One week ago on 3/20/20, one week before my flight from Tijuana to Puerta Vallarta, I emailed Volaris to try and change my flight (see email below). I continued to check the website, but the website would not let me change my flight unless it was a flight in the following month, which was not possible given the coronavirus explosion and Americans' inability to travel to Mexico and rapidly changing situation. By March 24th, I was driving my elderly mother back to her house in Northern California, so she could isolate/quarantine and was not checking email as I had given up on reaching anyone at Volaris. 3 days before my flight, I was sent an email that I could change my flight using the website, but I did not get back home until today, the day of my flight out of Tijuana, by which time the website did not allow me to change my outbound flight from Tijuana to Puerta Vallarta today, March 27, 2020. I was able to change the return flight for Christmas, so I did. The problem is I no longer have a flight from Tijuana to Puerta Vallarta. Because of the radically changing conditions and government mandate, I was not allowed by the American government to cross the border and was legally mandated to shelter in place in San Diego with my two children.
I tried to call Volaris and their phone tree is a nightmare. It hangs up on you at the end of most of the options.
According to Volari's website, flights that are cancelled due to extraordinary circumstances or due to regulatory authorities, their policy is "We will give you an electronic for the amount of the base fare and the additional services you purchased. You can use it to book a new flight in the next 30 days, to travel within 12 months." Because of the pandemic Coronavirus - and our inability to suddenly cross the border using our cross border ticket to catch a flight in TJ - we are in an extraordinary circumstance DUE TO regulatory authorities.
Read the policy here:
https://flights.volaris.com/en-us/faq-coronavirus
Good luck getting your flight changed or contacting Volaris! If you go online and try to change/modify your reservation, you're only able to change it for a short window (less than a month) after the original flight. If you try to call (I called the English line: 855 865 2747), a nightmare circular recorded message gets you nowhere no matter what option you choose. See my attempts through the phone tree below:
Pressed 1:
Then pressed 1 - got recorded message to visit Facebook, website, or app (got nowhere)
Then pressed 2 - got recorded message to visit Facebook, website, or app (got nowhere)
Pressed 2:
Then pressed 1; got recorded message to visit Facebook, website, or app (got nowhere)
Then pressed 2; got recorded message to visit Facebook, website, or app (got nowhere)
Pressed 3:
Pressed 1; got recorded message to visit Facebook, website, or app (got nowhere)
Pressed 2; froze twice; no pick up
Pressed 3; froze twice; no pick up
Pressed * (getting desperate)
Got recorded message to visit Facebook, website, or app (got nowhere)
Pressed 4
Pressed 1: Left my phone number for someone to call me back
(I got exhausted and did no press other options of 6, 8, or 9)
We would like to take this trip at a later time when our health would not be in jeopardy and we would not get in trouble with the US Government by traveling to Mexico. The total cost of our trip was $1,293.64 USD.
Looks like it's down the toilet.
Volaris if you care and actually contact me to remedy this situation, happy to amend my review! shambo73@gmail.com
Thanks.
Shannon read more