Bagging a bargain flight can make going on holiday even more enjoyable knowing you've saved yourself some money. But even if you've bookedyour holiday well in advance in order to guarantee cheaper flights, chances are you'll be met with hidden fees that bump up the overall price.
Adding baggage, choosing your seats, and even administration fees can all add up, and new research has found that one airline has higher fees than others. Financial site Tradingpedia compared the price of flying from London to Rome on the July 21 between major European airlines including Ryanair, easyJet, Vueling and Jet2, but it was Wizz Air that was revealed to be the most expensive overall when it came to charging for hidden fees.
Wizz Air topped the list of airlines for hidden fees, with Tradingpedia finding that the low-cost carrier charged a total of £222.75 for add ons.
Hidden fees include a number of extra costs from seat selection to fees for changing the name on a booking. While some of them aren't required to board the plane, others are often unavoidable, especially if you don't feel like wearing the same pair of socks on holiday and need to bring a bag with you.
While Tradingpedia recognised that some additional fees aren't necessarily hidden, they also pointed out that they're rarely included in headline prices you might see advertised for flights, meaning you're left paying more than you might have anticipated.
The hidden fees added to the Wizz Air flight included:
It brought the total price of the flight to £222.75. It's not just fees for adding baggage or choosing a seat either, the administration fee is one that many travellers might not even think of when it comes to the total cost of a flight - and isn't optional. A charge added to the ticket price to cover the costs of airlines handling bookings, changes, or cancellations, this costs £8.93 with Wizz Air, and a hefty £25 on Ryanair.
Although Wizz Air had the highest hidden fees overall, it was only slightly ahead of competitors including Ryanair and Vueling. Euronews also pointed out that Wizz Air is also one of the few airlines that doesn't charge for hand luggage, which can make a big difference to the price of a flight.
Flying from London to Rome with Ryanair and paying for the same additional services cost a total of £219.74, and an extra £25 for hand luggage. Vueling cost £211, while flying with easyJet would set you back £207.26, and Jet2 charged £69.50, but a checked bag would cost £40.
A spokesperson from Wizz Air told the Express.co.uk: "We offer a single, simple, and transparent price to our customers, allowing them to explore destinations across our network from as little as £8.99. As an ultra-low-cost carrier, we allow passengers to choose which services they wish to purchase so that we can offer the most affordable travel opportunities."
Airline hidden fees
