The last thing that anybody wants when booking a trip abroad is to be slapped with a 'hidden' fee which could bite into holiday spending cash.
However, from overweight luggage to late check-in fees, there are a number of added costs which could see passengers put back by as much as £220 before they even reach their holiday destination.
With that in mind, TradingPedia compared these fees for seven airlines that fly from the UK to Spain, Portugal and other European hotspots. It was found that fees can range from £66 to £220, and at the top of the list with the biggest additional fee potential was Ryanair, writes the Mirror.
These charges include more obscure ones like a rescue fee - the charge for transferring to a new flight after missing your original one, but only if you arrive at the airport no later than a certain amount of time after it was due to depart.
Here are the hidden charges which could get your holiday off to a not-so-good start.
Airlines with the highest hidden fees
Checked baggage, carry-on baggage, seat selection, online booking, airport check-in and rescue fee
- Ryanair: (£31, £18, £15.50, £0, £55, £100) total - £220
- Vueling: (£41.50, £38.30, £16.10, £0, £0, £115.30) total - £211
- Wizz Air: (£57.40, £0, £29.30, £9.80, £24.30, £73) total - £194
- EasyJet: (£31.50, £17.50, £24, £0, £0, £110) total - £183
- British Airways: (£50, £0, £20, £0, £0, £0) total - £70
- Norwegian Air: (£27.90, £12, £27.90, £0, £0, £0) total - £68
- Jet2: (£31, £0, £20, £0, £15, £0) total - £66
An expert has pointed out that while these fees are not technically 'hidden' many travellers won't know about them until they're about to finish a booking.
Michael Fisher from TradingPedia said: "The report includes information about fees charged by seven airlines, of British Airways, easyJet, Jet2, Norwegian, Ryanair, Vueling, and Wizz Air.
"To be fair, fees are not exactly hidden on the websites of the airlines – they are fully disclosed on each screen while you are making an online booking.
"However, they are not added to the final cost of the fare in advertisements and special offers, and do not become clear until the actual process of booking the flight is completed."
TradingPedia also warned that in some cases, passengers had no choice but to purchase "optional" services such as WizzAir's group booking administration fee of £4.50.
Likewise, anyone flying with an infant under the age of two doesn't need to buy a ticket - but Wizz Air charges £28.50, while easyJet and Ryanair add £25 and Jet2 charges £20 in fees.
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