Virgin Australia rejects refund for blind woman desperate to fly to Los Angeles

A disability pensioner has spoken out about how she’s unable to visit her dying son in the US despite spending $15,000 on flights.

A blind pensioner could lose $15,000 worth of flight credits this month after Virgin Australia refused to allow her to use them toward a trip to the United States to visit her son.

Australians who booked a Virgin flight before the company entered voluntary administration are set to lose $276m in unused credits on December 31, with the airline taking a hard line stance toward unhappy customers.

Under the strain of Covid travel bans, Virgin went bust just one month after the Australian government closed federal borders in March 2020, transforming excited travellers into unsecured creditors.

Virgin has come under fire for its decision to not extend the deadline for customers affected by their time in voluntary administration. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Damian Shaw

The 71-year-old is legally blind and therefore requires a companion to travel with her. Photo: ABC

US private investment firm Bain Capital snapped up the struggling airline, bringing it out of administration in November 2020.

While many customers have been granted credits they’ve been able to put toward future flights, others have had their travel plans halted as Virgin no longer offers the routes they initially booked.

That’s the case for disability pensioner Karen Lancaster, who had drained her superannuation account in 2019 to buy two return business class tickets to Los Angeles to visit her family for the first time in years.

As Ms Lancaster is legally blind, she needs a carer to travel and opted for business class tickets to make the long haul flight more comfortable with her health issues.

“I‘m 71, I have some health issues,” she told ABC-TV’s 7.30.

“[My son has] had leukaemia, it might be my one and last chance to see him and, I’ve never met my granddaughter, she’ll be 21 in February.”

Ms Lancaster said after her flights to the US were cancelled in June 2020, she was told that she would be able to fly to Los Angeles when borders reopened.

Virgin posted a profit of $129m in the last financial year. Picture: NCA NewsWire /Brenton Edwards

However, with Virgin Australia cutting down on international routes and customers not being able to use the credits with other airlines, she’s left with no way to get to Los Angeles.

“And so I never worried I could have got my money back, and then they changed their mind,” she said.

“They told me that they wouldn’t give me a refund, that I could use my money as a credit to go anywhere in Australia, New Zealand, Christmas Island, Bali, Fiji, Solomon Islands.”

In response to the criticism from customers and consumer advocates, Virgin has defended its decision to keep the December deadline for customers affected by the issue.

“We are committed to helping customers impacted by flight cancellations, and we have extended the expiry date for Future Flight Credits multiple times in recognition of the challenges Covid posed to travel,” an airline spokesperson said.

“These credits will expire on 31 December 2023, over three years after they were issued.”

Virgin has managed to rebound strongly since it entered administration, posting its first profit in more than a decade of $129m in the last financial year.