Virgin Australia flight cancellations. How to cancel flights and what happens after.

If you’ve booked flights with Virgin Australia (VA) and now need to cancel, this guide is for you.

Covering cancellation fees, how refunds work and what to do if the airline unexpectedly cancels your flights, we’ve delved into the details of what to expect.

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Virgin Australia cancellation policy. Can you cancel flights with VA?

Yes, flight bookings made with Virgin Australia can be cancelled. However, depending on the type of fare booked, cancellation fees or other surcharges may apply.¹

How to cancel flights with Virgin Australia

To cancel flights with Virgin Australia you can either call their contact centre for assistance or make the request online.¹

For online cancellations you will need to:

1. Select ‘Manage Your Booking’ from the VA website.
2. Retrieve your booking using the booking reference provided with your ticket purchase
3. Click ‘Changes and Cancellations’ and then follow the prompts.

Where help is provided over the phone, Virgin advises that service fees may apply.¹

For bookings not made directly with Virgin Australia online or by phone, we’ll discuss how to cancel these further on.

Refund of ticket price when you cancel your flight

Both refundable and non-refundable fares are available with Virgin Australia. We’ve outlined below how refunds work for each of these.

Non-refundable tickets

For non-refundable fares, typically this means that – should you cancel your flight – you will forfeit the full cost of your ticket. While some airlines will refund the tax portion of your ticket, it is unclear if Virgin Australia does this.

As with many airlines, you may still be able to secure a refund or credit from VA such as if you cancel your flight due to an event outside of your control. However, this remains at their discretion and they are under no obligation to do so.²

Refundable tickets

For refundable tickets, the amount refunded or credited to you by Virgin will depend on whether a cancellation penalty applies for the fare type booked.

Any add-ons such as preferred seat fees are subject to their own terms and conditions and remain non-refundable even if booked against a refundable ticket.³

For tickets, Virgin Australia offers a mixture of refunds or credits for cancellations depending on your fare type and may allow you to choose one of these options. Variable fees based on your selection may also apply. ⁴

For cancellations for refund where zero penalty applies, the entire fare inclusive of taxes will be refunded. Where a cancellation penalty is enforced, your refund or credit will be made up of the original ticket price plus taxes, less these fees.⁴

Fees for cancelling flights with Virgin Australia

As noted above, Virgin Australia does not have a set fee structure for determining cancellation penalties.

Instead, the fare type, departure point and destination are all factored in and a specific penalty applied. For refundable tickets, the penalty may also differ if choosing a refund over a credit.

For example, a refundable economy fare to New Zealand levies an AUD$80 penalty for converting to credit or AUD$150 if refunded to the original form of payment.⁴

Conversely, a business class fare within their international short-haul network is refundable with zero penalty and for Flexi economy fares an AUD$99 penalty applies.⁵

NB: Fees as seen on 26 June 2024. You can read more about cancellation fees for your fare type and destination on Virgin Australia’s website.

Tickets bought via booking/travel agencies

Virgin Australia advises on their website that for any flights not booked directly with them changes and cancellations will need to be handled by the booking party.

This means that if you have booked via an online agency or retail travel agency you will need to contact them to process your cancellation.⁴

Cancellations of flight by the airline. What happens?

Should Virgin Australia cancel your flight, they offer two solutions to choose from.⁴

1. They will rebook you onto a different flight to the same destination with your approval.
2. Where no flight alternative is suitable, you will be given the choice of a refund or travel credit to the value of the original booking.

A quick word on flight credits with Virgin Australia

Any credits awarded to you for a cancelled flight booking with Virgin Australia will be stored in your Travel Bank. You can redeem your Travel Bank balance against new bookings made online with Virgin Australia directly or via their guest contact centre.⁶

Where the booking was made with a third-party such as a travel agent, they will retain hold of any credits in your name for use against a future flight booking.

Original fare rules regarding changes and cancellations will apply to the credit and it must be redeemed within the listed expiry date.

What else to keep in mind about flight cancellations with Virgin Australia

Should you need to cancel a flight with Virgin Australia, we advise also keeping in mind the following:

• Always give the airline as much notice as possible for cancellations, as restrictions may apply if within 24 hours
• Additional penalties can also apply for no-shows, so you should avoid simply not showing up for your flight
• Cheaper fares will often be more restrictive, so keep this in mind when purchasing if you prefer to avoid paying penalties for cancellations or missing out on a refund
• Travel insurance purchased at the same time as your travel bookings is advised, as this can help to minimise any losses due to unexpected changes to your travel plans

Contacting Virgin Australia

To speak with Virgin Australia regarding the cancellation of a flight booking, you can contact them via:

• 13 67 89

Need to call Virgin Australia from overseas? We recommend checking their website for the guest services office closest to you as they have contact centres located in different regions globally.

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Sources:

1. Virgin Australia - Cancelling A Booking
2. Virgin Australia - Conditions Of Carriage
3. Virgin Australia - Refunds For Add-ons
4. Virgin Australia - Fare Types
5. Virgin Australia - Cancellation Fees
6. Virgin Australia - Travel Credits

Sources checked on: 26 June 2024