The advertised base fare on a European budget carrier almost never matches what you actually pay. The gap between the two is baggage fees, seat selection, priority boarding, and payment surcharges — and each of the big four carriers stacks those fees differently. This is a booking-math comparison of Ryanair, easyJet, Wizz Air, and Vueling: what’s actually free, what isn’t, and which one wins for which kind of trip.
Cabin baggage: the free allowance that varies more than you’d expect
Every one of these carriers lets you bring one small personal item on board free — the differences are in the exact dimensions and what counts as a free “cabin bag” versus a paid add-on. Ryanair’s free personal item is capped at 40x20x25cm, small enough that anything beyond a slim backpack or laptop bag risks a gate-check fee. Wizz Air’s free allowance is slightly larger at 40x30x20cm. easyJet’s free underseat item is the most generous of the three at 45x36x20cm, though a larger overhead-bin cabin bag on easyJet’s Basic fare costs extra, starting around €7.99. Vueling charges for priority boarding and seat selection on top of its base allowance, so its effective free-tier is the tightest of the four once you actually want a guaranteed overhead bin slot.
Checked baggage: where the real cost spread shows up
This is the fee that actually moves your total trip cost. Ryanair’s 10kg checked bag runs roughly €12–25 depending on route and how far ahead you book. Wizz Air’s checked bag runs a bit higher, roughly €15–30 for a similar weight tier. easyJet’s checked-bag pricing has the widest spread of the group: a 10kg bag can run anywhere from about €5 to €59 depending on route, season, and how close to departure you book, and a 20kg bag ranges roughly €8 to €79. That spread is the single biggest reason easyJet’s advertised base fare is unreliable as a total-cost signal — book a 20kg bag on a peak summer weekend close to departure and you can pay nearly as much for the bag as you did for the seat.
The regulatory fight that could change all of this
All four carriers are currently caught up in a broader European dispute over whether a free cabin bag should be a baseline consumer right rather than a paid add-on. Regulators and consumer groups across several EU countries have been pushing back on the current fee-stacking model, and the outcome of that fight could reshape what “free” means across the whole budget-carrier category in the next few booking cycles (Travel And Tour World’s coverage of the cabin-bag dispute). Until a rule actually changes, book assuming today’s fee structure applies — don’t bank on a pending regulatory outcome to save you money on a trip you’re booking now.
Route strength: where each carrier actually wins on price
Base fares across these four carriers are similar on paper, typically starting around €15–25 for early-booked routes. But route competition breaks the tie in practice: Wizz Air is typically the cheaper option into Eastern Europe and the Balkans, where it has denser route coverage and less direct competition. Ryanair tends to win on Western European routes, where more carriers compete on the same city pairs and push fares down (AiFly’s 2026 Ryanair-vs-Wizz-Air route comparison). If your trip is Western Europe, start your search with Ryanair and easyJet; if it’s Eastern Europe or the Balkans, check Wizz Air first.
Booking timing: the lever that matters more than carrier choice
Across all four carriers, booking roughly 6–8 weeks ahead of departure consistently produces the best combined price on fare plus baggage, before last-minute demand pricing kicks in on both the seat and the add-ons (Going’s 2026 European budget airline guide). This matters more than most people assume: the carrier you pick determines your baggage fee structure, but your booking window determines how much that structure actually costs you. A well-timed easyJet booking can beat a last-minute Ryanair booking on the same route, even though Ryanair’s headline baggage fees are usually lower.
Total cost, worked example
For a typical one-bag, one-seat-selection booking made 6–8 weeks out, total add-on cost across these carriers usually lands in the €10–15 range on top of the base fare — manageable, and roughly comparable across all four when booked at the right window. The failure mode isn’t the carrier; it’s booking close to departure, where easyJet’s checked-bag range can blow out to €79 and Vueling’s stacked seat-plus-bag-plus-boarding fees compound fastest.
Comparison table
| Carrier | Free personal item | 10kg checked bag | Strongest region |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ryanair | 40x20x25cm | ~€12–25 | Western Europe (competitive routes) |
| Wizz Air | 40x30x20cm | ~€15–30 | Eastern Europe / Balkans |
| easyJet | 45x36x20cm underseat | ~€5–59 (route/season dependent) | Western Europe, best when booked early |
| Vueling | Tightest free tier; seat/boarding paid | Priced per add-on stack | Spain / Southern Europe routes |
FAQ
Which budget carrier is cheapest overall? There’s no single winner — it depends on region and booking timing more than carrier. Wizz Air tends to win Eastern Europe/Balkans; Ryanair and easyJet tend to win Western Europe, with easyJet’s total cost most sensitive to how early you book.
Can I avoid checked-bag fees entirely? Yes, if you pack within the free personal-item dimensions — easyJet’s 45x36x20cm underseat allowance is the most forgiving of the four for this.
Is it worth booking directly with the airline vs. an aggregator? Booking direct usually makes add-on selection (bag, seat) clearer and avoids a third-party markup on those fees, which can be harder to audit through an aggregator.
Will the free-cabin-bag regulatory push change these fees soon? It’s an active dispute, not a settled rule change — book against today’s fee structure, and treat any future rule change as a bonus, not something to plan a booking around.
Verdict
None of these four carriers is categorically cheaper — the real cost driver is booking window and route, not brand loyalty. Pick Wizz Air for Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Ryanair or easyJet for Western Europe, book 6–8 weeks out, and pack to the free personal-item dimensions if you can. The one mistake that costs real money across all four is booking a checked bag close to departure — that’s where easyJet’s range balloons to €79 and where the other three carriers’ add-on stacking compounds fastest too.
