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As global airlines slowly come to terms with the fact that travel will not be getting back to normal any time soon, and that a lot of people are still very leery of booking trips in the future, we’re starting to see flexible booking policies being extended.
Virgin Atlantic is the latest airline to have extended its flexible booking policy and it looks like the carrier now has one of the best policies around.
Virgin Atlantic’s Flexible Booking Policy
If Virgin Atlantic cancels your flight, you’re automatically entitled to a full refund of whatever currency you used to pay for the booking as well as any extra fees that you may have paid.
If, however, a traveler is the one wishing to cancel a trip or if a traveler doesn’t want a refund for a canceled flight, these are the rules that Virgin Atlantic currently has in place:
Bookings Made Before 6 February 2021
For bookings for travel up to 30 April 2022:
- Travelers can make up to two date changes and one name change* free of charge.
- All fare differences will be waived if new travel is completed by 31 May 2021
- For travel completed between 31 May 2021 and 31 December 2022, the following fare differences will apply:
- Passengers can rebook to travel at any time up to 30 April 2023.
*Tickets issued before 12th June 2020 are entitled to one free change. After 12th June 2020, it’s two free changes or one name change.
Bookings Made From 6 February 2021 Onwards
For bookings for travel up to 30 April 2022:
- Travelers can make up to unlimited date changes and one name change free of charge.
- All fare differences will be waived if new travel is completed by 31 May 2021
- Passengers can rebook to travel at any time up to 30 April 2023.
For bookings made on or after 6 February 2021, Virgin Atlantic is not offering a credit towards any fare differences that arise if travel is taken after 31 May 2021.
Quick Thoughts
This is a fantastic cancellation/rebooking policy and Virgin Atlantic should be applauded for it.
It may be that Virgin Atlantic was pressed into action by British Airways extending its own ‘book with confidence’ policy towards the end of January (to cover travel through April 2022 and to allow travel to be rescheduled through April 2023), but Virgin Atlantic’s policy goes further.
For travelers who booked before 6 February 2021, Virgin Atlantic has extended the period for which it will waive all fare differences (it was for travel through 31 March and now it’s for travel through 31 May 2021), and it has kept in place the offer of partial credits for fare differences for travel rebooked for between 1 June and 31 December 2021.
While airlines like Lufthansa are only waiving cancellation/change fees for bookings made through 15 May 2021 (which is ridiculous), it’s good to see airlines like Virgin Atlantic and British Airways stepping up and offering customers a reason to book a trip for later this year or even in early 2022.
You only have to take a quick look around Europe right now to see that the virus isn’t being beaten back just yet, so the public will need as many incentives as possible if airlines are to get people booking – making sure that fee waiver policies are extended is a good place to start.
Bottom Line
Virgin Atlantic has updated its flexible cancellation policy to allow travelers to rebook their trips as far ahead as April 2023. All bookings for travel through April 2022 are now covered by the policy, and some bookings will continue to have fare differences waived or partial credits for fare differences offered.
What about award bookings?
[…] for travel after the school holidays are over and airfares are a little less ridiculous – Virgin’s current refund and cancellation policy is good enough that I’d be comfortable making a speculative booking for […]
Plz guide me ewhat is refund policy of virgin airlines.
Hi, I wanted to know if they will issue a complete refund for my flight if the travel restrictions do not permit flights to travel from my country
Only if the airline cancels the flight. If you cancel the flight (because of the travel restrictions) a voucher for future travel is the best that you will be offered.
Please could you advise me of how on this Earth I can redeem a refund on a ticket that was for flight VS449 19TH JUNE 2021 that has been cancelled. I have tried everything possible to contact Virgin Atlantic over two weeks to no avail! Completed various forms that go nowhere. Phone numbers that go nowhere. Emails that seem to go nowhere! Nigel Halliwell
I HAVE the same problem, please help!