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This time we take a look at some of the extra costs of low cost carriers…
Airlines are required by the Office of Fair Trading to be upfront with the prices advertised on their websites but there are still some surprises that it is good to know about in advance.
Credit Card fees for bookings in travel have been with us for a while. Our research shows the costs vary quite significantly between airlines some charging a fixed fee and others a percentage of the total. The fixed fees range from £1.75 with Jet 2 to £6.00 for XL Airways. More surprising is the trend to charge for Debit Cards ranging from 70p at Ryanair through to £6.00 again with XL Airways. It is true that the Airline does have to pay its bank to take payments by Debit Cards, but this fee is normally is measured in pence not pounds.
More active travellers are also hit hard with the cost of taking sports equipment often exceeding £20. XL Airways charges £30 for surf boards and Jet 2 quotes £20 for transporting golf clubs. These charges are often per flight so double on a return trip. This begins to make renting your equipment in resort look more attractive.
Checked luggage is now charged for by the majority of low cost airlines. For those wanting to check in luggage the cost is considerably cheaper if you pre-book online but those who forget to do this can look forward to being charged between £5 (easyJet) to £10 (Jet 2) for each item. The cost is per person, per bag and per one way flight which means for a family of five travelling with Jet 2 would pay £100 for baggage if paying at the airport. Pre-booked luggage still costs £5 per bag per flight with Ryanair and Jet2.com. easyJet are the cheapest for baggage at just £2 per bag.
The airlines compared are Ryanair, easyjet, XL.com, bmi baby, Jet2 and Thomsonfly click on the link below to see the full table.
Extra Charges table ( 
opens in a new window)
