Rex Flight Canceled? Do This For A Refund Or Free Virgin Flight

Rex Airlines has entered into voluntary administration as of 30th July 2024, with all flights cancelled between major airports. The Rex Group’s entire domestic fleet of nine Boeing 737-800 jets are now grounded until further notice, but the airline stresses that all regional flights are still operating as scheduled.

Ernst & Young has been appointed as Rex’s administrator, with the group announcing that ticket refunds are out of the question for now. Instead, an agreement has been reached with Virgin Australia to honour all prepaid Rex tickets for direct services between domestic capital cities, at no additional cost to passengers.

Rex’s brave move to take on Qantas and Virgin Australia began just over three years ago, with Sydney-Melbourne Boeing 737 flights taking off in March 2021. But after suspending trading on the ASX from Monday morning, Rex today cut all ticket sales on its intercity jet services as speculation continued.

In a statement, administrator Ernst and Young explains that Rex and Virgin Australia are exploring opportunities to support regional customers. This includes the option for Virgin Australia to sell Rex’s regional services through codeshare or interline arrangements, and making Velocity Frequent Flyer benefits available to Rex’s regional customers.

A hot prediction is that Rex will abandon its jet services and return its heart to the country in regional turboprop flying, with the assistance of previous rival Virgin Australia.

Rex Flight Canceled? Here’s What To Do

Rex claims they will not be offering refunds to customers affected by their financial woes. Instead, an agreement has been reached with Virgin Australia to honour all prepaid tickets for direct Rex services between domestic capital cities, at no additional cost to passengers.

From 30th July 2024, the following Rex services have been cancelled and can be transferred to Virgin Australia;

• Melbourne – Adelaide
• Melbourne – Canberra
• Melbourne – Brisbane
• Melbourne – Gold Coast
• Melbourne – Hobart
• Melbourne – Sydney
• Melbourne – Perth
• Sydney – Brisbane
• Sydney – Gold Coast
• Sydney – Adelaide
• Brisbane – Adelaide
• Adelaide – Perth
• Brisbane – Cairns

If you have a paid booking with Rex on one of the above routes, you can be re-accommodated to a Virgin Australia flight with a similar departure time at no additional cost. Simply call the Virgin Australia Guest Contact Centre on 136 789.

If you don’t rebook your affected Rex domestic flight by 5pm AEST on 14th August 2024, Rex will void your booking.

Help! I Want A Refund Not A New Flight

We are travel hackers, not legal experts, but that said, if you buy something from Australia and the goods/services are never offered, it should be considered theft. Maybe even fraud or deception, as no doubt Rex knew they were about to go belly up, but continued to sell tickets and even launched a sale just days before entering administration.

If you don’t want to take the alternative Virgin Australia flights, it could be worth contacting your bank to issue a chargeback on the transaction. All credit and debit cards in Australia are capable of lodging a chargeback, but keep in mind that many banks will ask for some sort of paperwork and evidence to support your chargeback claim.

As per the Australian Financial Complaints Authority:

“The merchant is now insolvent – can I still raise a chargeback?

You can contact your bank (or credit union) to request a chargeback if the merchant became insolvent after you purchased the goods or service and you have a valid chargeback right against the merchant. For example, they did not provide the goods or service you paid for.

When you make the chargeback request, you must identify which transactions you want to chargeback and why you believe you are entitled to a chargeback. You should also explain to your bank (or credit union) that the merchant is insolvent. Your bank (or credit union) will then make the chargeback request for you.”

What About My Rex Flyer Points?

Rex Flyer Points are currently frozen, with members unable to earn or redeem points during the administration period. In a statement, Rex says “accrued points may become available again,” in the event of a successful restructure.