19-year-old loses over £500 despite flight connection ‘guarantee’

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy When 19-year-old Daniel Nihan bought an Amsterdam-London-Calgary flight through a French online travel agent, Combigo, he felt confident the trip would be smooth. It noted that he had two separate bookings rather than a through ticket, but promised: “Connection protected by the Combigo Guarantee.” But after the BA plane arrived over an hour late and he missed his onward flight, Mr Nihan is hundreds of pounds out of pocket – with no help offered from the online travel agent besides offering to sell him a second and even more expensive ticket. “Only customers who contact us during their trip are eligible for the Combigo Guarantee.” Mr Nihan assumed the company would find him an alternative flight at no extra cost. Instead, he says, the online travel agent merely said he could be entitled to a refund of the taxes and charges on his original flight – offered to sell him a ticket for the following day at a price of €700.