Low-cost airlines have been finding different ways to make money as they continue to keep flight ticket prices as cheap as possible in a bid to win back customers following the Covid disruption. The Times reports that airlines are raking in record revenue from selling baggage space and other extras, with easyJet this week revealing that so-called ancillaries “continue to grow with yield increasing 20 per cent year on year” - up 85 per cent compared with the same period in 2019.
The Times says that low-cost carriers use algorithms to get maximum revenue on top of headline fares, typically selling luggage carriage, seat selection, priority boarding and food as extras. But this can potentially add hundreds of pounds to the cost of tickets for a typical family, and travel experts are warning passengers to check carefully when looking to book flights.
“Log on to the luggage allowance pages of Ryanair, Wizz Air and easyJet and while they state that you can add a bag ‘from £5.99’, the reality is often very different,” Chelsea Dickenson, a cheap travel expert, told The Times.
"While easyJet don’t share what the prices could reach, I know from personal experience it can easily reach more than £30 to book an upfront seat, which comes with speedy boarding and an extra bag. Meanwhile, Wizz Air plainly reveal that a 10kg bag can range from €5 in low season to €71.50 in high season — and that’s just one way.”
Most airlines allow only a small underseat bag as hand luggage and randomly assign seats at check-in unless the passenger pays to choose, which means families and groups must pay to sit together. Experts say the pricing algorithms for extras are now so sophisticated they take into consideration the time of flight, passenger profiles and the route.
John Strickland, director of JLS Consulting, said: “Algorithms use probability and mathematics to gauge the likelihood of somebody purchasing. Extras that would previously have had a fixed price are dynamic.
"Let’s say you book your seat a month in advance. In a particular season it might be £5. Another time it might be £10. On top of that they differentiate between the seats. Is it a window seat, or near the front? Is it an emergency exit? They also do it differently depending on the route and their assessment of what is the passenger profile.
"For example, a business traveller may say, ‘I just want to get it booked and have priority access’ whereas a holiday passenger may be more sensitive to extra cost. It has become incredibly complicated.”
According to Dickenson, there are ways to keep costs down. These include:
Plan ahead
Booking early is still the best way of securing a cheap fare. But passengers often work out if they need luggage later when prices are higher. Book everything, including bags and seats, when buying the flight.
Use Google Flights
Enter your destination and dates, to discover a list of flights. Then scroll down and look for the bar which tells you how high or low the prices are. You want a price that is typical or below average to know you are getting a good deal.
Look north (of the border)
Scottish schools break up at different times from English ones, especially in summer. Make the most of this and, for example, fly from Edinburgh rather than Newcastle. Families can save £300, Skyscanner advises.
Travel light
A search found 26 Ryanair destinations with £9.99 flights one way. If you travel with just an under-seat cabin bag, you can fly for less than a tenner.
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