An increasing number of travellers are reporting a troubling pattern with flight agent Gotogate – a company whose services are often booked indirectly via Booking.com and price comparison sites like Skyscanner. The complaints are strikingly similar: flights booked, later cancelled or changed, and refunds that never arrive – sometimes months after the original travel date.
While Gotogate’s Trustpilot score sits at a middling 3.1 out of 5 from over 143,000 reviews, the negative experiences paint a much darker picture. Over a third of reviewers leave the lowest possible rating, describing the company as “liars”, “a disaster zone”, and “scam-like”.
The Common Story: Book, Cancel, Wait Forever
Many customers say their flights – sometimes booked months in advance – are changed or cancelled, often with far longer connections or less convenient routings. When they refuse the change and request a refund, they are met with a wall of delays and excuses:
- Mr Tracey waited over two months for a refund after his direct Doha–London flight was changed to a 33-hour routing – and has still not received.
- Mohamed Soliman says he’s been chasing a refund since April – over four months – with nothing to show for it but repeated promises to “wait longer”.
- Abdallah Alkhatib is still waiting almost two months after his airline cancelled the flight, with Gotogate citing “waiting for airline approval” but providing no proof or timeline.
- I personally was promised a refund in 10 days over a month ago and still haven’t received.
Others allege that Gotogate cancels bookings within hours of payment and simply never issues a ticket, as in the case of Tony Nguyễn from Vietnam – left thousands out of pocket and fighting to get his money back.
Booking.com’s Connection
What makes this issue even more concerning is that Booking.com, one of the largest travel brands in the world, routinely routes flight purchases through Gotogate. Many customers say they thought they were booking directly with Booking.com, only to discover later that their flight was handled entirely by Gotogate.
The result? When things go wrong, Booking.com reportedly passes customers back to Gotogate – leaving them caught between two companies, neither of which takes full responsibility.
Beyond Refunds: Other Red Flags
The complaints go beyond refund delays:
- Hidden fees and currency tricks – charging in a different currency at unfavourable conversion rates.
- Price hikes mid-payment – multiple reports of the fare increasing just as the payment is processed, sometimes by £50 or more.
- Costly “add-ons” – seat reservations, flexible ticket options, and other extras that customers say offer little to no real service when needed.
- Customer service dead ends – long hold times, disconnected live chats, scripted replies, and no escalation to managers.
Consumer Impact
This is not a handful of unlucky customers – it’s a systemic pattern visible across thousands of public reviews. Travellers lose not just money, but also time, holidays, and peace of mind. In some cases, they have been forced to pay hundreds or even thousands more to rebook last-minute flights after Gotogate’s failure to deliver.
Given the scale of the complaints, consumer protection bodies may need to look closely at the relationship between Gotogate and Booking.com – and whether customers are being misled at the point of purchase.
How to Protect Yourself
- Avoid third-party booking agents – book directly with the airline for flight only bookings wherever possible.
- Check who you’re really booking with before hitting “pay” on sites like Booking.com or Skyscanner.
- Pay with a credit card – so you can initiate a chargeback if the service is not delivered.
- Document everything – keep chat logs, emails, and screenshots of any promises made.
For now, the evidence is overwhelming: if you value your money, time, and sanity, think twice before booking flights through Gotogate – even if you arrive there via Booking.com. The cheap fare up front may cost far more in the long run.
