09/09/2026
I should be in Las Vegas right now. AI generated image as not there to take myself 😢
Instead, I’m on the sofa watching the news, after the airport chaos over the last few days turned our trip into a long, stressful wait at Heathrow.
Our flight with Virgin was due to leave at 5.25pm yesterday. By 8pm we still hadn’t had any clear notification of cancellation or a proper update from the airport. The hardest bit was the silence.
Because we’d booked as a package, I called the supplier to get clarity and options. But they hadn’t been notified either. So we were in the dark, relying on the media and whatever the desk staff could tell us.
After speaking to airline staff, we were told to collect our luggage, leave the airport, and wait for the app to update us with an amended flight.
Baggage reclaim was carnage. Bags everywhere. People everywhere. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. We eventually found our cases, then went back up to departures to speak to the Virgin desk.
Massive queues. People lying on the floor. Sitting on suitcases. Elderly passengers, children… it was awful to see.
By 10pm, we’d been moved onto a new flight for tomorrow… which meant we’d only be in Las Vegas for two full days. That wasn’t the trip we’d planned (or paid for), and we didn’t want to accept it.
Virgin did eventually offer hotels at midnight — 30 minutes away — because everything closer was fully booked. There were 1,000’s of people all trying to find a bed at the same time.
In the end, with no other flight options, we made the decision (with our supplier) that Vegas wasn’t for us this time, sadly.
And this is the bit I want you to take from it: because we booked as a package, the supplier dealt with the overseas side. Transfers. Hotel. The knock-on admin. We didn’t have to ring round telling people we wouldn’t be arriving. When you’re exhausted and stressed, that matters.
This is my first time experiencing disruption like this. Now I completely get why having a Personal Travel Consultant in your corner — and booking as a package — can make a horrible situation a lot more manageable.
If you’re planing on travelling soon and want your holiday arranged just for you, message me and I’ll help you plan it properly (and make sure you’re protected if plans change).