Cancelling a flight due to chicken pox - any advice on cancellation?

[Lr255]

Hi all,

We fly in 3 days with Air France/ virgin and my 2 year old has the pox. Quick google tells me she can’t fly with it. I’m more concerned how I will get reimbursed or if the flights can be moved? I’m reluctant to contact the airline until I have a plan! Should I ask a doctor to write a note confirming it? Usually they don’t want to see pox patients and I would hate to spread it around. Such a dilemma!

I'd start by looking at the fine print in Virgin and/or AFs conditions' of carriage, ..you should able to do that via Google or similar, no need for a booking reference:

flywith.virginatlantic.com/gb/en/prepare-to-fly/conditions-of-carriage/article-10.html

Your travel insurance should cover it, they will almost certainly want a Doctor's certificate.

It would be so wrong to travel & risk infecting all on the 'plane.

Your travel insurance will pay out, you might need a doctors note but they won’t usually want your daughter to attend.

You can’t fly with pox. The atmosphere is likely to make her feel a whole lot worse, but more than that, she’ll infect everyone else. I hope she’s over it soon, though!

If you talk to your insurance; you’ll be able to find out if they’ll automatically pay out or if you can move the flight if she’s recovered within a certain period. It’ll probably depend on how long you were due to fly for, though.

Thank you, she seems generally ok at the moment thankfully but I would rather cancel or reschedule than risk infecting anyone. Chances are my other daughter will get it in a week or so too! Holiday can wait, I just don’t want to be out of pocket but I’m so nervous to take on my insurance company as they are usually so quick to say ‘nope not covered’. I’m really not keen on taking her to the docs either to be told yes it’s chicken pox so that they can write a note and infect people in the waiting room! I’m not sure how to request ‘proof’ otherwise? We bought the flights in June last year but we can wait/rebook hopefully!! So stressful!

oh, just call the insurers. you will be covered with a doctor's note. If they start playing up, just escalate and complain.

ring the surgery to ask for advice about a note, you are wise not to bring her in.