Virgin America Elevate - Any chance of refund for family emergency?

We were on vacation in Vegas this week when we got news that my father-in-law was critically ill and we had to fly home early.

We were due to fly LAS>SFO this Saturday but there was no VX availability so we had to buy a new UA ticket instead.

Is there any chance Virgin will refund for this ticket in special circumstances? I'm guessing maybe not because otherwise people might try and use this excuse all the time...

Otherwise my only option seems to be to get a credit file and try and sell it (about $500). Am I allowed to post offering a credit file for sale on FT? The file is useless to me as I live in the UK and I'm not expecting to return to the US in the next year (especially as my wife is 6M pregnant!).

Isn't that the sort of thing that travel insurance is for?

I think you are are right when you say others would use similar excuses. It would open the gates for all sorts of scammers.

Best of luck with your upcoming happy event.

Nick

Call Virgin America Guest Care. They may make accommodations for you under the circumstances. Be sure to choose the option for support for "post flight" issues.

Good luck to your family.

We were on vacation in Vegas this week when we got news that my father-in-law was critically ill and we had to fly home early.

We were due to fly LAS>SFO this Saturday but there was no VX availability so we had to buy a new UA ticket instead.

Is there any chance Virgin will refund for this ticket in special circumstances? I'm guessing maybe not because otherwise people might try and use this excuse all the time...

Otherwise my only option seems to be to get a credit file and try and sell it (about $500). Am I allowed to post offering a credit file for sale on FT? The file is useless to me as I live in the UK and I'm not expecting to return to the US in the next year (especially as my wife is 6M pregnant!).

They have a policy that allows waiving change fees in case of a medical or family emergency, but, unless you bought a refundable fare, you'll be left with a credit instead. If you already flew another airline and missed the flight instead of calling, you might be stuck. I'd suggest calling their Guest Relations and seeing there's anything they can do.