How nice to get a reply ,but not the answers. Of course Virgin Balloons will not tell you how many people do NOT get their flight. That would be giving the game away. How many people simply give up trying ? Add these two figures up and possibly the total number would be shocking !! I had to go to the Trading Standards and my local newspaper to get my flight after 3 years of hassle. Virgin balloons are a disgrace.

2007-2008-......and 5 cancellations so far in 2009...next one booked in August.Watch this space!

Reply to previous post. (ex-vbf) I find it difficult to appreciate the reasons you have mentioned why flights can be cancelled.In reality,some launch sites would be lucky to get one flight per month.Its a disgrace that people don,t know this and just keep on booking a flight from the very same site,year on year.Does anyone care you are still trying to get your flight from a launch site that does not see many flights. The answer is NO, they have your money. Regarding your sad story about the damaged trailer,balloon, etc With the shed load of monies recieved there should be a spare balloon,trailer and basket to cover a breakdown in 3-4-5 counties.Regardless of cost !! If you don,t get your flight on a fine hot summers day then its not much help waiting for a rainy day is it? Do you think balloon flights are still booked from a launch site when they already know theres no chance of it going ahead regardless of the weather. Perhaps the real reason is that here are not enough resources to serve an estimated 20.000+ new customers each year. Why should anyone wait 3/4/5 years. I did not know there was a post-code lottery..... where less flights can apply.... depending on where you live and how busy that area is.Thats a good one.Theres no mention of this in the Terms and Conditions. You still have to spend extra money on phone calls(are they premium rate phone tariffs?) You constantly reschedule your work to accommodate a possible flight and repeatedly become disappointed.. That's not in the Terms and Conditions either. Your flight could cost you alot more by the time you get it and you certainly won,t be a happy customer by the time you do get it.There should be warnings about the waiting list,the time it could take and the added cost. Most people enjoy a memorable experience and probably purchase this treat on instinct.They have no idea how long they could be waiting. So,perhaps many don,t know the pitfalls untill they have paid out valuable money.You have the terms and conditions sent to you once you have paid,but they can be found on the website. It would be interesting to know how many people gave up trying to get a flight? How many tickets expire or their ticket made invalid because of the Terms and Conditions.? How many people never got their flight or their money back? How many are on the waiting list? Answers on a postcard please. Perhaps people who have been waiting more than 1 year should be guaranteed a flight in the 2nd season.Then that would help keep flights to two years more or less guaranteed. Or, if you are unfortunate to encounter more than ten cancellations you should be refunded in full ...or offered to be a "top priority" for a flight and a generous refund given. Having a safe flight is obviously important but your flight should be available within a reasonable time slot. Its not much fun complaining. People don,t need all this hassle.The rules need changing in favour of the customer.So much for the experience of a lifetime.

Good luck.

Go on Virgin Balloon website and after a bit of searching you can find the terms and conditions. Not all launch sites will be available to choose from when you try and book a flight.It may well say there are 4/5 launch sites in your county,but only 2 sites are available when you search for a booking and date.You may even have to book in another county. Obviously you can only make one booking at any one time...so perhaps after 6 attempts the balloon flying season is finished and you have to request an extension of your ticket,usually in writing.. This extension is sometimes allowed and at Virgin Balloons discretion. Many new customers don,t have a clue how long it may take to get a balloon flight. Do the pilots use a national weather forecast ? When the media are warning us about heatstroke and the heatwave your balloon flight may be oddly cancelled because of potential rain and waterlogged ground on the launch site. If there are clear skies then perhaps its too windy.Its frustrating to witness a fine,clear,sunny day and still get a cancellation message.Its a farce !!

Go to the Virgin Balloon website and you will also read that they hope to exceed 25.000 balloon bookings of new customers in one year and theres a recruitment drive for more staff at the Head Office.. It beggars the questions of just how many people are on the database waiting list and how many attempts will it take to actually get your balloon flight.Why would you book a flight and still wait up to 5 years for a flight when each year more and more people are added to the waiting list.Many people just simply give up trying.The advertisements makes it sound so appealing and exciting but most people don,t realize what contract they are entering. Its a raw deal.Virgin Balloons prefer to have your money rather than help you get your balloon flight.i

What un-suspecting people don,t realize there are no guarrantees you will ever get your Hot Air Balloon flight and if it is a non-refundable flight you will not get your money back either.The usual excuse for cancelling your flight will be the bad weather conditions. Even on a nice summers day your balloon flight will probably still be cancelled due to poor weather and you only have the option of re-booking another flight,and so on. On the "Virgin Balloon" website it advertises over 100 UK launch sites but are there 100 Virgin balloon pilots? In fact they have the portfolio of just 16 pilots profiles on the website.So would that mean that if only one pilot is covering a possible 2/3 counties and up to 6 or more launch sites on "am" and "pm" flights, 7 days a week, there could be a chance you could be waiting for a very long time or you simply never get your flight.