True Flight Cost Calculator

Because the fare buys a seat and almost nothing else. A bag, a chosen seat and the ride to the airport are all priced separately, and the bag is charged on each leg. On a cheap short-haul fare the extras routinely cost more than the flight itself.

Only the small item under the seat. EU lawmakers agreed in June 2026 to guarantee a free cabin bag of up to 100 cm and 7 kg on top of it, but the rule is not in force yet — it applies roughly a year after publication. Until then airlines can and do charge.

Roughly €10–45 for 10 kg and €19–60 for 20 kg, bought online. The price is not fixed: it climbs as the flight fills and as the date gets closer, so the same bag costs more the later you add it.

Online, by a wide margin. Adding a bag at the desk typically costs €35–75 — often two or three times the online price for exactly the same bag.

Yes. Baggage is charged per flight, not per booking, so a return trip doubles it. Two people with one checked bag each on a return flight are paying for four bags.

On budget airlines, effectively yes. Check-in opens and closes within a set window, and arriving at the airport without a boarding pass means paying to have one printed at the desk. It is one of the easiest charges to avoid and one of the most commonly paid.

It becomes the most expensive bag of the trip. Gate charges run from about €46 to €75, and Ryanair charges €69.99 for an oversized cabin bag. Measuring at home costs nothing.

Sometimes, but not automatically. With one checked bag each way and a chosen seat, a low fare can end up level with a full-service airline that includes both. The only way to know is to compare the total, which is what this tool is for.

Getting to and from the airport. Budget airlines often fly to secondary airports well outside the city, where the transfer can add €20–40 each way. That distance is part of the price of the ticket, even though it never appears on it.