How far ahead should notification of flight time changes be received?

[Jurahn]

Have just checked Virtually There to ensure PER-MEL-PER flights in late April are still as booked (I tend to be a bit OCD about checking stuff like that LOL) - and found that the outbound PER-MEL flight is now on different flight number departing 2 hours earlier at 0830am instead of 10:35am! How far ahead do Virgin usually advise of flight time changes, as I've had no notification from them to date.

 

[italianlover]

Back in mid January this year a chance rechecking of an online booking for a flight Geneva to SYD in February alerted me to major changes, with the original flight booking VS 30 AUH-SYD showing as flown, although not departing until several weeks later!
There was an automatic reshedule to VA7454 also shown on the booking, which would mean a 16 hour lay over in Abu Dhabi! No members of the travelling party of 4 including one Gold and one Platinum, received any communication regarding this. The upside is despite being initially told it is just bad luck, after several phone calls all members of our travelling party were able to be accommodated with flight changes to depart the following day with a better 23 hour flight time from Geneva to Syd via AUH. Emails were sent asking why no notification was received, but no response was forthcoming. So my message is be OCD everyone and keep checking those bookings!

 

[Velocity Frequent Flyer]

Hi Jurahn, apologies for the delay in this change being communicated to you. If your contact details are up-to-date in your booking, the Virgin Australia flight change team should be in touch with you soon. If you'd like to send a private message with your PNR, phone number and email, I'll make sure you're contacted as soon as possible.

 

[Jurahn]

Thanks for the quick reply VFF - yes, all my contact details are up to date as I used my Velocity login when making the booking, and usually receive all communications from Virgin/Velocity without any problems. I will PM the booking details to you now - many thanks!

 

[dandandan]

I have exactly the same situation for a late April flight and have had no notification either. My wife is on a separate booking for the same flight as my son and myself and she has had no notification either, I wonder when we will get some?. To make it worse we were all seated together in row 3 and we now we have different seating. My son and myself have been put in row 19 and my wife row 4, I am a Plat member and my wife is Partner Plat. Jurahn, when do you originally book these flights? mine were booked in November as reward seats so maybe the latest schedule wasn't loaded in when I booked in but who knows.

Thanks for the quick reply VFF - yes, all my contact details are up to date as I used my Velocity login when making the booking, and usually receive all communications from Virgin/Velocity without any problems. I will PM the booking details to you now - many thanks!

 

[Jurahn]

I have exactly the same situation for a late April flight and have had no notification either. My wife is on a separate booking for the same flight as my son and myself and she has had no notification either, I wonder when we will get some?. To make it worse we were all seated together in row 3 and we now we have different seating. My son and myself have been put in row 19 and my wife row 4, I am a Plat member and my wife is Partner Plat. Jurahn, when do you originally book these flights? mine were booked in November as reward seats so maybe the latest schedule wasn't loaded in when I booked in but who knows.

The change to the flight schedule in my case must have been very recent, as I only made the booking on 13 March - so as VFF has said in a PM, the flight change team are probably working their way through the list of affected passengers now - it's just that I got in first! LOL

 

[aaronm]

Was reviewing a booking just now and it looks like my VA7 flight in November has been pushed back an hour, arriving at LAX at 0630 instead of 0530. Good thing I checked beforehand as I was about to book an onward domestic flight with what would now be a fairly tight connection.

Virgin - please update your process to advise customers of these changes as soon as they occur, this isn't the first time I've "discovered" a flight time change well in advance of any formal notification!

 

[carwashhair]

Looking for some suggestions here folks - Originally booked Y+ reward SYD-AKL-RAR connecting flights for December, and RAR-AKL back. Just checked the booking, and the AKL-RAR/RAR-AKL legs have now changed flight times, so that the onward flight (presumably) misses MCT (SYD-AKL arrives 15:35, AKL-RAR dep 16:20). No notice from VA regarding this.

VA have now changed my intinerary so that the AKL-RAR leg is for the following day, necessitating a 24hr stopover in AKL. Since we have accom already booked, we'll miss a night in RAR. I know it's still near 6mths out, but given the accommodation is booked and paid I feel I need to get on top of this with VA.

What do you think my options are, or what I could request? There's an earlier SYD-AKL flight provided by NZ, but they don't sell Y+. Ought I be aiming for J class on Air NZ, or requesting a refund of points flying Y? Would I be eligible for accommodation+expenses in AKL? Is it worth trying the VA rep here before the Call centre?