7 flight rip-offs and how to avoid them

Finding cheap flights online should be easy, but with extra fees and sneaky hidden charges, that first price you see isn’t often the one you’ll end up paying.

Between optional add-ons that feel essential in the moment and hard-to-follow booking conditions, scoring a cheap flight is like making your way through a rainforest without a map – it’s easy to get lost.

So, we’re here to help you navigate the airfare jungle – think Bear Grylls without the predetermined scenarios – by revealing how to avoid seven all-too-common flight rip-offs.

Rip-off #1: Eye-watering baggage fees

Need a bag with that? If you’re looking at low-cost airlines, prepare to pay up.

When you’re comparing flights, remember those temptingly cheap airfares can quickly skyrocket if you need more than the free under-seat bag.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to avoid unless you can cram everything into your hand luggage allowance. If you can’t, add your bag at the time you make your booking – it’ll generally be cheaper than adding it later online or at the airport.

It’s also worth paying attention to the initial ‘upgrade’ offers during the booking process. Usually, they’ll include extras like priority boarding or seats closer to the front in addition to the bigger bag.

If you want them, make a note of the price but stick with the base fare to start – you might find that it’s cheaper to add these extras individually compared to the initial package ‘deal’ offered by the airline.

Don’t care where you sit and happy to board last? Stick with the base fare. You’ll get the option to add a bag at a cheaper price later.

Rip-off #2: Paying to check-in at the airport

Some airlines charge you for the privilege of checking in at the airport. For example, Wizz Air charges between €40 and €50 (£34.50-£43.10), while Ryanair charges even more at up to £55.

It’s usually a feature of low-cost carriers and can be avoided easily enough by checking in online. Your airline will usually remind you when check-in opens but to ensure you don’t forget, set your own reminder as to when the online check-in window opens.

In November 2025, Ryanair moved to 100% digital boarding passes – but if you don’t have a smartphone or tablet, you can ask for a free of charge boarding pass at the airport as long as you have already checked-in online before arriving.

The best way to dodge the pricey check-in bullet is to check the policy with your airline and, if you need to, print all boarding passes off early and put them safely with your passports.

Rip-off #3: Booking through third parties

With charter and low-cost flights, it’s almost always cheaper to book direct than through a third-party online travel agent.

Not only that but if something goes wrong, you’re generally better off dealing with the airline directly as many third-party sites charge an extortionate price to access customer service.

For example, Opodo charges an ‘intermediation fee’ of up to £60pp per booking if you need to change or cancel a flight – that’s on top of any service fees charged by the airline – while Gotogate will charge £12.50pp if your flight is changed or cancelled by your airline and you want a flight other than the alternative offered, and £33.11 for changes or cancellations requested by you, as well as for manual assistance such as making a new booking or adding passengers.

To avoid getting ripped off while booking, make sure you compare a wide range of companies using a comparison site, check the reviews of any third-party companies, and go direct where possible. At TravelSupermarket, we aim to show as many direct prices as possible to help you find the cheapest deals.

Rip-off #4: Excessive prices for travel insurance

Once you’ve signed on the dotted line, your airline will selflessly take it upon themselves to solve every other holiday issue they think you have.

Top of the list is usually travel insurance: far less glamorous than the other parts of your holiday, but no less important. It can be tempting to get this boring bit out of the way while you’re booking your flight or following an email from your airline.

But wait, as you may end up paying more. We checked the cost of a seven-night, single-trip policy for a family of four heading to Spain in July 2026 (18-25) and found that a policy with easyJet would be £38.15 And a similar single-trip family policy through a quick comparison on TravelSupermarket? (with higher medical cover)? £17.94.

The moral of the story? Shop around for your insurance as you would for your flight.

Rip-off #5: Silly seat fees

Potentially one of the most annoying rip-offs is the seat selection fee. Ryanair charges between £4.50 and £21.50 per person per flight for a standard seat and seat fees go up to a hefty £38 per person if you decide you’d like to reserve an extra legroom seat after you’ve booked. Meanwhile, easyJet’s fees vary with demand, route, flight date and time of booking. When we looked at flights from Manchester to Malaga with travel on 18 July, standard seats started from £9.99 per person and went up to £36.99 per person to sit up front.

The best way to dodge this? Well, it’s simple if you don’t mind where you sit, but for families it can be an expensive affair. Some airlines, such as British Airways, don’t charge on certain tickets; others, like Wizz Air, will ensure a child (between two and 14) is seated next to one of their adults but won’t sit the whole family together for free.

Ryanair used to charge a ‘mandatory family seat’ fee but, in June 2026, after an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Ryanair changed its family seating policy to match the industry standard. From 25 June, adults travelling with children who do not wish to select or pay for a reserved seat will be advised of their free-of-charge seat allocation after they have checked in for their flight.

Talking about the move away from charging parents to sit with their children, Ryanair said: “Families opting for this random allocation of seats beside each other are likely to be seated towards the rear of the aircraft cabin, as front rows tend to be reserved and sell out first. Families who prefer to choose their seats at the time of booking and secure premium front rows will be allowed to do so by paying a seat reservation fee, in line with the policy applied by most other European airlines. This minor policy tweak will align Ryanair’s family seating policy with that of most other EU airlines, which responds to the desire of Europe’s regulators to stifle innovation and progress.”

If it’s important to you to sit in a certain seat, factor it into the overall price when you’re comparing options.

Rip-off #6: Flying into faraway airports

You’ve successfully squashed your clothes into a tiny backpack, conquered the check-in process and managed to make it through your flight without sitting next to your travel partner.

Then you’re tripped up by the last hurdle, one you didn’t even see coming: an extortionate fee just to get from the airport into the city. And to rub salt in the wound, it’ll take you another hour to get there.

Flying into smaller airports further from the city centre is common for low-cost carriers, so double check which one you’ll arrive at. As well as factoring the cost of train, taxi or airport transfers into the price of your airfare, it’s worth considering the time you’ll lose on the longer journey. It may work out better to fly into a closer airport.

Rip-off #7: Pointless points

Frequent flyer schemes and rewards can be a great way to earn a little travel treat if you use them properly. However, if you don’t, you can actually end up losing out on what looks like a good deal.

The main rip-off to avoid here is redeeming your points for a deal that isn’t actually worth it. So, before you use your points, always check the real price of your booking. Generally, it’s better to use your points on business class or long-haul flights rather than economy.

Also, don’t buy everything under the sun in the quest for more precious points. They should be a bonus as a result of your usual spending and not something that results in you spending more.

Please note: All facts and prices were correct at the time of updating (1 July 2026) and are subject to change.