Booking Flights through Expedia - BOOKED!

Have you tried booking through Google Flights? Check at the bottom of your search for direct links to the airlines through whom you can book the itinerary you see. Using Google Flights, I was able to book directly through the American Airline website for the fare I found on Google. (I also prefer booking directly the airline.)

I have noticed that, although Aer Lingus shows the flights, it will not allow some routings flying from N.A. Last year, I used Orbitz in order to get a routing they would not allow on their own website. Good news, everything went off without a hitch. Bad news, I could not select seats or check in on-line through the Aer Lingus website. They did send me an email to bid on business class seats, which I ignored.

Thanks np. There's no link for Aer Lingus. It just says "call to book " and Expedia says "check price " the others have links.

Thanks for the reply!

Thanks Sam. That's what I was afraid of. I guess I'll have to decide if the $1800 savings (on 3 tickets) is worth it! Guess which way I'll go?

Too bad about no link. You might try searching on one of their partners (I think United is one) and see if you can find the fare. On the other hand, I have booked several times through Expedia, Hotwire, etc. and never had a problem with my flights nor the booking. Good luck!

On-line agencies such as Expedia (and many others) are the practical solution for booking itineraries involving several airlines which do not sell each other's tickets. Trying to buy the various legs of the trip as one-way fares yourself increases both the final price and the difficulty of luggage check-throughs and seat assignment. Expedia is well-established and part of a giant travel corporation. I like Cheapoair, despite its name, as a quick source of information and alternative routes. Oddly, it shows an Aer Lingus route (from Boston; my guess) through Dublin to Dubrovnik and back from Venice even though the airline's own site doesn't. Cheap, too. Aer Lingus has quirky websites, I think, and a phone call or two may be more reliable.
My experience suggests avoiding seat selection through the on-line agencies. Once your ticket is complete you should be able to go to the individual airlines for the selection. But an extra fee for the service is becoming common and some major airlines now limit assignments to a narrow time frame.

I used to book flights with Orbitz (now part of Expedia) for many, many years...never had an issue. I can't recall whether I was able to choose seats or not (at time of booking) but it was not a deal breaker for me.

I've booked 7 trips through Expedia and never had a problem, including the open jaw ones and short flights within Europe. Just booked next April's trip last week, fly into Amsterdam and out of Budapest. I like being able to peruse all the various departure and arrival times as I am particular about that. I usually end up on the same airlines or their partners for open jaw, seems cheaper that way. I do go to the airline's site to choose (and pay, ugh) for my preferred seat.

Once your ticket is complete you should be able to go to the individual airlines for the [seat] selection.

Depends. I booked a United code share operated by Swiss. Swiss Air will not allow United code share booking to select seats until the 24 hours before flight time frame.

Are there significant savings to be had by booking through Expedia versus airlines directly? It seems to me a PITA to sort out missed connections involving different unrelated airlines on tickets purchased through a third party firm (Expedia) while effectively being stranded....probably at a foreign airport. Absent one or more day(s) layover en route to my foreign destination, I'll book the ticket directly with a single airline which may include affiliate airlines, but still, it's under the umbrella of the original airline. Anyone willing to share firsthand experiences contrary to my opinion?

Thank you all for your responses. Since the savings are significant I am trying to pursue this. I looked on both BA & United (code share partners) and still cannot find the flights. I have called Aer Lingus twice, but have yet to reach a live person. I will try again later and let you know what they have to say. If the flights I have listed do exist I will see if I can book via phone with them directly or may just have to take my chances with Expedia.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond.

If you go to Aer lIngus website and put in flying from Dublin, they do, but Sturdays in June are sold out and they don't fly Tuesday.

I see that! It is there, yet even if I try to book it as 3 separate legs using the multi-city option, BOS - DUB/DUB - DBV/ VCE - BOS, it still will not show me that flight. And that is the flight that is used on the various booking/search engines. Should I book Bos-Dub and Venice - Bos as one reservation and then book the Dub - DBV on a separate reservation? I've never experienced anything like this before.
Thank you

To clarify my earlier response about Expedia--if I need a connecting flight it's always on the same airlines. I've heard too many horror stories about missed connections and the resulting drama if it's on an un-related airline.

Just to update everyone. I finally got in touch with Aer Lingus and ended up booking the whole thing over the phone. They were able to do it, but never really answered the question as to why I couldn't. I also was able to make my seat selections at no additional cost and will still be able to do online check-in. The agent was very pleasant and helpful - hopefully a sign of good things to come.

Thank you to all who posted. :)

I'll be back with Croatia/Slovenia questions as soon as I begin the planning & booking stage!