This summer need to get from London to Dublin. Then return from Belfast to London. LHR easiest as I probably will be at the Hilton T4 for one night before traveling onward.

Just going through all of the Ryanair and eJ and Aer Lingus and BMI booking routines to check routes and fares was like a daffy duck picnic. Ryanair and eJ got knocked out up front, as I need to use LHR.

By the end of that nutty exercise, during which I never did determine who provided the better value (not fare which isn't the same thing of course) travel between those two locations is still a mystery. Every single aspect of the flight offering was on a different matrix, fare upgrade here for X, food upgrade there for X with pop out boxes telling you what you got for..X.

Apples and oranges and it was a logic jumble.

Nobody could make up this nuttiness. Seriously.

Would use BA metal if they'd let me, no matter the cost. But their website doesn't provide bookings to those cities. But probably will end up with Aer Lingus, as they have tons of flights a day at an apparently reasonable cost. And they use LHR.

But any suggestions would be welcome from regulars on those routes.

Staying away from Ryanair not only because they don't use LHR, but because I'd be inclined to pay for that seat, probably only to get on board to find a 25 stone Australian Rules footie player in it refusing to budge out of "my" seat and saying "go ahead make my day."

Who needs that aggro! LOL