UK consumer watchdog Which? says the lowest advertised cabin bag fees promoted by major European budget airlines are almost never available, based on a survey of nearly 1,500 fares across multiple routes and travel periods. The research examined carry-on bag prices charged by Ryanair, EasyJet and Wizz Air on eight busy European routes, finding that advertised entry-level fees starting from £5.99 (€6.80) appeared less than 1% of the time. Which? says the findings raise concerns about transparency and the true cost of flying with low-cost carriers.
The survey reviewed prices across four different travel months—August, November, December and February—to reflect both peak and off-peak demand. Which? found that in many cases, cabin bag fees exceeded the base flight fare itself, particularly on short-haul routes where low headline prices are a key selling point for budget airlines.
Lowest cabin bag prices rarely available
According to Which?, the cheapest advertised cabin bag fees were largely unavailable across all three airlines studied. The watchdog said the headline prices promoted in marketing materials did not reflect what most passengers actually paid once they reached the final stages of the booking process.
EasyJet performed worst in the survey. Out of 520 EasyJet cabin bag prices checked, Which? said it did not find a single flight offering the airline’s advertised lowest cabin bag fee of £5.99 (€6.80). The cheapest cabin bag fare identified was £23.49 (€26.79), while the average price was £30 (€34.20). As these charges are applied per flight, passengers travelling return would typically pay twice that amount.
Which? said it challenged EasyJet to provide an example of a flight where the £5.99 cabin bag fee was available, but the airline declined to do so.
An EasyJet spokesperson said EasyJet spokesperson, “EasyJet’s bag options and pricing is transparent and well understood by our customers, allows them to pay for only what they want and no more and enables us to keep fares low for everyone.” The spokesperson added, “This year 100 million passengers are choosing to fly with us and with our customer satisfaction scores up year on year, it’s clear that customers continue to value the choices that we offer.”
Ryanair’s lowest advertised cabin bag fee of £12 (€13.70) was found only twice out of 634 flights checked, representing 0.3% of cases. The airline’s average cabin bag fee across the sample was £20.50 (€23.40), according to the survey.
Ryanair rejected the findings, saying the sample size was too small to be representative. A Ryanair spokesperson said claims that its bag policy was “adversarial” or had “alienated large numbers of customers” were “yet another complete fabrication.” The spokesperson added, “So the factual position is that Ryanair customers are flocking to us in their millions, and have no problems with our optional and fully transparent bag policies.”
Wizz Air’s cheapest advertised cabin bag fee of €10 was found only twice across 338 flights checked, equating to 0.6% of the time. The airline said the sample was not representative of its wider network, which serves more than 75 million passengers annually.
A Wizz Air spokesperson said Wizz Air spokesperson, “At Wizz Air, our bag pricing is transparent and fully compliant with consumer protection laws. Every ticket includes a free under-seat bag, and customers can choose to add larger luggage if they wish.” The spokesperson added that the airline encourages customers to purchase cabin baggage in advance to secure the best price.
Regulatory scrutiny and consumer concerns
Which? said that unclear presentation of cabin bag fees, particularly when charges only appear late in the booking process, risks misleading consumers. The watchdog said it has shared its EasyJet findings with the UK Advertising Standards Authority, which is now investigating the issue.
“Our research shows that the tens of millions of passengers who need to take a cabin bag will pay much more than the cheapest price advertised—rather than a few pounds, prices for bags can often be more than the flight itself,” said Rory Boland, Editor, Which?. “The tactics used by these airlines deserve to be called out, that’s why we have shared our findings with the regulator.”
The findings come amid growing scrutiny of airline luggage fees across Europe. In November 2024, Spain’s Consumer Rights Ministry imposed fines totalling €179 million on five budget airlines for what it described as “abusive practices” related to luggage charges, although the European Commission has challenged Spain’s authority to levy those penalties.
The European Parliament’s transport committee has also previously backed calls for passengers to be allowed a free standard cabin bag on all flights. By contrast, several full-service carriers, including British Airways, KLM and Qatar Airways, continue to include a cabin bag in the ticket price, while charging separately for checked luggage on some fares.
Which? said its findings highlight the need for clearer pricing and better enforcement to ensure that advertised fares accurately reflect what travellers are likely to pay. The watchdog said greater transparency would help consumers make more informed choices when comparing airlines and ticket prices.
