Virgin Australia is providing refunds to over 60,000 passengers after realizing that an internal error caused inflated fees for itinerary changes over the past five years. The airline has launched a program for passengers who made changes to their bookings between April 21, 2020, and March 31 of this year to apply for refunds. The error affected about 0.1% of all bookings within the five-year period. Virgin Australia discovered the issue recently and has taken steps to prevent it from happening in the future. They have also enlisted the help of Deloitte to handle the refund claims process and created an online portal for the program. The average refund per guest is $55, but some passengers may be eligible for up to $200. Virgin Australia has apologized to those affected and informed the consumer watchdog of the initiative. The refund program will be open for 12 months, and eligible customers will be contacted by the airline. The airline’s private equity owner, Bain Capital, is planning to return the company to the Australian stock exchange in June after a five-year absence, and the refund program comes just a week after the appointment of the airline’s new chief executive, Dave Emerson, who will lead the airline into its new partnership with Qatar Airways.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/10/virgin-australia-flight-refunds-61000-passengers-after-charging-incorrect-itinerary-change-fees