Virgin flight to Orlando cancelled.

[zara]

We jsut had a text message telling us that our flight from Gatwick to Glasgow
on 2nd December at 11.15 has been cancelled. Seems like instead of two flights a day Virgin are cutting down to one a day. So, we have been put on the other flight which is ok but, on looking at the seat reservation map for that flight Virgin have put my granddaughter who is aged 6 on a seat 8 rows back on her own!! Another fight it seems I'm gonna have with them.
I hate phoning Virgin - I just can't get anywhere when I phone them.
Anybody any advice.....

 

[oceanscape]

I'm assuming you mean Orlando rather than Glasgow?

Strange, because the VA website is still allowing new bookings for the 11.15am flight on 2nd December!!!

 

[fairytale]

Remember not all seats, as a rule, are pre-booked and a number will be still available if you take advantage of the on line check-in the day before your flight.

My thoughts go out to you though and know exactly what you mean, its just a hassle that you can do without, especially as you sound like an organised person who will have more than likely ensured you pre-booked your seats in order to make sure you were all sat togther, maybe over 300 days ago.

If I can give you any peace of mind my family and I, which back then was just DH & myself plus DS3 & DS2 had been allocated seats for some unknown reason all seperately on a flight to Mexico from Gatwick.

We brought it to the attention of the air hostess when we boarded the flight and within minutes all had seats together after a little rejigging by the flight attendants.

I'm sure you will be fine, like I say its just the ruddy hassle

 

[zara]

yes definately the VS27 Gatwick to Orlando has been cancelled.
Got an e-mail today too.

 

[Twilight Terror]

There are always a certain number of seats that cannot be pre-booked, for exactly your reason! They will never make a child sit alone. If there are four of you, they may split you two and two, but they will never make a child sit alone. If you cannot change the seats at online check-in, then be at the airport early and use regular check-in and they will reallocate your seats so the child is with at least one adult within the party.

 

[bombhead444]

Did they say anything about your return flight, we go out early november and fly back mid december.
If they have cancelled the 11.15 what is your new flight time?
Maybe they are putting all their eggs in one basket and if a second plane could be filled they'll use it?

 

[madmumof2]

There are always a certain number of seats that cannot be pre-booked, for exactly your reason! They will never make a child sit alone. If there are four of you, they may split you two and two, but they will never make a child sit alone. If you cannot change the seats at online check-in, then be at the airport early and use regular check-in and they will reallocate your seats so the child is with at least one adult within the party.

Is that a definite rule? I've been panicking about this. I went online to look at pre-booking seats but it'll cost £70!

I'm single parent on my own with my two young children. We just HAVE to be sat together in a row of three. Not one behind me or across the aisle etc

 

[maleficent_man]

Sorry to hear that - hope you get it all sorted out.

 

[Twilight Terror]

My mum was a single parent the first few times she took us, when we were younger, and there was no online check-in back then. Or if there was, we didn't know about it. We were always put together at check in. I'm sure a few others on here have had the same issues before - not being able to sit together for online check-in, but it was changed at airport check-in.

 

[zara]

Our return flight on 14 th December seems not tohave been cancelled.
But I can't see 1 going out and 2 coming back!!!
Who knows.

 

[Celestine]

Our flight both ways has been cancelled, i.e. the 1115 from Gatwick and the 1805 from Orlando. We've been put onto the later flight, but I can't get the system to allow me to prebook my seats - I'll try again in the morning....

Celestine

 

[zara]

Can you tell me the time of the later flight please.
Our 16.05 hasn't been cancelled as yet. Just the outward one.

 

[zara]

Sorry I meant the 18.05.

 

[RDP]

We' ve just had our return flight on the 24th Nov cancelled with VA. We are flying into Gatwick from Orlando and are now on the 1950 flight. Obviously VA are cutting flights. Not looking forward to the very full flight home. I can't imagine any airline allowing a 6 year old to sit on their own - hope you get some sense when you call.

 

[popsynic]

We' ve just had our return flight on the 24th Nov cancelled with VA. We are flying into Gatwick from Orlando and are now on the 1950 flight. Obviously VA are cutting flights. Not looking forward to the very full flight home. I can't imagine any airline allowing a 6 year old to sit on their own - hope you get some sense when you call.

Your 6 year old will 100% be allocated a seat with an adult in your party. they will not allow a child (of any age) to sit alone if you do not wish it.

This is the case for all UK airlines - even the budget ones like ryanair.

 

[aaronandterri]

how are you all checking if there cancelled? were flying on the 12th dec on the 11 15 or 30 plane whatever time it is is this still ok, no one has told us anything?

 

[Grumpy John]

Below is off another site and should stop all the unnecessary panicking by people.

No big deal really is it!

We have been notified that we have been moved from VS27 on November 27 to VS 15 the same day. The seats we pre booked have been moved to the VS15 and are the same ones we had on VS27.

Bit stupid to fly out with 2 half full planes. Makes economic sense to merge them. Well it does to me anyway!



These are the dates for the last quarter of this year when the VS027/028 will not be flying.

October

Thu 1st
Sat 3rd
Sun 4th
Mon 5th

November

Tue 24th
Wed 25th
Fri 27th
Sun 29th

December

Wed 2nd
Fri 4th
Sun 6th

 

[bombhead444]

Which site did you find this info on?

 

[tracipierce]

Your 6 year old will 100% be allocated a seat with an adult in your party. they will not allow a child (of any age) to sit alone if you do not wish it.

This is the case for all UK airlines - even the budget ones like ryanair.

Not 100% true unfortunately. Although I do agree that they won't put a 6 year old alone on the flight, my daughter went to New Zealand last summer to stay with her BF's family, she was 15 and he was 18. They flew with BA to Hong Kong and then Cathay Pacific to NZ and they were seated seperately. Now I know a 15 year old is not very young, but she was still a schoolgirl and therefore still a child. I had only agreed to the trip as I was taking them to the airport and they were being picked up by his family and he was a very responsible 18 year old. I felt pretty confident that she would be safe on the plane with her BF. She was extremely upset as she is not a very good flyer and for such a long flight she was terrified to be on her own and to make matters worse, it was her BF's birthday on the day of the flight and she had organised a little suprise b/day cake for him etc to bring out once airborne.

Both her and her BF tried everything to get the staff to re-arrange the seats but they wouldn't, I ended up going back to the airport to try to sort it out, but still they wouldn't oblige. I almost told them to pull off her luggage, but she desperately wanted to go.

Quite a way into the flight, my daughter asked other passengers if they would swap seats and eventually they found a lady traveller who agreed. So obviously it could have been done in the first place and would have saved a lot of heartache.

But with all that said, OP I'm pretty sure that they cannot expect a 6 year old to be seated without one of the adults.

 

[zara]

Hi - it was me who started this thread. Why is it that when I go into the flight we have been booked on to now, that the seats on the plane are all grey so we can't get access to the seats? I hope I am explaining this right.
This is on the 2nd December. It's the same for the 14th when we return.