Virgin offers ‘alternative’ holidays for Bali bound travellers

Virgin offers ‘alternative’ holidays for Bali bound travellers
By Daisy Melwani


In a bid to appease thousands of disrupted holidaymakers, Virgin Australia has offered up a number of other destinations for guests booked to travel to Denpasar (Bali).

The airline said as a “result of the ongoing volcanic eruption at Mt Ruang in Denpasar (Bali), Virgin Australia is offering guests booked to travel to Denpasar (Bali) the option of switching to alternative holiday destinations”.

The 12 different Australian and overseas island and coastal holiday destinations available to guests booked to travel from Australia to Denpasar who have not yet commenced their travel with Virgin Australia is valid for booking until 28 July 2015, the airline stated.

“Virgin Australia will honour the value of original Denpasar airfares paid by guests for these new destinations. If the value of the new airfare is less than the amount paid for the Denpasar airfare, the balance can be applied towards specially discounted accommodation at the new destination or kept in the guest’s travel bank for use towards flights at another time.”

The new destinations available include:

  • Port Vila (Vanuatu)
  • Nadi (Fiji)
  • Apia (Samoa)
  • Phuket (Thailand)
  • Cairns
  • Darwin
  • Broome
  • Hamilton Island
  • Whitsunday Coast
  • Gold Coast
  • Brisbane
  • Sunshine Coast

Guests with travel booked from Australia to Denpasar between 8 July and 28 July 2015 are required to call the Guest Contact Centre on 13 67 89 (from Australia) to cancel their existing Denpasar (Bali) flights. Once they have received a Travel Credit, they can choose to switch holiday destinations for travel until 30 August 2015 as well as purchase discounted accommodation through Virgin Australia Holidays.

Virgin has also warned guests who are considering a change in destination to check the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) of their travel insurance policy.

“We recommend you contact the insurer to understand your current policy and coverage for a new destination and duration. Virgin Australia’s insurance provider Allianz can be reached on 1300 725 154,” the airline stated.

Meanwhile, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have resumed services to the Indonesian resort island after a cloud of volcanic ash twice forced the closure of Denpasar airport over the past week.

Jetstar ran 19 services in and out of Bali yesterday, with about 2000 travellers returning to Australia this morning. A further 2400 will be back by Wednesday morning.

Virgin Australia has already brought home 350 passengers on two flights that departed on Monday. That number will have climbed to about 2000 by early on Wednesday. The move has been welcomed from stranded passengers, with one family complaining they now face bankruptcy after being forced to pay for new airfares to depart Indonesia.

The two airlines are planning a total of 36 flights in and out of Bali today. Read more

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