Virgin Atlantic flight delays and cancellations
Virgin Atlantic is cancelling a lot of flights due to lower demand. For flight cancellations due to economic reasons, we see good chances to have a claim for compensation, especially if you were informed by Virgin Atlantic not more than 14 days before your flight.
Virgin Atlantic is a British airline based in Crawley, near Gatwick Airport. 29 worldwide destination airports are reached by the airline using a fleet of 39 aircraft. Billionaire Richard Branson has been with it since its inception in 1984 and, while Virgin Atlantic is one of the more punctual UK airlines, passengers travelling with them suffer delays and cancellations.
We help to enforce the rights of passengers affected by disruption when flying with Virgin Atlantic. Our online calculator is simple to use and you are able to check, for free, whether your flight delay or cancellation qualifies for compensation
Your rights when delayed with Virgin Atlantic
- According to the EU261 regulation up to €600 compensation
- Ticket price irrelevant
- Flights up to 6 years old
- When the flight was cancelled, overbooked or delayed at least 3 hours
Tips and Tricks when delayed with Virgin Atlantic
- Confirm the cause of the delay with the airline
- Collect relevant documentation: photos, receipts of expenses, vouchers etc
- Be sure to claim the basic benefits and services on offer at the airport
- Exchange contact information with other affected passengers
More detailed information regarding your passenger rights and the EU law
Under what conditions does your delayed flight qualify for compensation?
The amount of compensation you’ll be eligible for is dictated by the distance of the flight – not on the amount you paid for your ticket. Fundamentally your flight must land at its destination with a delay 3 hours or more and be applicable under current EU Regulation. Your claims are valid up to 6 years retrospectively. Here is an overview of which compensation you’ll be entitled to, according to the circumstances of your delay:
Delay, cancellation, overbooking or missed connection flight? You are entitled to:
| Short distance up to 1500 km | Medium distance up to 3500 km | Long distance from 3500 km |
| e.g. London – Edinburgh | e.g. London – Athens | e.g. London – Tokyo |
| 250€ | 400€ | 600€ |
Virgin Atlantic: Additional services at the airport
If your departure should be heavily delayed, you’ll be entitled to some amenities and services at the airport. These rights become available depending on the distance of your flight. Below, you’ll find an overview of what you’re eligible for:
- Short distance, less than 1500 km: after 2 hours waiting time – complimentary food and drinks and 2 emails, phone calls or faxes
- Medium distance, between 1500-3500 km: after 3 hours waiting time – complimentary food and drinks and 2 emails, phone calls or faxes
- Long-haul, from 3500 km: after 4 hours waiting time – complimentary food and drinks and 2 emails, phone calls or faxes
When the delay reaches over 5 hours, you become entitled to withdraw from your flight. The airline then has an obligation to either reimburse you or offer you an alternative transportation method.
When departure is postponed until the following dayYou’re eligible for a stay in a hotel, with transport to and from the hotel included. Contact the airline directly and request confirmation of your hotel room and transfers to be provided in writing.
The Flightright Promise
Thanks to our expertise, we enforce compensation claims against airlines with a very high success rate. This enables us to promise a completely free service if your case is unsuccessful!
- up to €600 compensation per person
- over 11.000.000 happy customers
- 99% success rate in court
Useful advice & information about Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic’s main hubs are at London’s Heathrow and Gatwick, and the airline operates to 29 destinations worldwide, offering three different travel classes – economy, premium economy and upper class. Virgin transported 5.4 million customer in 2016.
One of the more punctual airlines, but still needs some improvement
In 2016 Virgin Atlantic did a pretty good job in ensuring that their flights were punctual.They performed better than a number of their competing airlines, perhaps due to the fact that they run a smaller operation in the UK than most.
Responsive to compensation claims, albeit a little slow in issuing them
Virgin Airlines do not ignore passengers claims to compensation for flight disruption. They do, however, take longer than they should to issue the money. Flightright has had to take proceedings to court on occasion to secure the payment.
Information about online check-in
Virgin Atlantic allows online check-in up to 24 hours before your flight and as close as 70 minutes to takeoff. You can check-in at the airport but this is not the most efficient method and checking in before you get to the airport is always recommended. Another option comes in the form of the Virgin Atlantic app, which will allow check-in as well as providing you with flight updates.
More information about Virgin Atlantic can be found here.
Had flight problems with Virgin Atlantic?
Flightright takes care of your rights in the event of flight delays, cancellations and overbooking and is committed to ensuring that you receive your compensation from the airline.