I was genuinely shocked seeing the cost of an EasyJet hold luggage fee on a flight I was about to book, so thought it was worth looking at all the main Low Cost Carriers to see if they are just as bad!
Of course these fees depend on the length of the flight, and the time of year, and the way the wind is blowing - but this should still be directionally correct.
I'm using London to Paphos or Larnaca as my case study - since all the main European LCCs fly this route. Or course all airlines are required to give you a personal item so I've ignored that for this comparison.
When you checkin you'll again be offered to add bags - both cabin and hold. The prices may be higher or lower depending on the airline algorithms!
Skip to the table near the end for the money shot.
EasyJet
After selecting your flight you get three different bundle options. These were the prices that seemed crazy expensive.
If you decline all the bundles and the seat selection you initially get the cabin bag option, and in the next screen you get the hold bag options. These are still pretty crazy!
Ryanair
After choosing your flight you get three different bundles with a handy comparison table. NB the Flexi Plus bundle does not include any hold luggage.
If you decline all the bundles, and skip the seat selection page, you then get to add a cabin bag or a hold bag.
Wizz Air
After struggling with the Wizz website I finally got it to offer up the bundles for a Larnaca flight.
And after declining the bundles you get the cabin and hold luggage options. Wizz cabin wheelie price is remarkably decent and puts EasyJet to shame!
Jet2
Whilst Jet2 is primarily a holiday company, they also sell stand alone flights. They include a 10kg cabin bag in all their fares (as well as a personal item) and don't offer bundles.
And instead of offering a range of hold bag weights - they have a more simple 22kg take it or leave it option!
British Airways
For completeness here's what British Airways bundles look like.
And after declining the bundles, here's their luggage option. A single piece of luggage for this flight is more expensive than their Economy Plus bundle!
Comparison
Cabin Bag - whilst BA & Jet2 include them for free, Wizz price is best and EasyJet is worst.
Cabin Bundle - Wizz and EasyJet pricing looks wild compared to a cabin bag on it's own, whilst Ryanair looks less over priced.
Hold Bag - Ryanair have the best prices for 10kg and 20kg bags, whilst EasyJet pricing above 15kg is particularly punchy.
Hold Bundle - because EasyJet hold luggage pricing is so high, their bundle almost looks reasonable. Wizz and Ryanair charge a similar premium for their hold bundle.
If you've got a 20kg hold bag it will cost you:
Differentiation
We're used to supermarkets selling us slightly different sized versions of the same product to make it harder to compare prices - it's clear from this table that airlines are now doing the same with slightly different weights of hold luggage.
Conclusions
There is a huge difference in pricing between airlines. Jet2, BA & Wizz win on the hand luggage front, whilst there is no clear winner on the hold luggage side.
EasyJet really is sleazy in their pricing of both cabin bags and hold luggage.
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