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Avoiding Bag Fees on Ultra Low-Cost Budget Airlines

Getting a great deal on these airlines takes some work

Published June 19, 2020

An untitled image from "Avoiding Bag Fees on Ultra Low-Cost Budget Airlines"

Spirit's bag fees can cost you as much as the flight itself

As their name suggests, ultra low-cost carriers (ULCC) offer steeply discounted fares.

But watch out! There’s a catch to these savings. To make up for low fares, ULCC’s follow what the industry calls an “unbundling” strategy. That means your fare buys you only a seat on a plane. Everything else is extra.

Which airlines are considered ultra low-cost?

ULCC’s make up 7 of the 90+ airlines we track at BagsThatFly.

In the US, these include air:spirit, air:frontier, and air:allegiant. In Europe, air:ryanair and air:easyjet dominate budget air travel. In Asia, ULCC’s include air:jetstar and air:tiger.

What fees do ultra low-cost airlines charge?

Most ULCC’s follow the same formula. Pull in customers with low fares and charge them for every convenience they demand. What we might take for granted on a regular airline is a luxury to pay for on a ULCC.

Want an in-flight snack or a drink? There’s a fee. Want to choose your seat? There’s another fee. Of these fees, air:ryanair charges one of the most notorious—a lavatory fee paid to use a toilet.

The mother of all fees though is the bag fee. ULCC’s don’t just charge for checked bags (they do, and the price is exorbitant). They also charge for your carry-on bags, which almost all other airlines allow onboard for free. 

The only way you’ll fly cheaply with a ULCC is by minimizing your bag fees.

Bag fees make up the bulk of extra charges

Regular airlines usually have a simple table you can refer to for bag fees. Domestic flights have one fee for a first checked bag, another for a second checked bag, an overweight bag, etc. International flights have their own set of fees.

ULCC’s on the other hand have dispensed with simplicity. Instead, a set of complicated formulas determine how much your bags end up costing you. Generally, you can expect to pay anywhere between $25 to as much as $100 for your bags depending mostly on these factors:

  • The route you’re flying

  • Your fare class

  • Your membership in the airline’s loyalty program

  • The size and weight of your bags

  • When and how you pay your bag fees

In industry speak, bag fees are one of many “non-ticket” fees passengers incur.

These non-ticket fees are nothing to scoff at. In 2017, the average passenger spent $56.49 on each segment they flew on air:spirit. They would go on to spend an average of $53.00 on non-ticket purchases alone.[1] That’s almost the cost of the fare itself!

What you should expect

Chances are, unless you’re packing extremely light, you’ll pay some kind of bag fee. This shouldn’t put you off from flying ULCC’s. They do, after all, offer very competitive fares. Just don’t expect to save much if you’re lugging along half your closet.

That said, there are steps you could take to reduce your bag fees. Most of your savings you can realize just by planning ahead.

Early bird saves the most on bag fees

ULCC’s let you “reserve” a checked or carry-on bag ahead of your flight. In other words, you can pay for your non-refundable bag fees online or over the phone before the day of departure.

That early reservation can easily save you the bulk of your bag fees. air:frontier, for example, charges $30 for a checked bag so long as you reserve it online. That fee doubles to $60 when paid at the gate. Round trip, you’re looking at $60 saved just by paying your bag fees early!

An untitled image from "Avoiding Bag Fees on Ultra Low-Cost Budget Airlines"

Of course, to pay your fees in advance, you need to know just how much you’ll bring. Do you need just a carry-on? Or must you check a bag in?

The surest way to know is by doing a practice run packing your bag for your trip. Pick out everything you need. Then re-evaluate each item you’ve picked and ask yourself if you actually need it. The goal is to leave out as much as you can.

As you work through this exercise, don’t forget about regulations on liquids and prohibited items. If you have must-bring liquids in larger containers (exceeding 100mL) or a dangerous weapon like a knife, you’ll have to check in a bag regardless. In that case, reserve a checked bag so you’re not coughing up $60 at the gate just to transport your possessions.

Your personal item can save you even more

About the only thing ULCC’s share in common with regular airlines when it comes to baggage is the personal item.

Most airlines commonly give as examples for the personal item a purse, a camera, or a laptop bag. But a personal item can often take up a larger footprint, a small backpack or an underseat suitcase.

If you’re enterprising, you might be able to travel with just a personal item, zeroing out your bag fees. Business travelers can pull this off if they’re dressed during their trip and forego a garment bag. Vacationers flying out for a weekend excursion might also be able to swing it.

And if you can’t stuff everything you need in a single personal item, know that you can still save money. You might be able to downsize from a checked bag to a carry-on by taking advantage of your personal item.

Final thoughts

ULCC’s might nickel and dime, but you can still navigate around their fees and get a great deal.

Outside of your airfare, arguably the biggest expense on a ULCC are your bag fees.

What you’ll pay depends on several factors. The two main ones are when you pay for your bag fee and the size and weight of your bag. By reserving your bags online and paying a non-refundable advance on your fees, you can save significantly. Likewise if you pack fewer belongings.

If you’d like to learn how to pack lighter, head over to our article on packing light.

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