Thread: Virgin Balloon flights

Hi
I wondering if any one had any ideas, last year we booked a balloon flight for 2 with virgin @ £130.00 Each, it does state that the ticket has an expiry date, we have booked 2 flights which where cancelled due to bad weather, not their fault or ours. on our last booking we where told that the expiry date would not come into effect as it was getting close to the end of the season.
The tickets expired on 5/5/09, we have not been able to make extra booking due to work commitments and also child care provisions are a problem.
I tried to book again today only to be told they would not extend the period of validity on the ticket. is there anything I can do to get them to extend the validity period.
Quote from Terms & Conditions
CANCEELLATION OR POSTONMENT BY US OR THE PILOT
18. We or your pilot may at our discretion cancel your flight for any booked date or alter its time without notice because of matters beyond our control, for example adverse weather conditions, or for safety or legal reasons. However you will be given as much notice of any cancellationor lateration is possible.
20.
If your flight on any booked date is cancelled under paragraph 18 you must re-book for a date and time within your voucher's validity period. if it is not possible to take your flight during that period, we will extend if for such further period as we in our discretion decide.

We took it from the last booking we made that they had, at their discretion extended the validity period for the ticket.

Is there anything we can do to make them honour the tickets, I feel that it is unfair that we have to lose £260.00.
How can they justify putting a voucher expiriy when it is a service that will not go out of date. I would not mind paying an increase if the ticket prices had gone up however they are actually cheaper this year.


Any Comments would be appreciated
Thank Wayne

With virgins and balloons, it only takes one prick and they're gone. Looks as if the same may be true of virgin balloon flights.

It certainly seems very harsh and is probably just the decision of some individual who thinks that the company will go under if you are allowed a little leeway in the T&Cs.

Could you post all of the T&Cs please and also let me know a little more about the dates.
When were the tickets brought? What were the flight dates which you booked, how were they cancelled etc.

I think that I see a way forward but you haven't supplied much info.

Thanks for taking time to read this I will post more detailed info tommorrow, can I scan the t& C 's and post them as an attachment. there are some on their website but not the same as on the tickets.

we have booked the morning flights so we only know the flight is cancelled when we have to ring the flight line after 11:00pm night before to confirm flight is still on. By this time both have already booked time of work which for cannot be cancelled at short notice because cover is arrranged.

For AM & Day Flights: please call the flightline from 11:00Pm night before you flight.

We purchased the tickets on 9/05/08 booked first flight for on or around 6th june. cancelled at 11:00pm Night Before. Not even bad weather nice clear day.
Booked another flight in Aug/ Sept.cancelled 11:00pm night before. wife rang to book another flight and was told it was coming up to the end of the season so cancellation would be more frequent. they then suggested that the expiry date would not apply.
we could not continue to book with the chance of cancelling due to childcare and work committments. waited till now because less chance of cancellation and was under impression the tickets would be valid.
Sorry not sure if link should be posted please remove if not allowed.
Thanks Wayne

Could you explain to me a little bit as to how it all works. I can't imagine that Virgin actually owns balloon clubs around the country all that there is only one club involved. I sort of imagine that what happens is that really virgin is providing a ticketing system and that balloon clubs in the UK find it convenient to be on their list as it will increase the sales of flight tickets. I think that most balloon clubs are simply comprised of enthusiastic balloonists who pay subscriptions but who also try to sell experience flights to the public in order to help keep subscriptions down the are and to pay the costs of clubhouses and so forth.
Maybe you can comment on this.


Which launch site was scheduled for your flights?

Do you happen to know if there are any other launch sites or balloon clubs in the vicinity of your booked launch site? Please will you find out. There will probably be some national ballooning society.

I imagine that if you look around the Internet you will find some historical weather data for the date of your reserved launch dates. Please will you have a rummage and get this information. This means that you will also have to ascertain the date of your second booking. I expect that there is a national ballooning Association who may be able to help you with this kind of information.

If there is a national ballooning Association, they may well supply guidelines to the member clubs as to how to administer experience flights. I think you should speak to them and ask them what is the typical arrangement when flights are not taken during the initial contractual period. Do not mention your particular problem or refer to Virgin or refer to the club or launch site that you are dealing with. You don't want word getting back.
It might also be worth contacting some ballooning clubs which are not on the Virgin list and see if they have terms and conditions which you can get hold of to compare.
Also, have you any idea who it was you spoke to on the telephone? If you don't know their name then could you describe their voices. I think that you need to set down a complete note of the conversation you had -- who said what to whom and when. Do this straightaway.


Thanks for the link to the contract.
The Virgin contract is a pretty unforgiving little contract. Of course it has to cope with the vagaries of ballooning weather. Not only must the weather be calm and clear, but generally speaking you can only go ballooning in the early morning or in the long late evenings in order to avoid thermic activity which can tend to make ballooning a pretty hairy activity -- especially for newcomers. Still, it can be pretty onerous to be obliged to risk five days off work before there is any chance of having the ticket extended. In

I'd like to know about the terms and conditions which accompany the ticket and which you say are different to those on their website.

I think that you have a pretty good basis for getting your money back.

I'm pretty certain that if Richard Branson knew the way that you are being treated here, that he wouldn't approve.

Hi Bank Fodder Thanks for your reply.

I have spoken to a more helpful person today (DAVE)


He gave me the following information:

• Dates of Booked flights 12th June & 19th July
• Told me that no log of my call was made yesterday by Nick, I asked him to get someone with Authority to return my call.I would still be waiting.
• I asked for details of how many people where booked onto each of the flights, he could not dilvulge such information.
• They own the Balloons and employ the pilots for each flight.

He did state that i could request in writing for an extension of the validity period stating why we did not rebook within 6 months of last cancelled flight, however it does not state this in the contract. (I will tommorrow attatch a copy of the Virgin T&C's in a post).

I asked why they needed to put an expiry date on the tickets, Answer "to make it easier to manage".

I stated that when we rang regarding our last booking we where told the tickets have an expiry dates but they are quite flexible regarding flight dates. we had got concerns regarding being able to rebook and arrange time of work and child care at that time. He said that their sales agent would not say that and the call would have been logged. I then reminded him that yesterdays call had not been logged by Nick. He would not comment further and advised me to write in easking for an extention of the ticket dates.

Weather from Met office However national not regional.

12th to 15th June 2008 A brisk north to north-westerly air flow brought cool and showery weather. The showers were locally heavy during the afternoons, especially on the 15th where thunderstorms cropped up locally across in the south-west and the north-east. Funnel clouds were reported near the Humber estuary on the 15th. Despite a fair amount of sunshine between the showers, temperatures were below the seasonal average, with a brisk breeze making it feel cooler. Unseasonably chilly at night, with rural ground frost occurring in places across central and northern areas, with Shap (Cumbria) recording a minimum temperature of -0.1 °C overnight on the 15th/16th.

19th to 21st July 2008 A cool north-westerly air flow gave bright and breezy conditions, with a mix of sunshine and scattered showers. The showers most prevalent and quite heavy across eastern England, but few and far between towards the sunnier and slightly warmer south-west.

( I definitely remember it being a very bright morning with no raid, I made comment on how nice it would have been) that is what prompted the wife to ring and ask why the flight was cancelled.

Will post Virgins T&C's Tommorow.

OK, see if you can get the rest of the info.
Keep a close note of this call with Dave and also with Nick.
I suggest also that you write a very gentle letter as suggested, asking for the extension. Make the point as you did in your opening post that you would have been prepared to pay an increas in cost and you are not seeking any refund of the difference - you only want to enjoy a balloon flight.
See what they say. If they knock you back then we'll suggest some action

How are you doing on this? Have you asked them nicely yet?

What un-suspecting people don,t realize there are no guarrantees you will ever get your Hot Air Balloon flight and if it is a non-refundable flight you will not get your money back either.The usual excuse for cancelling your flight will be the bad weather conditions.
Even on a nice summers day your balloon flight will probably still be cancelled due to poor weather and you only have the option of re-booking another flight,and so on.
On the "Virgin Balloon" website it advertises over 100 UK launch sites but are there 100 Virgin balloon pilots? In fact they have the portfolio of just 16 pilots profiles on the website.So would that mean that if only one pilot is covering a possible 2/3 counties and up to 6 or more launch sites on "am" and "pm" flights, 7 days a week, there could be a chance you could be waiting for a very long time or you simply never get your flight.

That's very interesting to kow. Have you any links to their pilot register please.

Go to the Virgin Balloon website and you will also read that they hope to exceed 25.000 balloon bookings of new customers in one year and theres a recruitment drive for more staff at the Head Office.. It beggars the questions of just how many people are on the database waiting list and how many attempts will it take to actually get your balloon flight.Why would you book a flight and still wait up to 5 years for a flight when each year more and more people are added to the waiting list.Many people just simply give up trying.The advertisements makes it sound so appealing and exciting but most people don,t realize what contract they are entering.
Its a raw deal.Virgin Balloons prefer to have your money rather than help you get your balloon flight.i

Go on Virgin Balloon website and after a bit of searching you can find the terms and conditions. Not all launch sites will be available to choose from when you try and book a flight.It may well say there are 4/5 launch sites in your county,but only 2 sites are available when you search for a booking and date.You may even have to book in another county. Obviously you can only make one booking at any one time...so perhaps after 6 attempts the balloon flying season is finished and you have to request an extension of your ticket,usually in writing.. This extension is sometimes allowed and at Virgin Balloons discretion.
Many new customers don,t have a clue how long it may take to get a balloon flight.

Do the pilots use a national weather forecast ? When the media are warning us about heatstroke and the heatwave your balloon flight may be oddly cancelled because of potential rain and waterlogged ground on the launch site. If there are clear skies then perhaps its too windy.Its frustrating to witness a fine,clear,sunny day and still get a cancellation message.Its a farce !!

Good luck.

Reply to previous post. (ex-vbf)

I find it difficult to appreciate the reasons you have mentioned why flights can be cancelled.In reality,some launch sites would be lucky to get one flight per month.Its a disgrace that people don,t know this and just keep on booking a flight from the very same site,year on year.Does anyone care you are still trying to get your flight from a launch site that does not see many flights. The answer is NO, they have your money.
Regarding your sad story about the damaged trailer,balloon, etc
With the shed load of monies recieved there should be a spare balloon,trailer and basket to cover a Breakdown in 3-4-5 counties.Regardless of cost !!

If you don,t get your flight on a fine hot summers day then its not much help waiting for a rainy day is it? Do you think balloon flights are still booked from a launch site when they already know theres no chance of it going ahead regardless of the weather. Perhaps the real reason is that here are not enough resources to serve an estimated 20.000+ new customers each year. Why should anyone wait 3/4/5 years.

I did not know there was a post-code lottery..... where less flights can apply.... depending on where you live and how busy that area is.Thats a good one.Theres no mention of this in the terms and conditions.

You still have to spend extra money on phone calls(are they premium rate phone tariffs?) You constantly reschedule your work to accommodate a possible flight and repeatedly become disappointed.. That's not in the terms and conditions either. Your flight could cost you alot more by the time you get it and you certainly won,t be a happy customer by the time you do get it.There should be warnings about the waiting list,the time it could take and the added cost.
Most people enjoy a memorable experience and probably purchase this treat on instinct.They have no idea how long they could be waiting. So,perhaps many don,t know the pitfalls untill they have paid out valuable money.You have the terms and conditions sent to you once you have paid,but they can be found on the website.
It would be interesting to know how many people gave up trying to get a flight?
How many tickets expire or their ticket made invalid because of the Terms and Conditions.? How many people never got their flight or their money back? How many are on the waiting list? Answers on a postcard please.
Perhaps people who have been waiting more than 1 year should be guaranteed a flight in the 2nd season.Then that would help keep flights to two years more or less guaranteed.
Or, if you are unfortunate to encounter more than ten cancellations you should be refunded in full ...or offered to be a "top priority" for a flight and a generous refund given.
Having a safe flight is obviously important but your flight should be available within a reasonable time slot. Its not much fun complaining. People don,t need all this hassle.The rules need changing in favour of the customer.So much for the experience of a lifetime.

The Head of Customer Service Lynsay [EDIT] - please note, it is claimed that her email system does not accept numerical characters within your email address, in case you thought she was ignoring you) has written (on 12th January 2010) that she is personally “disappointed” with the negative feedback that has been left, especially given that she “care[s] a great deal about the level of service [she] offers” and is “proud of [her] position as the UK’s leading balloon rides company”. As she states that she "is always looking at ways [she] can improve [her] service” and so would “appreciate any further comments regarding [their] refund process”, we wrote to her in the hope that she could help resolve problems that I have personally experienced.


She has claimed that “a Virgin Balloon flights ticket or gift package makes a fantastic Christmas present”, and their excellent “express delivery” service enables “peace of mind”, and also that “many” of “over 30,000 passengers a year”, “even those who experience some cancellations, write in to tell [her] how much they enjoyed the experience and that it was worth the wait”. Certainly this is what I hoped when I made a telephone call to purchase a ticket costing £125 as a Christmas present for my son to enable him to experience one of their flights in London and a glass of champagne, courtesy of Richard Branson, for himself. Unfortunately, this was not to be the case.


As Lynsay [EDIT] pointed out, “ballooning is a weather dependent activity,” which might explain why my son was unable to book a flight despite several attempts to do so. And as she states that Virgin Balloon Flights “offer tickets with a weather insurance option for this reason,” I was surprised that this option was not offered me when my purchase was made. Of course, their “highly experienced” pilots “do not cancel flights without very good reason”, although “when this is unavoidable, customers can simply re-book onto another flight”, and since their tickets “have 12 months’ validity”, if “anyone experiences a cancellation in the last sixth months” they will “automatically extend this by six months”. After a number of unsuccessful attempts to book a flight, my son became so concerned that his ticket would expire, that one of their former customer service operators [EDIT] did extend the date of his ticket. However, on his subsequent attempt, he was advised that the London flights were now no longer offered. After a number of further unsuccessful attempts to book a flight, he put the tickets to one side, due to family and work circumstances and a relocation, and his ticket expired. Although attempting to resolve the situation with one of their current customer service advisers, [EDIT], he was informed that they would not be able to offer any extension, as ‘this date has long passed’ and that ‘it would be impossible” to “trade solvently if [they] could not estimate when, or where, any of [your] voucher holders would come forward to redeem their flights’. As I paid £125 for this ticket, and as a goodwill gesture from Virgin Balloon Flights for the great deal of distress and inconvenience this matter has caused my son, I requested some kind of compensation, at least a partial refund, or an offer to extend the ticket, now that my son is again in the position to make use of it. I am sure you will appreciate that it is not his fault that he was unable to book a flight previously.

I am pleased to confirm that Lynsay eventually worked out how to access emails containing numerical characters and sent her rushed response, albeit full of grammatical and factual errors. Sadly she was unable to make any refund or give even partial compensation, but she would like to highlight that the Virgin Balloon Flight Customer Care team are 'wonderful' and offer a small discount if I waste even more money on buying another ticket.

From reading the above thread Looks like best to avoid them then. So a customer needs to be understanding when it involves unavoidable cancelations and just rebook and rebook, but in the case of customer needing a break from rebooking again and again, the ticket is expired.

Seems to me unless you want to spend years shackled to a branson balloon by the ankle for chance place on favourable conditions day, then dont pay them a penny.

Just pay about ten quid on dvd and get the thrill from watching 'up' I say, more fun also xx

Shame on you virgin balloons or as one particular radio station was saying to show customer dissatisfaction in many situations, since the world cup I believe, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO O BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOO
to Virgin. xxxx