A cheap flight can look very different by the time travellers reach the end of the booking process.
For passengers flying short-haul, the fare shown at the start is often only one part of the final cost. Baggage, seat selection, fast track, insurance or cancellation protection, and Wi-Fi can all change what a trip actually costs, especially for families or anyone travelling with more than a small under-seat bag.
To see how much of a difference these extras can make, Stasher reviewed 12 short-haul airline bookings and compared each upfront fare with selected optional add-ons shown during the booking flow.
The study looked at fares collected on 20 May 2026 for travel on 8 July 2026. For each airline, Stasher recorded the cheapest available fare on a selected short-haul route, then added up known optional charges where they were available, including seat selection, larger cabin bags, checked baggage, fast track, insurance or cancellation protection, and Wi-Fi.
The findings show that the cheapest fare is not always the easiest way to compare airlines. In some cases, the known optional add-ons were worth more than twice the upfront fare.
Key findings
- Vueling ranked first, with £86.67 in known optional add-ons compared with a £31.73 upfront fare. That means the selected extras were equal to 273.15% of the fare.
- Ryanair ranked second. Its £29.09 upfront fare was compared with £75.65 in known optional add-ons, equal to 260.06% of the fare.
- easyJet ranked third, with £107.76 in known optional add-ons on a £44.99 fare. This was the highest add-on total in the study and equal to 239.52% of the fare.
- Vueling, Ryanair and easyJet were the only airlines in the study where selected optional extras were worth more than 200% of the upfront fare.
- TUI Airways had the lowest add-on percentage in the ranking, with £50.00 in known optional add-ons compared with a £119 fare, equal to 42.02% of the fare.
- Ryanair showed the highest number of upsell prompts in the sample, with 2 prompts recorded during the booking flow. Wizz Air and Lufthansa each showed 1. The remaining airlines had 0 recorded upsell prompts in this snapshot.
Airline add-on fees ranked
The ranking below compares each airline’s upfront fare with the known optional add-ons captured during the booking flow. These extras are optional, so they will not apply to every traveller, but they show how much the final cost can change for passengers who need luggage, seat selection or extra protection.
Three airlines stood out in the study. Vueling, Ryanair and easyJet. In each case, the selected optional add-ons were worth more than 200% of the upfront fare.
Vueling took the top spot. The London Gatwick to Barcelona route had an upfront fare of £31.73, while the known optional add-ons captured in the booking flow came to £86.67. This included £9.53 for seat selection, £31.17 for a larger cabin bag, £35.5 for a checked bag, and £10.47 for insurance or cancellation protection.
Ryanair ranked second. The London Stansted to Dublin route had an upfront fare of £29.09, compared with £75.65 in known optional add-ons. This included £8 for seat selection, £18.5 for a larger cabin bag, £27.99 for a checked bag, £9.49 for fast track, and £11.67 for insurance.
easyJet ranked third. Its London Gatwick to Barcelona fare was £44.99, while known optional add-ons came to £107.76. This was the highest add-on total in the study, driven by £34.49 for a larger cabin bag, £54.49 for a checked bag, £7.99 for seat selection, and £10.79 for insurance.
Upsell prompts recorded during booking
Stasher also recorded the number of upsell prompts shown during each booking flow. Ryanair had the highest number in the sample, with 2 prompts recorded. Wizz Air and Lufthansa each had 1, while Vueling, easyJet, Jet2.com, Norwegian Air, British Airways, Pegasus Airlines, TUI Airways, KLM and Air France had 0 recorded prompts.
Why add-ons make flight comparison harder
Optional extras are not automatically a problem. Some travellers only need a small bag and are happy to skip seat selection, fast track and insurance. For them, the upfront fare may be a fair reflection of what they will pay.
But for many holidaymakers, the picture is different. A family may need to sit together. A traveller going away for a week may need checked luggage. Someone with a long airport day may be more likely to consider fast track or extra protection.
That is why comparing flights on the fare alone can be misleading. The cheaper fare at the start of the journey may not be the cheapest option once the extras a traveller actually needs are added.
How to compare flights more fairly before booking
Start with the trip. Before comparing airlines, decide what you actually need for that journey, including seat selection and any airport extras.
Check baggage rules carefully. A “free” cabin bag may only mean a small under-seat item, while a larger cabin bag or checked suitcase can change the final price quickly.
Compare the final basket. If you know you need luggage or seats together, add those extras before deciding which airline is cheapest.
Watch for bundled fares. In some cases, a package fare that includes bags or seat selection may work out better than adding each extra separately.
Plan your luggage around the whole day. If you have a long gap between check-out and your flight, storing bags nearby can be cheaper and easier than carrying them around or paying for more luggage than you need.
Methodology
This study compares the cost of optional airline add-ons by reviewing the cheapest available fares for selected short-haul routes and manually checking each airline’s booking flow for extra charges. For each airline, the base fare was recorded first, then optional fees were collected where available, including seat selection, larger cabin baggage, checked baggage, priority boarding or fast track, travel insurance or cancellation protection, onboard Wi-Fi, and other clearly optional upsells. Mandatory taxes, airport charges, admin fees, and fare breakdown items already included in the advertised fare were excluded from the add-on total. Blank or unclear add-on fields were not treated as £0 unless the fee was confirmed as unavailable. The total known optional add-on cost was then calculated for each airline and compared with the fare to estimate the add-on percentage.
