Published by Flight HelpPage revision published

How do I compare airfares without overlooking extra charges?

A lower base fare is not enough information when the competing ticket includes a different set of services.

Flight planning tools for comparing booking and fare details before paying

Important unknowns

  • No current fare sample, itinerary or all-in price quotation supplied.

What to do next

  1. Compare the total for the same trip and passengers, not just the first price displayed.

  2. Match the airports, dates, cabin and connection preferences, then identify baggage and other options you actually need.

  3. Review Filter flight prices by bag fees from Google and verify the current page before completing this task.

  4. Review Find plane tickets on Google Flights from Google and verify the current page before completing this task.

Original planning method

Keep unknown costs out of a complete total

Compare the same travelers, flights, currency and selected services. Mark each item as a confirmed amount, already included, or unknown. Add confirmed amounts once; do not count an included item twice.

Conditions

  • If a required item is unpriced, label the sum a known subtotal and name what remains open.

Exceptions

  • Keep personal transport or lodging estimates separate from the seller’s price.

What to do next

Ask the seller for the payable total for the exact itinerary and services before ranking it against a complete quote.

Limitations

  • A worksheet organizes observations; it does not provide a live fare or predict a later price.

Sources and last checked