If you arrive at Bristol Airport needing to check a bag you haven't booked online, easyJet charges a flat £60 bag drop desk fee, and Ryanair charges £35.99-£40 for a 10kg bag or £59.99 for a 20kg bag at the bag drop desk. Both figures come straight from the airlines' own published fees, not a Bristol-specific rate: these are the same walk-up prices they charge at every airport they fly from, including Bristol. Buying hold luggage online in advance, even the night before, is always cheaper than paying at the airport. Checked against easyJet's and Ryanair's own help pages, November 2026.
Why this costs so much more at the airport
Low-cost carriers price hold luggage to reward booking in advance and discourage last-minute additions at the bag drop desk, where handling an unplanned bag costs the airline more in staff time and can slow down the queue for everyone else. Both easyJet and Ryanair state clearly that adding a bag online, even shortly before you fly, works out cheaper than paying at the airport.
easyJet: what it costs if you haven't booked a hold bag
easyJet's own help pages confirm the airport bag drop desk fee is a flat £60, charged for any hold bag you haven't added to your booking in advance, or for bringing extra weight you haven't paid for. This applies network-wide, not just at Bristol. Practical points:
- You can add hold luggage online via Manage Bookings up to two hours before departure, which is almost always cheaper than the £60 desk fee.
- If your pre-booked bag is over its weight allowance, you're charged a per-kilogram fee for the excess rather than the full £60, provided you did book some hold luggage.
- easyJet also runs a Twilight Bag Drop at Bristol for flights departing at or before 08:30, letting you check bags in the evening before (18:00-21:00) if you've already booked them.
Ryanair: what it costs if you haven't booked a hold bag
Ryanair's published fees distinguish between adding a bag at the bag drop desk and turning up at the boarding gate with one that hasn't been checked in at all:
| Situation | Cost |
|---|---|
| 10kg check-in bag, added at bag drop desk (not pre-booked) | £35.99-£40 |
| 20kg check-in bag, added at bag drop desk (not pre-booked) | £59.99 |
| Oversized 10kg bag brought to the boarding gate | refused, or placed in hold for £46-£60 |
| Oversized 20kg bag brought to the boarding gate | refused, or placed in hold for £70-£75 |
Ryanair's maximum checked bag weight is 20kg per item at the standard rate, with a 32kg hard limit per bag for safety reasons; anything heavier isn't accepted regardless of what you're willing to pay.
What about Jet2, TUI and British Airways?
Jet2 and TUI both include a checked-bag allowance as standard on most fares (commonly 22kg with Jet2, 20-25kg with TUI depending on the holiday package), and neither publishes a single fixed walk-up price for adding a bag on the day the way easyJet and Ryanair do. If you're flying with Jet2, TUI or British Airways from Bristol and need to check extra or unplanned luggage, check your booking confirmation or call the airline directly rather than assuming a flat fee, since the cost depends on your specific fare and route.
How to avoid paying the airport rate
- Add hold luggage when you book, or shortly after, in Manage My Booking. This is consistently the cheapest way with every airline that charges separately for it.
- Weigh your bag at home before you leave, so you're not guessing whether you're within your paid allowance.
- Use Twilight Bag Drop if your airline offers it at Bristol and your flight qualifies, so you're not dealing with bags on travel day at all.
- Don't wait until the boarding gate if you know you'll need a checked bag: Ryanair's gate rate for an unbooked bag is its highest price band, and your bag may simply be refused if there's no room in the hold.