Preferred Seating terms and conditions
1. General
1.1 The applicable preferred seat fee will be the fee published at the time you purchase a preferred seat and is subject to change.
1.2 Fees are per person, one way and per sector.
1.3 Fees are in the applicable booking currency, being the country of origin specified in your booking or purchase.
1.4 Velocity Platinum members and up to 8 additional companions travelling on the same booking may reserve a preferred seat for free on domestic and short-haul international flights if available at the time of the request. Preferred seats will not be automatically assigned to Platinum members.
1.5 Gold Velocity members travelling on a Choice and Flex fare, and up to 8 additional companions travelling on the same booking may reserve a preferred seat for free on domestic and short-haul international flights if available at the time of the request. Preferred seats will not be automatically assigned to Gold members.
1.6 Preferred seats are limited and may be sold out at time of booking or at any time prior to your travel date.
1.7 Seat changes are permitted up until scheduled flight is closed, subject to availability.
1.8 Velocity members will not earn Velocity points or status credits on the amount paid for preferred seats.
1.9 Preferred seats may or may not be able to recline.
1.10 We will endeavour to accommodate your seat request. However, we do not guarantee you any particular 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 seat at any time, even after you have boarded the aircraft for any reason, including for safety or operational reasons.
1.11 Preferred seats are only available on flights operated by Virgin Australia and Virgin Australia International and selected alliance airlines operated Virgin Australia flights. Preferred seats are not available on flights operated by our codeshare and alliance partners.
1.12 Voluntary flight changes resulting in a direct flight being changed to multiple connecting flights, will result in the guest being subject to a preferred seat fee for each additional sector (if applicable). This additional fee will be payable at the time of the change.
1.13 Preferred seat fees are non-transferrable (to other passengers) and cannot be used towards any other service or product.
1.14 These Preferred seat terms and conditions are in addition to and do not vary the fare rules that apply to your fare.
1.15 To the extent of any inconsistency between these preferred seat terms and conditions and the conditions of carriage, the conditions of carriage shall prevail.
2. Refunds and your rights
2.1 Subject to your rights under relevant laws, including the Australian Consumer law, in the event that we do not provide you with a preferred seat that you purchased, you are entitled to request a refund of the preferred seat fee, for that specific part of the journey, only if:
(a) you were rebooked to another flight:
(i) by Virgin Australia for operational reasons;
(ii) because you missed your connecting flight after an inbound flight on Virgin Australia or its codeshare partners and you were not provided with a comparable preferred seat on the other flight;
(b) Virgin Australia cancelled your flight and you were unable to be reaccommodated on another flight;
(c) we changed the aircraft and there were no comparable preferred seats available on the alternative aircraft;
(d) we used our right to assign or reassign your preferred seat either before or after boarding for operational, safety, security or other reasons; or
(e) you purchase an upgrade to another class of travel, including UpgradeMe bid and UpgradeMe Points.
2.2 There may also be circumstances where you are entitled to a refund of the preferred seat fee or of your fare under the Australian Consumer Law. For more information about your rights under the Australian Consumer Law please see our Consumer Guarantees and Refunds page.
2.3 You are entitled to a refund if you request a flight change in the manage your booking section on our website and you do not re-select a preferred seat in your updated booking.
2.4 If you have purchased a preferred seat and voluntarily cancel your booking, the preferred seat fee will not be refunded. .
2.5 If we offer you a complimentary upgrade to a higher class of travel and you accept that offer, you will not be entitled to a refund of the preferred seat purchased.
2.6 Refunds can be requested by general enquiry to our Guest Contact Centre Centre or through the manage your booking section on our website when you update your booking in accordance with clause 2.2. Preferred seat refunds will be refunded to the original form of payment.
2.7 Nothing in these preferred seat terms and conditions will limit any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law or any other applicable law.