What baggage really costs

On 4.873 of 7.909 routes — 62% — the hold bag costs more than the flight. On average it pushes the price up by 156%, and at worst it multiplies it by 3,4.

None of the four airlines publishes a bag price for a single route: they give a range, and the real figure shows up when you pay. These numbers are measured — sampling real routes and opening real carts — because this is the line that most often doubles the price of a twenty-euro flight.

What it adds up to

Compared across 7.909 routes collected last night, for one traveller, one way.

The cabin trolley too

The wheeled bag that goes in the locker — not included on Ryanair or Vueling — costs more than the flight itself on 2.054 routes (26%). It is what catches people who booked a twenty-euro ticket with a cabin case.

Ryanair: the price depends on where you leave from and how far you go

Ryanair has no single price list. Across 55 sampled routes a 20 kg bag ranges from 20,98 € to 51 €, and the spread is not random: it grows with distance and changes by country. The rule we derived is 22,93 € plus 0,76 cents per kilometre, with a typical spread of 6,14 €.

Cells come from real carts. Where we have not sampled, the rule is used — and the site says so rather than pretending to know.

Wizz Air: banded, and it moves with the season

Wizz publishes its accessory fees, but in bands that depend on weight, season and where you buy. The lowest we find is 0 €, the highest 138 €. On top there is a fixed 8 € fee per person per flight, which the other two do not have.

Volotea: advertised «from 6 €», 16 € in the cart

Volotea does publish a price list — 10 kg «from 6 €» — but it is a minimum with no maximum beside it, and their extras endpoint answers with empty fields until a booking is under way. We opened 31 carts and closed them straight away: a 10 kg bag always costs 16 €, a 20 kg one ranges from 26 € to 33 €. Their 2.8% fee is already inside the fare they show.

Vueling: the trolley is extra, and costs as much as the flight

The Vueling base fare includes only the bag under the seat (40×30×20): a trolley is paid for separately, as on Ryanair. Across 24 flights measured by reading their fare bundles, the 10 kg cabin bag runs from 19 € to 69 €, and the 25 kg hold bag from 31 € to 101 €. Vueling also sells 15, 20 and 30 kg sizes, which the fare bundles do not carry: for those their own fee table is the source. These are the supplements you pay when choosing the bag at booking time: adding it later may cost less, and where in doubt the higher number is the one kept here.

By weight, rather than by airline

If you are still choosing who to fly with, comparing at the same weight is more useful:

• What a 10 kg hold bag costs
• What a 20 kg hold bag costs

The numbers, for whoever writes about this

These numbers do not just sit here: they download. They are the same ones the page reads, rebuilt at every collection. If they are useful to you, take them — just say where they came from.

• One row per airline
• Ryanair: the bag by country and distance
• Everything together, for developers

How to cite them: «Mapofly, flights 23 September 2026, bags 23 September 2026 — mapofly.com».

Why it matters

On a €20 flight a 20 kg checked bag can cost more than the flight. That is why the price you see on Mapofly already includes bags and fees: a bait fare and a real one only differ once you add them up.

See prices with bags included

Measured on 23 September 2026.