The Human Cost of Cancelled Flights: Olivia's Virgin nightmare

Olivia and her husband had been enjoying the trip of a lifetime only to be plunged into days and nights of fear and uncertainty when their flight home to Manchester was cancelled.

Their intensely stressful experience of making their way home to Nottingham in time to ensure that Olivia had the medication she needed was not just unpleasant but has left them hundreds of pounds out of pocket.

Their experience speaks to how, even when airlines follow the regulations on compensation, the cost of cancelled flights, which includes the time, energy and other expenses incurred, can leave travellers in a terrible position, with the fond memories of their holiday over-written by logistical travel nightmares.

This is Olivia’s story…

After a fantastic trip in Las Vegas, our travel nightmare started on Tuesday 17th June. At the airport we found out that our Virgin flight from Las Vegas to Manchester Airport was delayed. We were meant to depart at 15.30 but it was delayed at 16.00 due to technical difficulties. At that point we were assured that the issue was going to be resolved within the next hour. However, communication started to break down: Virgin staff stopped communicating and we were nervously waiting for updates when, around 16.40, the announcement was made to tell us that the flight had been cancelled. We were told to collect our luggage and make our way up to the travel desk and wait for the attendant. We duly did so and then waited for five hours to be told our next steps.

At this time we began to feel a little concerned because some of the other passengers had been told there are only certain flights left. I was particularly uneasy because we only packed what we needed, including vital medication. I have a heart condition called Postural Orthopaedic tachycardia Syndrome which is controlled by steroids. If I did not take my medication and was put under stress I would pass out and my muscles shake and spasm.

We informed the Virgin attendant about my condition and the concerns we had that the added delays to getting home to Nottingham would mean that I would run out of my medication. While she could see the immense stress it was causing us, the best she could provide for us was connecting flights to Manchester, which allowed us to land on the 19th of June so we would be back in time to pick up my next medication dosage on the morning of June the 20th.

We were given a flight from Las Vegas to Minneapolis, then to Amsterdam and then, eventually, on to Manchester. We were also offered a hotel for the night there in Las Vegas and a food voucher but not the taxi fare there and back to the airport. As we were at the end of our time in America we were already low on funds and thought we should play it safe and save some money in case we needed food in the airport – so we could claim it back and have food so I can take my medication.

“[O]ur worst nightmare was coming true…”

Having made the decision not to travel to the hotel we stayed overnight in the airport from 22:20 till 06:00 waiting for our next flight to Minneapolis. This flight was operated by Delta: the attendant who helped us check in was so helpful. By the time we got onto our flight, we were absolutely exhausted and slept the whole journey. When we arrived in Minneapolis we had a layover of seven hours. As we had already been through security we made our way to the lounge and waited for the next flight while trying to charge our devices and let family and friends know the situation. We were due to board at 19.00 but at 18.30 there was an announcement: there were technical difficulties with the plane and technicians were on board.

My husband and I felt dreadful: our worst nightmare was coming true. Not long after, the flight was completely cancelled. My husband immediately rushed to the desk to see what was happening.They were trying to put us on a different connecting flight but this would still mean again meaning we would be home till late 20th or 21st of June.

“[I]f we hadn’t been extremely pushy […] we would not have been put on the next flight to Heathrow”

At this point I was becoming truly distressed, more and more uncertain about getting home. My husband was begging the staff to do whatever they could to get us home. I was really shocked at the lack of organisation and the staff’s lack of knowledge when it came to getting us onto another flight to the UK, rather than connecting flights internally within the United States of America. Fed up with being pushed from pillar to post we sought out another attendant. With this second flight we were anxious about what it meant in terms of compensation: but they wouldn’t answer our questions and didn’t seem to care how we were being affected. Finally after many hours of begging them, they managed to get us on a flight to Heathrow Airport – while it was not ideal we took it just so we could be back in the UK.

On reflection, I feel like if we hadn’t been extremely pushy and constantly imploring them for help we would not have been put on the next flight to Heathrow and instead waited until the next day and had more internal flights, adding many many more hours of layovers and time we didn’t have.

When we finally arrived back in the UK we still had a ways to go: our car was parked at Manchester airport. After taking the underground to the train station, we caught the 15:15 train from London to Crewe then from Crewe to Manchester. All in all we had to pay £320 out of our own pocket again to make our way to Manchester Airport to collect my car so we could drive home.

By the time we got to the car park it was 19:15 and we had to pay a penalty for the late fee – another thing that had caused us stress, not knowing how much it would be and whether we would have to cover the cost ourselves. Fortunately it was only £16. We then proceeded to drive back to home in Nottinghamshire, finally getting home at 21:30 on the 19th of June.

“Now when people ask us about the holiday all we can really talk about is this flight nightmare.”

In the following days we were in touch with Virgin who offered us compensation for the cancelled flight. However, while the £1080 they have offered covers the cost of cancelled flights they have said that they won’t reimburse the £327 for the train to get back to Manchester and collect my car.

So at the end of this whole experience we will have to pay a parking fine on top of the money we had to pay for food and travelling from Heathrow to Manchester. We are working people and have been left seriously out of pocket. It just doesn’t feel like a good enough response.

Money aside, the stress of the whole experience has ruined what should have been a wonderful holiday. Now when people ask us about our special trip all we can really talk about is this flight nightmare.

The human cost of cancelled flights

Olivia’s journey home from what was meant to be the trip of a lifetime shows just how fragile even the best-planned holidays can be when things go wrong.

What started as a technical delay spiralled into days of uncertainty, exhaustion, and distress – particularly dangerous given Olivia’s medical needs. Despite eventually making it back, the cost was not just financial, but emotional and physical too.

Olivia’s story is a stark reminder that even when compensation is offered, the human cost of airline disruption often goes far beyond a cancelled flight. Airlines may meet their legal obligations, but that doesn’t always equate to meaningful support when people are stranded, sick, and desperate for help.

For other travellers, the lesson is clear: always travel with contingency plans where possible: whether it’s extra medication, travel insurance with strong disruption cover, or the knowledge of your rights as a passenger.

More importantly, Olivia’s experience highlights the need for airlines to go beyond box-ticking, especially when vulnerable customers are involved. Because behind every cancelled flight is a real person, someone just trying to get home.

With Resolver Stories you can read real experiences of people fighting for fairness and share your own. Whether you scored a big win or are stuck in an absurd or never-ending nightmare, we want to hear from you!