my wife and I were going to america next week for our holiday

[sammmo]

my wife and I were going to america next week for our holiday, But my motherinlaw has become very ill and the doctor has said she has only got days left to live.. Obviously we are going to have to cancel our flights etc.. We are booked with Virgin atlantic, before i phone them i was wondering if anyone knows what i could expect in way of a refund..

[fbg40]

Hi Sammmo
So sorry to hear your sad news. We had a similar problem a couple of years ago when we were due to travel with a pal and his wife. He had to go into hospital for a quad by-pass ( suddenly) and we were due to travel with BA. I tried to get him a refund enclosing a Dr's letter etc but to no avail. I sent a letter to the Daily Mail, which was published, and my pal wrote a "very strong" letter to the Chief Exec of BA - eventually, although they didn't give a full refund ( tickets were about £175 per person), he had a letter enclosing vouchers for BA flights to the tune of £250.00.
Try and get a refund from Virgin but be persistent. Good luck.
FBG40

[237SJ]

Is there anything in your travel insurance about it?

[dothawkes31]

Do you need to cancel or would they let you re-arrange the flights?

[sammmo]

I Think i can claim off my insurance if they won't refund the cost of my tickets (over £800) But if they don't refund it I won't actually cancel until the last minute so they can't fill the seats last minute

[askyourgran]

I was thinking the same as dot, could you explain your predicament and ask if you postpone your holiday and re-book when you are free to take it (within a reasonable time scale if possible).

[redcrx]

try going through your insurers. Surely itll be better if youre just dealing with one company for your flights accomodation refunds rather than spending the next few days arguing with the airline.

[Buenchico]

Unless you've bought the most expensive types of tickets, you may not entitled to any refund from Virgin Atlantic.

From their FAQs:
"Q: If a member of my family is taken ill and I no longer wish to travel due to this, am I entitled to a refund?

A: You may be considered for a refund, however, it will depend on the fare rules governing the type of ticket you have as to whether or not you are eligible".

It's not uncommon for the cheapest tickets (on any airline) to have a strict rule of 'No refunds under any circumstances whatever'. The airline will normally refer you instead to your insurer to seek compensation. However I've just entered some random flight dates into Virgin Atlantic's booking system and, upon clicking the link for fare conditions (of the cheapest fare offered for those dates), I found this:
"Cancellations any time ticket is non-refundable. Waived for illness or death of passenger or family member".
So there's a chance that you might be able to get a refund. The only way to find out for sure is to apply:
http://www.virgin-atl...cketrefunds/index.jsp

Chris

[sammmo]

I'd rather get a refund and book up once everything is sorted out etc.. the trouble with this flight is they are usually fully booked months ahead..and i'd rather wait a few months and know i,d be sat by mrs sammmo

[boxtops]

I'm sure this is a matter for your travel insurance rather than Virgin, but if you can get a deal out of them, more power to your elbow!

[sammmo]

thanks for that chris, I think i will contact them and see what they say..they must get this all the time..Although this is the first time i've had to do it..hopefully it will be the last..