Who is going to pay for my Taipei layover nightmare?

Simon Calder on Taiwanese rules, children’s passports and making the most of offloading

Make sure your stopover in the Taiwan capital is short as well as sweet (Getty/iStock)

Q On Saturday I was meant to catch a flight from London to Bangkok via Taipei in Taiwan. As I was on my way to the airport I received a phone call from the airline to say I would be unable to fly as my layover was 14 hours – over the 12-hour limit which is all the Taiwan government will allow.

The airline told me I should never have been sold this flight by the online travel agent – which has taken two separate flights. As we turned up at the airport there were another 25 passengers in the same position as us. I was left stranded at the airport with no alternate flight and no way of getting home. Any advice on what I could do to get my money back?

Georgia H