Why did Skyscanner link to a site that didn’t supply tickets?

Back in 2016 you reported that flights website after customers reported poor service. I wish I had read that letter at the time.

In May this year I bought tickets costing £885 from Tripsta after being directed there from Skyscanner (which obviously must have reinstated it). Tripsta has now ceased trading, and Air Moldova says – just two weeks before our departure – that Tripsta hasn’t paid for my tickets so they are not valid. Tripsta doesn’t answer emails, or its phone. I don’t have the money to pay again.

I have used Skyscanner for years and trusted them, but an internet search reveals a huge list of people claiming Tripsta let them down. One of my tickets was paid from a Moldovan bank card and it says you can ask for a chargeback up to 45 days from the sale date, and it is more than two months.

Guardian Money has been warning for some time about the little-known European travel booking websites that Skyscanner partners with, and this is why. Greece-based Tripsta ceased trading in June reportedly leaving a trail of people holding worthless bookings. The surprise is that Skyscanner reinstated it.

Skyscanner says it suspended the firm in June as soon as it knew it was in further difficulties. It says it is “aware that a small number of people have been told their tickets are invalid on certain airlines”. It adds: “We’re working hard to get a resolution from Tripsta, and are trying to find a solution to cover the cost of the flights.”

If you are one of those affected, first contact the airline to see if your tickets are still valid. Most won’t be, as it appears Tripsta stopped paying the airlines some time ago. The next stop should be your UK bank card provider. If your flight cost more than £100, and you paid by credit card, you can hold the card provider jointly liable.

Given Tripsta is no longer trading, such claims should be straightforward. Those who paid by debit card face a battle and should attempt a chargeback.

If you booked a flight or trip with a firm that then goes bust before you take it, the deadline to claim usually starts ticking from the date the flight was due to take off. AT should contact the Moldovan card provider to see if the same rule applies there, too.

Meanwhile, be wary of using Skyscanner-linked travel agents that you have never heard of – and do a thorough internet search before you input your card details.