Airline ticket disappears, costing traveler $8,206 to get home

The airline-ticket issue described in this report highlights how a missing issued ticket can derail an otherwise confirmed itinerary and cost a traveler $8,206 to get home. The traveler booked a round trip from Minneapolis to Dublin for two people through Orbitz, paying $1,626 using American Airlines and Aer Lingus. After Orbitz said Aer Lingus canceled the Philadelphia–Dublin segment, the representative arranged a routing via London and a direct return to Minneapolis. During the London stopover, British Airways initially had trouble issuing the next boarding pass, but boarded the flight to Dublin. On the return, Aer Lingus refused to board due to Orbitz failing to properly confirm the change. With only business-class seats available, the traveler paid about $8,000 for two tickets, and sought a refund from Aer Lingus, which cited third-party booking limitations.