Mistake in email causes Virgin Australia passenger to miss flight
A Virgin Australia passenger was left $800 out of pocket after he arrived at a closed check-in desk despite arriving well before the departure time, and he now believes that it's because of a mistake in the email he received from the airline.
Max Cameron, 64, flies several times a week between Launceston airport in Tasmania and Melbourne for work, and received an email from the airline saying his flight was delayed back in January.
"I got a text and an email from Virgin saying, very sorry to let you know your plane has been delayed by 45 minutes," he told Yahoo News Australia.
The email also read "Check-in will now close 30 minutes prior to this time."
"I thought, well done Virgin. You've come through… you've let me know when I have to be there. And as a result, I got out to the airport at 9:25pm for a 9:45pm closure of check-in," Cameron said.
However when he arrived there was "literally not one person in the Virgin terminal," so he eventually had to leave, with no choice but to buy another flight ticket which cost him $800 including extra accommodation and transport costs.
"I put my tail between the legs, went back and bought another ticket. I was very annoyed about that but I had no choice... check-in closed early," he said.
After submitting an enquiry to the customer service team, they told him he had to arrive 30 minutes before the original departure time - a different instruction to what he received in the email, with the revised departure time.
At the time, the enquiry was closed and the team said he would not receive any compensation.
Cameron, who was unsatisfied with the response, then spoke to a supervisor at the airport, who told him: "Oh my God, it looks like they sent you the wrong email".
According to Yahoo News Australia, Cameron reportedly did receive incorrect information which led him to miss his flight.
Cameron has since been in touch with the airline and hopes to be reimbursed, but remains "unhappy" after what he had to go through.
"It's not the money but the lack of accountability... there is no service mentality anymore," he said.
"What Virgin has done to me is just so wrong".
Images: Yahoo News / Getty