Budget airlines transformed European travel. A generation ago, flying from London to Barcelona cost hundreds of dollars. Today, Ryanair sells that route for 15-30 euros if you book at the right time. But the advertised price and the final price are two different numbers, and the gap between them is where budget airlines make their actual profit. Understanding the fee structure is the difference between flying cheaply and merely thinking you are flying cheaply.
How Budget Airline Pricing Actually Works
Budget carriers operate on an unbundled pricing model. The base fare covers a seat and nothing else. Everything that traditional airlines include -- checked luggage, seat selection, food, priority boarding, even a carry-on bag larger than a small backpack -- is sold separately. This is not predatory; it is a business model. But it requires you to understand what you are buying and what you are not.
Ryanair's average base fare across all routes in 2024 was 42 euros. Their average ancillary revenue per passenger was 22 euros. That means the average Ryanair passenger pays 64 euros total, of which 34% comes from add-ons. For students who learn to avoid unnecessary add-ons, the savings are significant. For students who do not, the 19-euro headline price can easily become a 70-euro actual price.
Ryanair: The Fee Encyclopedia
Ryanair is the largest budget airline in Europe by passenger numbers and the most aggressive with ancillary fees. Here is every fee they charge, as of 2025:
Baggage Fees
- Small personal bag (40x20x25 cm): Free. This is included with every ticket. It fits under the seat in front of you. A standard school backpack or a small duffel bag fits within these dimensions.
- Priority boarding + cabin bag (55x40x20 cm): 6-36 euros depending on route and availability. This is the standard carry-on size. Without this add-on, any bag larger than the personal bag must go in the hold.
- 10 kg checked bag: 13-30 euros if added at booking. 30-50 euros if added later. Always add at booking if you need it.
- 20 kg checked bag: 20-50 euros if added at booking. Up to 70 euros at the airport.
The key insight: if you can fit everything into a 40x20x25 cm bag, your flight is genuinely just the base fare. This is achievable for weekend trips with packing cubes and a compression bag. For semester-length travel, you will need at least one checked bag on the outbound flight.
Seat Selection
Ryanair charges 4-15 euros for choosing your seat. If you do not pay, you are randomly assigned a seat at check-in. For solo travelers, this is a non-issue. For groups wanting to sit together, only one person needs to pay for a specific seat and the others can be randomly assigned -- Ryanair's algorithm sometimes seats companions together anyway, and if not, you can ask to swap once on board.
Check-In Timing
Ryanair opens online check-in 24 hours before departure (or 60 days before with a seat reservation). If you do not check in online, airport check-in costs 55 euros. This is the single most important fee to avoid. Set a phone alarm for exactly 24 hours before your flight and check in the moment it opens. Save your boarding pass to your phone. Print it only if the app is unreliable in your experience.
Other Fees
- Boarding pass reissue at airport: 20 euros
- Name change: 115-160 euros (essentially a new ticket)
- Flight change: 40-60 euros plus any fare difference
- Payment by credit card: 2% surcharge (use debit card to avoid this)
EasyJet: The Middle Ground
EasyJet positions itself between Ryanair and traditional carriers. The base fares are 10-30% higher than Ryanair on overlapping routes, but the fee structure is less aggressive.
The crucial difference: EasyJet includes a cabin bag (56x45x25 cm) with every ticket. This is a standard carry-on size that fits in the overhead bin. No priority boarding required. For most student weekend trips, this means EasyJet's slightly higher base fare is offset by the included carry-on, making the total cost comparable to Ryanair with Priority.
EasyJet Fee Structure
- Under-seat bag (45x36x20 cm): Included free.
- Cabin bag (56x45x25 cm): Included free (overhead bin).
- Hold luggage (15 kg): 8-32 euros at booking. More expensive later.
- Hold luggage (23 kg): 12-42 euros at booking.
- Seat selection: 3-30 euros depending on location. Front rows and extra legroom cost more.
- Speedy boarding: 6-25 euros. Guarantees overhead bin space, which can matter on full flights.
EasyJet also offers the Flexi fare (typically 40-80 euros more than Standard) which includes seat selection, fast-track security, and free flight changes. For students who might need to change dates, the Flexi fare can be cheaper than a Standard fare plus a change fee. Découvrez également destinations dog-friendly en France.
Wizz Air: The Eastern Europe Specialist
Wizz Air covers routes that Ryanair and EasyJet do not, particularly to Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and Central Asia. Their fee structure is almost identical to Ryanair's, with the same small personal bag included free and everything else charged separately.
The Wizz Discount Club (29.99 euros per year) provides guaranteed discounts of 5-10 euros on base fares and reduced baggage fees. If you will fly Wizz Air three or more times in a year, the club membership pays for itself. For students based in Budapest, Bucharest, Warsaw, or other cities where Wizz Air has a major hub, the membership is a no-brainer.
When to Book: The Data
Based on fare tracking across my 23 flights and corroborated by multiple fare analysis studies:
- Optimal booking window: 4-8 weeks before departure for most routes. This is when the lowest fares appear most consistently.
- Too early: Booking 3-6 months ahead rarely provides the lowest price on budget carriers. Unlike traditional airlines, budget carrier fares do not always increase monotonically as departure approaches.
- Too late: Within 2 weeks of departure, fares spike significantly on popular routes. Weekend flights booked less than a week ahead can cost 3-5 times the optimal price.
- Day of week: Tuesday and Wednesday flights are consistently 15-25% cheaper than Friday and Sunday flights. If you can adjust your travel by one day, the savings are meaningful.
Secondary Airports: The Hidden Cost
Budget airlines use secondary airports that are cheaper to operate from but farther from city centers. This is the cost that never appears on your booking confirmation:
- Paris Beauvais (BVA): 85 km from Paris center. Bus transfer: 17 euros, 75 minutes. Compare with Orly: 14 km from center.
- London Stansted (STN): 60 km from central London. Stansted Express train: 20-30 pounds, 47 minutes. Bus (National Express): 8-12 pounds, 60-90 minutes.
- Milan Bergamo (BGY): 50 km from Milan center. Bus transfer: 7 euros, 60 minutes.
- Barcelona Girona (GRO): 92 km from Barcelona center. Bus: 16 euros, 75 minutes. Note: Ryanair now operates most Barcelona flights from El Prat (BCN), not Girona.
Always add the airport transfer cost to the flight price before comparing. A 19-euro Ryanair flight to Beauvais plus 17 euros in bus transfers costs more than a 45-euro EasyJet flight to Orly plus 10 euros on the metro.
Packing for Budget Airlines
The 40x20x25 cm personal bag limit on Ryanair is strict and enforced with measuring frames at the gate. Staff do check, and the gate fee for an oversized bag is 55 euros. Bags that fit:
- Ryanair's own branded bag (sold on their website)
- Cabin Max Metz backpack (designed specifically for budget airline dimensions)
- Most standard school/laptop backpacks if you do not overstuff them
Packing strategy for a weekend in a personal-bag-only setup: wear your heaviest clothes on the plane (jacket, boots), use packing cubes to compress everything else, and accept that you are bringing three outfits maximum. A toiletry kit, phone charger, and one change of clothes fit comfortably. Two changes fit with compression. Three is the practical maximum.
Your Rights When Things Go Wrong
EU Regulation 261/2004 protects passengers on all flights departing from EU airports and on EU-carrier flights arriving in the EU, regardless of whether you fly budget or traditional. Your rights include:
- Delay over 3 hours: Compensation of 250-600 euros depending on distance. This applies even to 19-euro flights -- compensation is based on distance, not ticket price.
- Cancellation with less than 14 days notice: Same compensation as delays, plus right to rebooking or refund.
- Denied boarding due to overbooking: Same compensation plus immediate rebooking.
Budget airlines are not exempt from these regulations. Ryanair has historically been resistant to paying compensation, but the rules are clear and enforceable. If your flight is significantly delayed or canceled, document everything and file a claim through the airline's website. If denied, escalate to your national enforcement body or use a claims service like AirHelp.
The base fare is the invitation. The total cost is the reality. Know the difference before you book.