LOS ANGELES (Legal Newsline) — Virgin Airlines is facing a class action lawsuit over its allege denial of refunds to ticket-holders for cancelled flights during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Danielle Yoshimura filed a complaint April 20 in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against Virgin Group Limited, Virgin Holdings Limited and Does 1 through 50 alleging fraud and other claims.
Yoshimura alleges in her class action that she purchased multiple Virgin airline tickets in March of 2020, for a round trip between Los Angeles and Sydney. She claims that Virgin unilaterally canceled the flights due to the COVID-19 pandemic and instead of providing her with a full refund, Virgin issued her "travel bank" funds that expire after one year and which she would not be able to use to reserve her original travel due to Virgin's elimination of international flights.
She further claims Virgin misled and deceived consumers about flight prices and alleges Virgin's denial of a refund for the airline tickets due to the cancelled flights is a "bait-and-switch tactic" and that the credits were valueless to her, which constitutes breach of contract as well as other federal and state laws.
Yoshimura and the class seek monetary relief, interest, trial by jury and all other just relief. They are represented by Shalini Dogra of The Dogra Law Group PC in Santa Monica, California.
U.S. District Court for the Central District of California case number 2:23-CV-030230-DMG-AFM