Hi - in a bit of a situation and I was wondering if people had ideas of what I can do in my position.
Was originally meant to go to New Zealand in March-April 2020, however due to COVID things obviously got cancelled. Borders have been pretty much shut most of the time between now and then and have only opened up recently. I made my booking through Expedia for two flights (one flight there via AirNZ and the other return was from Virgin Australia).
I've called up Expedia multiple times (long 2+ hour wait times!) and they've stated I have travel credit for both carriers which have been extended until next year (Jan 31 2023). No biggie - I'm planning on rebooking for a Nov-Dec 2022 travel time. AirNZ is fine - there's plenty of flights for me to book from. However, Virgin Australia have absolutely no flights on their website (looking specifically for Christchurch - Sydney). The credit voucher that I supposedly have is ~$750 so a fair chunk of money, however I can't use that credit at all since they don't offer any flights. I tried with both Virgin Australia directly and through Expedia to get a cash refund for that travel credit however I keep getting bounced around (both saying the other can do it but neither doing it). What are my options here?
Based off ACCC - if i'm not able to get a "fair and equivalent airfare" then I may be entitled to a cash refund. What other things can I do to push this through? I'm sick of being left on hold whilst both parties "check" to see what they can do, then do nothing.
Cheers
Other options include waiting a bit further to see if they release flights to Christchurch for end of the year, selecting another city in NZ instead that they do fly to or requesting a further extension.