easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 between them carry the majority of UK passengers to European holiday destinations. All three fly to similar places. But they work very differently, and choosing the wrong airline for your trip can add £50 or more to the real cost once luggage fees and check-in charges are included.
This guide compares easyJet vs Ryanair vs Jet2 on the things that matter most: what is included in the base fare, what costs extra, how flexible you are if plans change, and which airline suits which type of traveller.
How easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2 compare
Here is the short version across the categories UK travellers ask about most.
| easyJet | Ryanair | Jet2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK airports | 22 | ~20 | 13 |
| Destinations | 130+ | 200+ in Europe | ~70 |
| Free underseat bag | 45×36×20cm | 40×30×20cm | 40×30×20cm |
| Overhead cabin bag | From ~£5 at booking | Priority only (from ~£6) | Free for all passengers |
| Hold bag included | No | No | No (Jet2.com); yes (Jet2holidays) |
| Airport check-in fee | None | £55 | None |
| Seat selection | From ~£4 | Paid | From ~£8 |
| ATOL protection | No | No | Jet2holidays only |
Hand luggage: what’s actually included?
This is where the three airlines differ most. The headline fare on Ryanair and easyJet can look similar to Jet2, but what that fare actually includes is very different.
| easyJet | Ryanair | Jet2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Underseat bag (free) | 45×36×20cm | 40×30×20cm | 40×30×20cm |
| Overhead cabin bag | 56×45×25cm — from ~£5 at booking | 55×40×20cm — Priority Boarding required (from ~£6) | 56×45×25cm, 10kg — free |
| Gate fee (wrong bag) | £48 | £70–75 | £60 |
| Hold bag (per leg) | From ~£28 | From ~£12 | From ~£8 (Jet2.com) |
Jet2 is the most generous by a clear margin. Every passenger gets two free bags: the underseat item and a proper overhead cabin bag (56×45×25cm, 10kg). On easyJet, the overhead cabin bag costs extra, starting from around £5 at the time of booking. On Ryanair, the only free bag is the small 40×30×20cm item, which must fit under the seat. Anyone wanting overhead locker space on Ryanair must pay for Priority Boarding, starting from around £6 on shorter routes and rising significantly on busier ones.
Gate fees on all three airlines are punishing. Ryanair charges £70–75 if you arrive at the gate with an oversized bag and no Priority Boarding. easyJet charges £48. Jet2 charges £60. On every airline, adding the bag at the time of booking is the cheapest option.
For a full breakdown of Ryanair’s exact rules, see our guide to Ryanair hand luggage size 2026. For a side-by-side of all major UK airlines, the UK airline hand luggage guide covers every carrier.
Gate fees on all three airlines are designed to discourage passengers from leaving bag decisions until the last minute. On Ryanair, the gate charge for an oversized bag without Priority Boarding is £70–75, making it the highest penalty of the three. Adding bags at the time of booking — not at the gate, not the night before — is always the cheapest approach across easyJet, Ryanair and Jet2.
Check-in and boarding
Ryanair requires passengers to check in online. Using an airport check-in desk costs £55. That figure is significant — it is one of the easiest fees to avoid (online check-in takes two minutes) but also one of the most expensive when passengers forget. Online check-in on Ryanair opens 60 days before departure. For more detail on how strict Ryanair is with its policies, see our full guide.
easyJet’s online check-in opens 30 days before departure. There is no fee for using the airport bag-drop desk on easyJet. Speedy Boarding, which gives priority access to the aircraft and a better chance of overhead locker space, starts from around £6.
Jet2’s check-in opens 28 days before departure, also with no airport desk fee. A notable difference: Jet2 offers Twilight check-in at ten UK airports, available the evening before departure (16:30 to 21:00) for flights departing before noon. This means you can drop bags the night before your trip, which removes early-morning luggage queues entirely.
Choosing your seat
All three airlines charge for advance seat selection on their base fares. All three will assign you a seat free of charge if you do not pay, but you have no control over where that seat is.
easyJet charges from around £4 for standard seats, with seats closer to the front priced higher. easyJet FLEXI fare passengers are included in a guaranteed seat allocation process. Ryanair’s seat selection costs vary by route; Plus and Flexi Plus fares include a seat. Jet2 charges from around £8 for standard seats and from around £16 for exit-row seats with extra legroom. On the Boeing 737-800 that Jet2 operates, rows 16 and 17 are exit rows. If you do not pay for a seat on Jet2, the free allocation at check-in works reasonably well for pairs and small families travelling together.
Cancellations and changes
None of the three airlines offer refunds on standard fares if you choose to cancel.
| easyJet | Ryanair | Jet2 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancel for refund (standard) | No — flight credit only | No | No (Jet2.com) |
| Change fee | From ~£30 + fare diff | Paid + fare diff | £40pp per one-way + fare diff |
| Flexible option | FLEXI — full refund | Flexi Plus — refund | Jet2holidays — sliding scale + ATOL |
On Ryanair, a refund is only possible if Ryanair cancels the flight, delays it by five hours or more, or denies you boarding. If you cancel, you receive nothing back. Our guide to whether Ryanair flights are refundable explains the rules in full.
easyJet’s Standard fare works the same way. If you cancel, you lose the fare. The difference from Ryanair is that easyJet issues flight credit rather than nothing at all — but that credit is still tied to a future easyJet booking. The FLEXI fare includes a full refund up to one hour before departure and free flight changes.
Jet2.com flights are fully non-refundable and charge £40 per person per one-way sector to change. Jet2holidays is a different product: bookings carry a sliding cancellation scale (you lose only the deposit if you cancel 70 days or more before departure, and the full amount inside 14 days). Jet2holidays bookings are also ATOL-protected, meaning if Jet2 failed financially, passengers would be refunded or repatriated. Jet2.com standalone flights carry no such protection.
Routes and airports
easyJet has the widest UK departure network of the three, flying from 22 UK airports to more than 130 destinations. Its strongest bases are Gatwick, Luton, Bristol, Manchester and Edinburgh. Our full easyJet guide covers what to expect on the airline in detail.
Ryanair flies from around 20 UK airports and offers the largest overall European network of any low-cost carrier, with more than 200 destinations across the continent. Its primary UK bases include Stansted, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Manchester and Glasgow.
Jet2 is the most focused of the three. It flies from 13 UK airports, mainly in the north and Midlands, to around 70 destinations. It specialises in beach and Mediterranean holiday routes rather than the broader European city-break network of the other two. Our full Jet2 guide covers both the Jet2.com flights product and the Jet2holidays package.
Route coverage matters as much as price. Ryanair’s network is the broadest in Europe, with more than 200 destinations, but it concentrates on secondary airports that can add transfer time. easyJet serves more primary city airports. Jet2 has a tighter network focused on beach and Mediterranean holiday destinations, which is well-matched to its core UK audience.
Which airline should you choose?
The right answer depends on how you travel and what you are willing to pay for.
Light packer on a city break: Ryanair is often the cheapest if you can fit everything into a 40×30×20cm bag. Base fares are frequently the lowest of the three. Our guide to when Ryanair has sales covers how to find the cheapest fares.
Standard traveller who wants a cabin bag: easyJet is the middle-ground choice. Adding the overhead cabin bag at booking costs from around £5, and the 22-airport UK network gives good coverage from most parts of the country.
Family, couple or group on a holiday: Jet2 is the strongest of the three. The free cabin bag allowance for every passenger removes the most common add-on cost. Jet2holidays adds ATOL protection and a full package that includes transfers. The trade-off is fewer departure airports and a narrower destination range than easyJet or Ryanair.
Anyone who needs flexibility: Pay for the premium fare on whichever airline you use. easyJet FLEXI and Ryanair Flexi Plus both include refunds and free changes. Jet2holidays’ sliding cancellation scale is the most useful for early-booked trips where plans may change.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ryanair always cheaper than easyJet?
Not always. Ryanair’s base fares are often lower, but adding Priority Boarding or a hold bag can close the gap quickly. The total cost depends on what you need to bring and how far ahead you book.
Which airline is best for families?
Jet2 is the strongest choice for families. Every passenger gets a free overhead cabin bag included, the seat allocation works well for groups travelling together, and the Jet2holidays product is ATOL-protected.
Does easyJet include a free cabin bag on all tickets?
No. Standard easyJet fares include one small underseat bag (45×36×20cm) free. The overhead cabin bag (56×45×25cm) costs extra, from around £5 at the time of booking.
Can I get a refund if I cancel a Ryanair or easyJet flight?
No. Standard fares on both airlines are non-refundable if you choose to cancel. Premium fares (FLEXI on easyJet, Flexi Plus on Ryanair) include refunds but cost more than a standard ticket.
Which airline flies from the most UK airports?
easyJet flies from 22 UK airports, Ryanair from around 20 and Jet2 from 13.
Kate Acaster is Chief Editor at Flight Tribe. She writes about practical travel planning, budget airlines, baggage rules, city breaks, beach holidays and good hotels that do not cost daft money.
Kate has travelled through Europe, South America and beyond, usually with a notebook, a half-formed plan and a strong opinion on airport snacks. At Flight Tribe, her work focuses on helping UK travellers understand what is included, what costs extra, and whether a trip is worth booking at the price shown.
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