Budget airlines' lowest cabin bag fees are rarely available, according to a recent study by Which?. The study found that the lowest prices for carry-on bags advertised by major European budget airlines Ryanair, EasyJet, and Wizz Air are available less than one per cent of the time.
The research, which surveyed nearly 1,500 bag prices on eight busy routes, highlighted the frustrating and misleading nature of these fees. In some cases, the lowest carry-on prices from £5.99 (€6.80) are available less than one per cent of the time, and these charges can even exceed the flight fares themselves.
This issue has sparked controversy, with some budget airlines accused of using "abusive practices" around luggage. In November 2024, Spain's Consumer Rights Ministry imposed a fine of €179 million on five budget airlines for these practices. However, the EU Commission has contested Spain's authority to impose these fines.
The European Parliament's transport committee has also advocated for free standard cabin bags on all airlines. Which? has shared its findings with the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), which is now investigating this issue.
Rory Boland, editor of Which?, said, "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."
The study found that the cheapest EasyJet cabin bag fare was not found even once, and the cheapest Ryanair cabin bag fare was only found twice out of a staggering 634 flights. Similarly, Wizz Air's lowest cabin bag fare was only found twice on the 338 flights checked.
Despite these findings, budget airlines have strongly rebuked the Which? survey, calling it "total rubbish" and saying that the sample sizes were too small to be representative or accurate.
