Which? Finds Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air Rarely Offer Advertised Low Bag Fares

December 13, 2025 at 12:00 PM•2 min read

Which? analysis found Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air rarely offer their lowest advertised cabin bag prices.

Key Points

1Which? analysis reveals Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air rarely offer their lowest advertised cabin bag prices, misleading consumers.
2easyJet's "from £5.99" cabin bag rate was never found in 520 flights; the cheapest was £23.49, averaging £30.
3Ryanair's advertised £12 cabin bag price appeared on only 2 of 634 flights, with an average cost of £20.50.
4Consumer group Which? has submitted its findings to the UK Advertising Standards Authority, citing a critical lack of fee transparency.

Consumer group Which? has published an analysis revealing that major budget airlines, including Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz Air, rarely make their lowest advertised cabin bag prices available to passengers. The study, which examined nearly 1,500 flights across eight popular routes for each carrier, found significant discrepancies between promotional rates and actual costs, spanning both peak and off-peak travel dates.

Specifically, easyJet's website advertises cabin bags "from £5.99," yet Which? found no prices below £23.49 among 520 checked flights, with the average cost reaching £30. Ryanair's advertised £12 rate for cabin bags was available on only two out of 634 flights, averaging £20.50. Similarly, Wizz Air's lowest stated price of 15 euros (£13.11) was found only twice across 338 flights, with an average fee of £28.93.

Which? has submitted its findings to the UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), arguing that the airlines' lack of transparent fees prevents consumers from knowing the true cost until deep into the booking process. Roy Boland, editor of Which? Travel, highlighted that bag prices often exceed the flight fare itself. In response, easyJet stated its pricing is "transparent and well understood," while Ryanair dismissed the study's sample size as "too small" and maintained its prices are "transparent and optional." Wizz Air asserted its prices vary by demand and are "fully compliant with consumer protection laws." This report underscores ongoing concerns regarding consumer transparency within the budget airline sector.