Perils of a ‘self-transfer itinerary’

Simon Calder, also known as The Man Who Pays His Way, has been writing about travel for The Independent since 1994. In his weekly opinion column, he explores a key travel issue – and what it means for you.

“I can only hope that adding your name to my complaint will lend some weight to it,” writes James. “And that easyJet will do the right thing by me and my situation.”

Many readers contact me when they feel unjustly treated by various parts of the travel industry, and I do what I can to advise. Here’s James’s story: he is taking his three children on their annual ski trip at Easter. Flights during the school holidays are expensive, as I demonstrated this week.

From Geneva to Liverpool, for example, the easyJet fare for an afternoon flight on Saturday 6 April is £228 – with baggage fees on top.

Through the online travel agent Kiwi, James found a cheaper deal, saving (at current prices) £90 per person. It involves flying from Geneva to Nice on easyJet, then changing to a Nice-Liverpool departure with the same airline.

Kiwi – based in the Czech Republic – claims to find “cheap flights other sites can’t see”. It assures prospective travellers: “Our self-transfer itineraries offer connections not covered by the carriers, so you can get to where you want to be.”

But its secret superpower needs to come with a large warning attached: you may not “get to where you want to be” without spending more cash.

Britain’s biggest budget airline is a point-to-point carrier. Each time you book an easyJet flight, the airline commits simply to getting you (and any baggage) from A to B. The impact of a modest delay on your onward plans is not easyJet’s concern. This places the airline in a very different position from “network” carriers.

If you book a connecting trip with British Airways, Air France or Lufthansa, and a delayed first leg means you miss the second part of the journey, staff must find a solution free of charge. The airline is also liable for meals, hotel costs and possibly cash compensation for a delay of three hours or more arriving at the your final destination. And any checked baggage will normally be automatically transferred at the hub, and you will see it only on arrival at your final airport.

In contrast, a self-transfer itinerary is not to be bought lightly. For each stage of the journey you must…