In the event of denied boarding,
flight cancellation or delay
Printed and correct: January 2021
Compensation
and assistance
Hello, many thanks
for choosing to fly
Virgin Atlantic
We want to assure you that in the event of a disruption to
your flight schedule, we will be taking steps to minimise
the inconvenience to you and make any waiting time as
comfortable as possible.
All our actions meet the requirements of the Regulation (EC)
No 261/2004 establishing common rules on compensation
and assistance to passengers in the event of denied boarding
and of cancellation or long delay of flights.
If your flight is delayed
For more than 4 hours on long-haul flights
We will provide you with meals and refreshments in
reasonable relation to the waiting time, plus two short
telephone calls, or telex, or fax, or email messages.
For more than 5 hours
In addition to the above, you may cancel your booking and
receive a refund of your unused ticket, and for the part of the
journey already made if the delay means your flight no longer
serves any purpose in relation to your original travel plans.
Where relevant if you have already completed one or more
segments of your flight we will also oer you a return flight to
your first point of departure at the earliest opportunity.
Inclusive/package tour passengers should be aware that a
refund would only relate to the airfare portion of the package
and not the whole cost of the holiday. Your Tour operator
should be contacted for further advice before you cancel
your booking.
Until the next day (local time)
In addition to the above if you have chosen not to cancel your
flight we will oer hotel accommodation and transpo rt to and
from the hotel.
The care detailed above may be limited or declined if the
provision of refreshments, meals and hotel accommodation
would itself cause further delay.
If your flight is cancelled
You have the choice
To cancel your booking and receive a refund of your unused
ticket, and for the part of the journey already made if the
delay means your flight no longer serves any purpose in
relation to your original travel plans. Where relevant if you
have already completed one or more segments of your flight
we will also oer you a return flight to your first point of
departure at the earliest opportunity.
Inclusive/package tour passengers should be aware that a
refund would only relate to the airfare portion of the package
and not the whole cost of the holiday. Your Tour operator
should be contacted for further advice before you cancel
your booking.
Or to take an alternative flight, under comparable transport
conditions, to your final destination, where seats are available,
at the earliest opportunity
Or to take an alternative flight to your destination, under
comparable transport conditions and where seats are
available, at a later date. (You will be responsible for any hotel
accommodation; meals and other transport costs should you
choose this option).
In addition
If your flight is cancelled without prior notification and you
have commenced your journey to the airport we will provide
you, whilst awaiting a later flight, with meals and refreshments
in reasonable relation to the waiting time, plus two short
telephone calls, or telex, or fax, or email messages. If your
new flight departure involves an overnight wait, we will oer
hotel accommodation and transport to and from the hotel.
(This provision will not apply if you have chosen to take an
alternative Virgin Atlantic flight at a later date).
Compensation for flight cancellations
and long delays
You may be eligible to claim compensation if we cancel your
flight within two weeks of your departure date, or if your flight
is delayed in its arrival by more than 3 hours. This depends
upon the reason for the cancellation or delay, as well as the
arrival time of your new or delayed flight.
Compensation will not be oered if the cause of the
cancellation or delay is beyond the control of Virgin Atlantic,
or for disruptions which could not have been avoided even
if all reasonable measures had been taken. This includes,
the impact of weather conditions or air trac management
decisions, national disasters, unexpected flight safety
shortcomings, industrial disputes, political instability and
security risks.
Compensation table - Flight Cancellations
Long Haul
(More than
3,500km)
If your new flight is
scheduled to arrive
within four hours of your
original arrival time
If your new flight is
scheduled to arrive more
than four hours after
your original arrival time
260 GBP 520 GBP
Medium Haul
(Between 1,500
to 3,500km)
If your new flight is
scheduled to arrive
within three hours of
your original arrival time
If your new flight is
scheduled to arrive more
than three hours after
your original arrival time
175 GBP 350 GBP
Short Haul
(Less than
1,500km)
If your new flight is
scheduled to arrive more
than two hours after
your original arrival time
220 GBP
Compensation table - Flight Delays
If your delayed flight
arrives more than three
hours after the originally
scheduled arrival time
If your delayed flight
arrives more than four
hours after the originally
scheduled arrival time
Long Haul
260 GBP 520 GBP
Medium Haul
175 GBP 350 GBP
Short Haul
220 GBP
All passengers wishing to make an application for
delay or cancellation compensation must complete the
EC261 Compensation Application form on our website at
virginatlantic.com/euclaimapplication
Compensation claims for flight cancellations and long delays
cannot be processed at the airport.
If you are denied boarding due to a
shortage of seats on your flight
Virgin Atlantic operates a ‘Voluntary’ denied boarding
scheme called ‘Virgin Select’. This scheme oers customers
the opportunity to surrender their seats and receive a refund
of their unused ticket or fly on a later Virgin Atlantic flight in
exchange for a complimentary or discounted flight at a
future date.
Passengers volunteering and accepted for the ‘Virgin Select’
scheme will also receive meals, refreshments and overnight
accommodation depending upon the length of the waiting
time. (Further details of the Virgin Select scheme can be
obtained from a member of our airport team).
In the unlikely event that we have to deny boarding on
an ‘involuntary basis’:
You have the right to compensation
If your new flight is scheduled to
arrive within four hours of your
original arrival time
If your new flight is scheduled to
arrive more than four hours after
your original arrival time
220 GBP 520 GBP
In addition you may choose
To cancel your booking and receive a refund of your unused
ticket, and for the part of the journey already made if the
delay means your flight no longer serves any purpose in
relation to your original travel plans.
Inclusive/package tour passengers should be aware that a
refund would only relate to the airfare portion of the package
and not the whole cost of the holiday. Your Tour operator
should be contacted for further advice before you cancel
your booking.
Or to take an alternative flight, under comparable transport
conditions, to your final destination, where seats are available,
at the earliest opportunity.
Or to take an alternative flight to your destination, under
comparable transport conditions and where seats are
available, at a later date. (You will be responsible for any hotel
accommodation; meals and other transport costs should you
choose this option).
Plus
We will provide you with meals and refreshments in
reasonable relation to the waiting time, plus two short
telephone calls, or telex, or fax, or email messages. If your
new flight departure involves an overnight wait, we will oer
hotel accommodation and transport to and from the hotel.
(This provision will not apply if you have chosen to take an
alternative Virgin Atlantic flight at a later date).
Volunteers and boarding priorities
If a flight is oversold and we are unable to find enough
passengers to surrender their seats on a voluntary basis
other passengers may be denied boarding involuntarily. In
accordance with the following boarding priority:
– Last to check in or arrive at the baggage drop
o desks, self service check in kiosks, or the boarding gate.
Important note
These provisions and services will only apply on the condition
that passengers have a confirmed reservation on the flight
concerned and have presented themselves at check in at
least 60 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time of
their flight.
These provisions and services do not apply to passengers
travelling free of charge, or at a reduced fare not available
directly or indirectly to the public. However it does apply to
passengers having tickets issued under a frequent
flyer programme.
If you are denied boarding for justifiable reasons such
as health, safety, security or inadequate travel
documentation we will be under no obligation to provide
care, assistance, compensation, ticket refunds or alternative
travel arrangements.
Passengers denied boarding departing
from US airports
This notice is presented in accordance with the regulations of
the US department of Transportation 14CFR 250.9
Compensation for denied boarding
If you have been denied a reserved seat on a Virgin Atlantic
operated flight departing from the US, you are probably
entitled to monetary compensation. This notice explains the
airlines obligations and the passengers rights in the case of
an oversold flight, in accordance with regulations of the US
Department of Transportation.
Volunteers and boarding priorities
If a flight is oversold (more passengers hold confirmed
reservations than there are seats available), no one may be
denied boarding against his or her will until we have first
asked for volunteers to give up their reservation willingly, in
exchange for compensation of the airlines choosing.
If there are not enough volunteers, other passengers may
be denied boarding involuntarily. In accordance with the
following boarding priority of Virgin Atlantic.
– Last to check in or arrive at the baggage drop o desks or
self service check in kiosks, or the boarding gate.
Compensation for involuntary denied boarding
If you are denied boarding involuntarily, you are entitled to
a payment of “denied boarding compensation’” from the
airline unless
(1) You have not fully complied with the airlines ticketing,
check in and reconfirmation requirements, or you are not
acceptable for transportation under the airlines usual rules
and practices; or
(2) you are denied boarding because the flight is cancelled; or
(3) you are denied boarding because a smaller capacity
aircraft was substituted for safety or operational
reasons; or
(4) on a flight operated with an aircraft having 60 or fewer
seats, you are denied boarding due to safety-related
weight/balance restrictions that limit payload; or
(5) you are oered accommodations in a section of the
aircraft other than specified in your ticket, at no extra
charge (a passenger seated in a section for which a lower
fare is charged must be given an appropriate refund); or
(6) the airline is able to place you on another flight or flights
that are planned to reach your next stopover or final
destination within one hour of the planned arrival time
of your original flight.
Amount of denied boarding compensation
International Transportation
Passengers travelling from the United States to a foreign point
who are denied boarding involuntarily from an oversold flight
originating at a U.S. airport are entitled to:
(1) No compensation if the carrier oers alternate
transportation that is planned to arrive at the passenger’s
destination or first stopover not later than one hour after
the planned arrival time of the passenger’s original flight;
(2) 200% of the fare to the passenger’s destination or first
stopover, with a maximum of $675, if the carrier oers
alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at the
passenger’s destination or first stopover more than one
hour but less than four hours after the planned arrival time
of the passenger’s original flight; and
(3) 400% of the fare to the passenger’s destination or first
stopover, with a maximum of $1,350, if the carrier does not
oer alternate transportation that is planned to arrive at
the airport of the passenger’s destination or first stopover
less than four hours after the planned arrival time of the
passenger’s original flight.
0 to 1 hour arrival delay. No compensation.
1 to 4 hour arrival delay. 200% of one-way fare
(but no more than $675).
Over 4 hours arrival delay. 400% of one-way fare
(but no more than $1,350).
Alternate transportation
‘‘Alternate transportation’’ is air transportation with a
confirmed reservation at no additional charge (by any
scheduled airline licensed by DOT), or other transportation
accepted and used by the passenger in the case of
denied boarding.
Method of payment
Except as provided below, the airline must give each
passenger who qualifies for involuntary denied boarding
compensation a payment by cash or check for the amount
specified above, on the day and at the place the involuntary
denied boarding occurs. If the airline arranges alternate
transportation for the passenger’s convenience that departs
before the payment can be made, the payment shall be sent
to the passenger within 24 hours. The air carrier may oer free
or discountedtransportation in place of the cash payment. In
that event, the carrier must disclose all material restrictions
on the use of the free or discounted transportation before the
passenger decides whether to accept the transportation in
lieu of a cash or check payment. The passenger may insist on
the cash/check payment or refuse all compensation and bring
private legal action.
Passenger’s options
Acceptance of the compensation may relieve Virgin Atlantic
from any further liability to the passenger caused by its failure
to honor the confirmed reservation. However, the passenger
may decline the payment and seek to recover damages in a
court of law or in some other manner.
This leaflet provides a summary of the relevant EC261
Compensation and assistance to passengers in the event
of denied boarding and of cancellation or long delay of
flights: (EC) No 261/2004. Any legal claim or action taken
in the event of a dispute should be based solely on the
legal texts concerned.
Further information and feedback
Please visit
www.virginatlantic.com/euregulations
Our Customer Relations department welcomes
your questions, comments or concerns at
www.virginatlantic.com/feedback
If you are dissatisfied with the assistance you were
oered during your flight disruption and the response
you received from Customer Relations you may wish
to contact the body responsible for the enforcement
of the EC regulation.
The Civil Aviation Authority
4th Floor, CAA House
45-59 Kingsway
London WC2B 6TE
www.caa.co.uk/passengercomplaints
