For the past few years I have been mainly flying short haul in Europe and always booked my flights direct with the Airline( Mainly BA and EI). Now as long haul is becoming more frequent for me and having been introduced to the matrix flight search via the TP runs threads, I am seeing more complex itinerary's that do not seem to be able to be booked via the websites directly. So my choice seems to be either to ring the airline or use a TA.

I am assuming using a TA will increase costs but on the other hand I was on BA109 in March which was delayed 19 hrs. We did board on time but after a technical problem we were de boarded and put in the Sofitel overnight. As we de boarded I met somebody I knew who was on the phone using the 24hr TA contact number. As a result he was put on the EK flight the next morning with a delay of only 10 hrs.

Are there disadvantages such as seat selection POUG etc if using a TA?

What do the experienced FT'ers do and is there any major advantage of a TA?