Virgin Samoa knock-back

THE Samoan Government has denied Virgin Australia permission to operate five return services per week between Auckland and Apia from 13 Nov.

A Virgin Australia spokesperson said the carrier was disappointed with the news.

“We are working in conjunction with the Australian Government to explore options to encourage the Samoan Government to reconsider its decision.”

About 6,000 pax booked on the AKL-APW route will be impacted.

Virgin said it would fly pax to Samoa via Australia or to other destinations in the Pacific, or provide them with a full refund.

“As a matter of priority, we are working hard to reaccommodate those passengers and will be proactively communicating with them today to discuss their options,” a Virgin Australia spokesperson said.

VA has issued a waiver code BW000078 for changes or refunds for pax affected.

Samoa’s ruling will not affect Virgin’s already-approved twice weekly return services from Sydney to Apia and weekly flights from Brisbane to Apia which begin on 13 Nov.

The news comes after Virgin Australia and the Samoan Govt opted to conclude their Virgin Samoa partnership, with the Govt electing to start up its own Samoa Airways operations ( TD 18 May).