The way airfares are going, at this point I really doubt anyone will find MSP-SNN for this upcoming summer (right?) cheaper. I would book direct with the airline operating the flight if the price is the same. But before you do… when do you plan to travel; and, is Shannon your actual desired destination, or are you settling for it because it’s probably the cheapest destination from MSP during your travel window? Have you tried consolidators?

The prices are only good for May 25th-June 9th. My desired location is Lubeck, Germany anytime before August, but I am interested in visiting wherever I have to fly into because I am interesting in exploring everywhere. I think I have tried consolidators, but frankly everywhere I’ve looked that claims to have the cheapest prices end up being hundreds more than what I find on Farecast (is this normal?)

Yeah I see it with Continental and just a few other sources. Only thing cheaper to Europe around that time that I see is consolidator Vayama with the same Continental Shannon flight about $8 cheaper, but I think you’d be better to book it direct from Continental.com.

There are millions of routing possibilities. No single source will always find the best price for every route every time. It’s been a while since someone mentioned Farecast here, but I did find it also on Orbitz, same as you, and a few other sources. I’d be concerned if a lesser-known seller was significantly cheaper than everyone else I checked; however, more than 99% of the time, I find very similar fares from others if I keep shopping it.

You alright getting on from Shannon to the rest of Europe? It’s not a big airport, but they’ve got a few cheap routes—to France and the UK for example: http://www.skyscanne… If planning to take Ryanair, check/see if Aer Lingus are also on the route. Ryanair are very cheap, but they kill you with fees if you don’t plan well, and pack light (15 kg or less).