Virgin flight change

[Sid74]

I had a phone call on Friday afternoon from Virgin Atlantic. I have a holiday booked with TCD for the first two weeks of December. I booked it in April on the first day the flights were available. I was told that my 20.55 flight back from MCO on December the 15th, had been changed. I was now booked on the 18.30 instead.

I asked about the fact there was supposed to be a 19.30 and a 20.55 that day. What was happening to all the passengers, how would we all fit on the 18.30? The gentleman, who I think was from the Indian call centre, just ignored the question and said that the flight had changed.

Does anyone know what is going on with these flights? I have been told by TCD that Virgin have changed the 19.30 to 18.30 every day, but no mention was made of what has happened to the 20.55. No one can tell me how all the passengers from 2 planes will now fit onto one smaller plane.

Did someone just decide that the flights weren't full and combine them, even though it is 10 months until we fly? I suppose what I want to make sure of is that we haven't been bumped off of a full 20.55, in favour of people that booked after we did, maybe for more money.

Thanks.

 

[wayneg]

If you look at VA schedules it looks like they are only doing the 20:55 (VS074) Tues 13th, Weds 14th & Sat 17th

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/flighttimes/airScheduleSearch.do

As its low season I guess they only need the 1 flight per day.

 

[Sid74]

That link doesn't work for me Wayne.

It is just annoying to have booked a certain flight for a reason, then to have it changed with no explaination. If Virgin had said that there was not enough demand to run the flight, that would have been one thing, but they just said there was a problem, and we were being put on a flight that is almost 2 and a half hours earlier than the one I booked.

My concern is that surely there were other people like me, that had booked early, and now we are all being moved to another flight. Where is everyone going to sit, as the new planes are smaller than the old ones, and now there are 2 flights on one plane, and the flight is still being sold?

I hope I am making sense? I know what I mean, but I am not sure if it is coming across properly?

I suppose I am partly worried because I am a nervous flyer, both DH and I have medical conditions which mean we need to be near the toilets, and Virgin changed the rules about getting your locator number after we had made the booking with TCD, so I can't book my seats, or even see if they have booked them for me, which is what I have been told. None of which is lessening my stress levels, which in turn aggravates my numerous medical conditons further.

 

[wayneg]

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/gb/flighttimes/index.jsp

Try this and then search your route and dates.

Unfortunately thats how airlines work, there is a thread running on Dibb that Steve(Cabbie) is running with 2011 Virgin mergers and cancellations but he has only covered the Gatwick route so far.
http://www.thedibb.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=477046

For our Delta flights in August 2009 we had approx 8 schedule changes.

They will not fly 2 planes if there is a chance of lots of empty seats. So far out there is no way they will have filled 1 plane at that time of year so better to cut/merge now before they oversell.

 

[Sid74]

Thanks Wayne

I have seen the thread on the Dibb. I have just posted to let Cabbie know that there has been a change to the flight I was booked on.

It would have been nice to have been told what was going on instead of just "your flight has been changed". Thanks for the explaination.
It would also have been nice to have been given the option of changing my dates, so I could have the flight I booked. I wouldn't have minded an extra couple of days in Orlando.

I was just dubious due to the shifty way the man told me what was happening.

 

[wayneg]

Thats a problem when companies use international call centres, they just read from a script instead of understanding the customers needs.
You would probably be better saying you needed time to consider your options and ask them to ring back. This is what I did when Expedia once told me they were changing my flights, the connection they were giving me was 45 mins in NY, no way did I want that so I found another option even though they were telling me there were no other options.

 

[Sid74]

I, apparently, have no options. Because we booked through TCD, and they only do standard 14 night holidays, we have to come home on the earlier flight.

I have to admit I was leaning toward booking next years fly drive direct with Virgin Holidays, despite the price difference, which was £80 or so for this years trip. At least then I can change the number of days, and also get my locator number at 11 months.

 

[wayneg]

I have more or less given up even looking for package prices, I prefer to book everything myself and do flight only. There are for and against both packages and DIY.

 

[Sid74]

I like booking as far in advance as possible, so that I know I am booked, and it also gives me time to pay it off.

 

[skelfbsfb]

Flight data for how many seats are still to be sold is not available yet as its to far out. Maybe be able to get more info later in the week.