by selecting "view other options" and selecting an alternate flight across a 3-day window before finalising your check in and retreiving your boarding pass.
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I have received an email about my new flight, and it has the choice to "view other options". What is this?
If you are happy with the chosen flight you will be able to finalise your check in and retreive your boarding pass. If you want to alter the flight from the one you are booked on you can do this by selecting "view other options" and selecting an alternate flight across a 3-day window before finalising your check in and retreiving your boarding pass.
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I have received a text message about my new flight, and it says "click here for revised flight details" but I am unable to choose another flight. Why is that?
The ability to Self Serve may not always be available. This is impacted by multiple factors, such as, but not limited to:
- Time to new revised departure time
- Availability
- Restrictions
Please feel free to contact our Guest Contact Centre, who will be able to assist you with your request.
Self Service, Accomodation, Transport & Refunds
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I have been provided a hotel, but I would like to choose an alternative flight which extends my trip by another day. Will the extra night of hotel costs be covered by Virgin Australia?
Our Guest Compensation Policy sets out the compensation and assistance we will provide to you where your flight has been delayed or cancelled.
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I do not require accommodation, but I'd like to obtain transport back home and back to the airport. Can the self service system book transport for me?
Unfortunately, we are unable to organise transport via the self service system. However, you can submit a request to claim reasonable costs, as per our Guest Compensation Policy.
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Will Virgin Australia provide me with money for meals when I need to stay overnight?
A $30 meal allowance will be included in the accommodation booking, for each guest. Please see hotel staff for more details.
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I don't require a hotel, but I have incurred costs for meals and transport?
Our Guest Compensation Policy sets out what you can claim, and how to make a claim, when your flight has been delayed or cancelled by Virgin Australia.
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I no longer wish to fly with Virgin Australia after my flight has been delayed or cancelled. Can I get a refund?
You may be eligible for a refund to your original form of payment when Virgin Australia has delayed or cancelled your flight. To request a refund, please call our Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 If you’re currently in Australia, or +61 732 952 296 If you are calling from overseas.
You may also be able to cancel your booking through the self service system, but you will be provided with a travel credit for your booking where eligible. If you receive a travel credit but would like to request a refund, you must contact the Guest Contact Centre.
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Someone travelling with me received the message to access the self service system, but I didn’t. Why is this?
If you and your travel partner are booked together, the primary person on the booking will receive the notification and will be able to make changes to the booking for all guests on the booking.
If you booked through a travel agent or third party, you will need to contact your travel agent to check that your best contact details were used on the booking, as this are the details that we use to notify you of a delay or cancellation. You are still entitled to self service.
There may also be a delay between us cancelling or modifying your flight details. Whilse we aim for this to be fairly instantaneous, please allow up to 30 minutes to receive an email or text message from us with your updated flight details. Notification timeframes may be shorter or longer depending on the scale of the disruptions (e.g. poor weather impacting an entire location).
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I made a booking for car hire or hotel stays through Virgin Australia and that is now impacted. Who should I contact?
For delayed arrivals, please contact the hotel or car hire company directly. Any modification to your booking such as a cancellation or change request must be made by Rocket Travel. Please visit the hotels page and car hire page for contact information.
Special situations
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I have an unaccompanied minor or a young person travelling alone and their flight has been impacted. How does Virgin Australia assist them?
Virgin Australia will provide additional assistance in the event of a flight disruption. You can find out more information about the assistance Virgin Australia provides on our travelling with children page.
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I have requested that Virgin Australia provide me with special assistance. Will I be provided with this assistance on my new flight?
Any special assistance requests from your original booking will be carried over to your new flight. Your flight options may be impacted by individual requirements and our ability to provide you with your requested assistance. For more information view our Guest Accessibility plan.
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I am travelling with some friends. My friends are happy to travel on a new flight tomorrow, but I need to travel today. What can I do?
As you and your friends are travelling on the same booking, you will need to call our Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 to split that booking, so that you are able to travel on different flights. This process cannot be completed in the self-service system. If the primary person on the booking chooses a new flight in the self service system, all guests on the booking will be moved to the new flight.
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I placed a bid to upgrade to Business class for my delayed or cancelled flight. Will my bid also be moved to my new flight?
If your bid to upgrade was accepted, your alternative flight options will account for this upgrade to Business class. There will be no extra charge as you submitted a successful bid.
Where your bid to upgrade was successful but there is no Business class seat available, you will be downgraded to Economy. You will be provided with a refund for the value of your bid due to the downgrade of your cabin class. Alternatively, you may be able to choose another flight which has Business class availability.
If your bid to upgrade was unsuccessful, you will be seated in Economy as purchased. If you want to bid again, you will need to resubmit your bid on your new flight (if this is available).