VA cancels all NZ flights up until NOV22

[indigo1]

Have VA announced when/if they will be flying to NZ again? I have a covid flight credit with them....would rather the money back than trying to make it work as I'm in DUD and I can't see DUD-BNE coming back.

 

[Mattg]

Have VA announced when/if they will be flying to NZ again? I have a covid flight credit with them....would rather the money back than trying to make it work as I'm in DUD and I can't see DUD-BNE coming back.

Yes...

Virgin Australia Won't Return to New Zealand Until November 2022

New Zealand will reopen its border to Australian tourists next month, with quarantine-free travel from Australia resuming from 13 April 2022. Following

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

If you have a Future Flight credit (from a booking originally made before 20 April 2020) you won't be able to get a refund for this amount. But you can use it until 31 January 2023, e.g. to book ZQN-BNE on VA (for travel up to December 2023).

 

[Browntown]

Can anyone tell me how I can use flights credits used from booking (and cancelled twice due to covid) made through webjet for flights with Virgin CHC-MEL return as there is absolutely NO FLIGHTS detailed on the virgin website showing right up until end of Jan 2023 - how are we meant to re-book before credits are due to 'expire' end of Jun or July (tbc) 2022? It seems to be impossible to contact anyone at either webjet NZ or Virgin and if you do they just flick you to the others without providing an answer

I am trying to sort this for my elderly mother who by the time flights may finally resume (unless Virgin go from receivership to insolvency or bankrupt) may not longer be well enough to travel, is it just me who feels they should allow refund or transfer to other airlines or passenger

I am pretty sure when she made the first booking originally in 2019 she didn't expect the travel to be for over three years later!!!!

all advice greatly appreciated

 

[Mwenenzi]

Welcome to AFF

Can anyone tell me how I can use flights credits used from booking (and cancelled twice due to covid) made through webjet for flights with Virgin CHC-MEL return as there is absolutely NO FLIGHTS detailed on the virgin website showing right up until end of Jan 2023 - how are we meant to re-book before credits are due to 'expire' end of Jun or July (tbc) 2022? It seems to be impossible to contact anyone at either webjet NZ or Virgin and if you do they just flick you to the others without providing an answer.

I am trying to sort this for my elderly mother who by the time flights may finally resume (unless Virgin go from receivership to insolvency or bankrupt) may not longer be well enough to travel, is it just me who feels they should allow refund or transfer to other airlines or passenger

I am pretty sure when she made the first booking originally in 2019 she didn't expect the travel to be for over three years later!!!!

All advice greatly appreciated

VA never had many flights CHC-MEL. Only a few days a week, but were at more sociable times than Air NZ and cheap. (I have flown VA on that route)
Looking for MEL CHC shows "not available" up to 30 Oct (stopped looking)
VA were selling ZQN-BNE for later in the year (ski season), but that will not help you.
Webjet will only do what VA say can be done. That's always the problem when booking with an online travel agent OTA. OTA's are more computer programmers than real travel agents.

Check if this is applicable to your ticket/credit

Future Flight credits | Virgin Australia

www.virginaustralia.com

We are extending the expiry date of Future Flight credits which are due to expire before 30 January 2023. Your credits will be available to make bookings until 31 January 2023, and can be used for travel up to 27 December 2023. If your credit is stored in a Travel Bank, it will be updated individually and we anticipate this will be completed prior to 6 May 2022.

Virgin 1 were never in receivership, but administration. Virgin 2 is a different business with different owners.

 

[ozstamps]

I am pretty sure when she made the first booking originally in 2019 she didn't expect the travel to be for over three years later!!!!

She is not alone.

 

[randompunter]

Would it be risky to book flights to ZQN when VA return to NZ in early November? I see reasonably priced J, but I'd hate for this restart to be pushed back and get stuffed around with cancelling and re-booking etc. Do AFF punters think this is a safe bet or would hold off until VA fully re-establishes itself into NZ with flights to AKL, CHC, WLG too?

Thanks for any advice, our VA SG extensions run out in March and not sure how much flying we might get in before then but am keen to use VA more after some recent terrible QF trips.

 

[gwilli1]

Would it be risky to book flights to ZQN when VA return to NZ in early November? I see reasonably priced J, but I'd hate for this restart to be pushed back and get stuffed around with cancelling and re-booking etc. Do AFF punters think this is a safe bet or would hold off until VA fully re-establishes itself into NZ with flights to AKL, CHC, WLG too?

Thanks for any advice, our VA SG extensions run out in March and not sure how much flying we might get in before then but am keen to use VA more after some recent terrible QF trips.

I think VA have been quite open and consistant for a while now , saying that ZQN will their first step back into resuming their NZ operations , recommence in Nov, so whilst never a guarantee , I personally think there is a level of confidence it will occur.

 

[SteveLL]

Would it be risky to book flights to ZQN when VA return to NZ in early November? I see reasonably priced J, but I'd hate for this restart to be pushed back and get stuffed around with cancelling and re-booking etc. Do AFF punters think this is a safe bet or would hold off until VA fully re-establishes itself into NZ with flights to AKL, CHC, WLG too?

Thanks for any advice, our VA SG extensions run out in March and not sure how much flying we might get in before then but am keen to use VA more after some recent terrible QF trips.

Should be ok… Queenstown is packed with Aussie tourists at the moment and Virgin is definitely eyeing the prize

 

[drsmithy]

Should be ok… Queenstown is packed with Aussie tourists at the moment and Virgin is definitely eyeing the prize

Yeah, I was equal parts disappointed and amazed they didn't restart at least BNE-ZQN or SYD-ZQN to catch the current ski season. Now we're at the mercy of QF to get there in September (NZ on the way home).

 

[henrus]

When there were previous VA cancellations across the tasman there was the ability to be rebooked on Air NZ operated services. Obviously this is not as useful into ZQN where Air NZ don't operate any J cabin flights.

 

[Mattg]

I think the November Queenstown restart with VA is a reasonably safe bet.

 

[randompunter]

Thanks - I have booked a one way in J ZQN-BNE-TSV in early December. I wanted a stopover in BNE and for some reason the garbage VA website didn't seem to bring up Queenstown as a valid option in the multicity search page. However subbing SYD for ZQN in the search and then altering the URL on the select flight page back to ZQN was a half decent work around. Half decent because J was greyed out initially but after faffing around for a bit I was able to get a J option to appear; sorry can't remember exactly what I clicked but the whole thing was very clunky.

I vaguely recall a few years back being able to parse a multli-leg itinerary to the VA website from ITA Matrix using Powertools but this doesn't seem to work with VA anymore. Could be my dodgy memory though.

 

[Atleastonce]

Is there anyway I can fly BNE - AKL and get virgin status credits on any partner airline.

 

[Mattg]

Is there anyway I can fly BNE - AKL and get virgin status credits on any partner airline.

You could fly via Adelaide, using Qatar Airways for the trans-Tasman leg.

Otherwise, once Queenstown starts you could fly BNE-ZQN and then ZQN-AKL on NZ/JQ but you wouldn't get any status credits for the ZQN-AKL leg.

 

[AIRwin]

Kia Ora VA! Flights resume tomorrow:

 

[ozstamps]

Yawn.

Zippo seats for CHC and AKL in Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb on a check just now.

Maybe the spotty geeks who crashed the Velocity website this week are in charge of the NZ flights data loading?

 

[lovestotravel]

I've booked MEL-ZQN-MEL for July 2023, they better keep the flights operating

 

[AIRwin]

I've booked MEL-ZQN-MEL for July 2023, they better keep the flights operating

Flight resumes on Thursday:

 

[jase05]

Yawn.

Zippo seats for CHC and AKL in Nov/Dec/Jan/Feb on a check just now.

Maybe the spotty geeks who crashed the Velocity website this week are in charge of the NZ flights data loading?

VA has no intention to fly to CHC or AKL at this stage.
ZQN will be their only NZ port for some time I’d think

 

[ozstamps]

Yes maybe they should focus on heavily used tourist trunk routes, like Launceston to Invercargill.