Thinking of booking a holiday soon? This can be an exciting time for anyone but during the process, you’ll be asked to select any extras you want to add to your booking. These often come with additional costs, which begs the question, are they worth it?
Many of the extras are designed to make travelling that little bit easier, which for many anxious travellers is vital to their excitement on the day of their holiday. It’s estimated that between 2.5% to 5% of UK people are scared of flying and many benefits can help to mitigate these fears.
So, if a holiday is on the horizon for you, then continue reading our guide below to see what some of the most popular airline extras are and whether they’re worth adding to your booking.
The Most Popular Extras
When it comes to adding extras, a survey of 2,000 adults revealed that the most popular airline extras to add when booking a plane ticket include the following:
- Seat reservations – 27% of survey respondents claimed they would pay for this
- 10kg of luggage – 16% of survey respondents claimed they would pay for this
- Travel insurance – 14% of survey respondents claimed they would pay for this
- Airport parking – 14% of survey respondents claimed they would pay for this
- Pre-booked meal – 14% of survey respondents claimed they would pay for this
Do Brits think these extras are worth it?
Of the five most popular extras, the same respondents said whether or not they believed they were worth the investment. Here’s what the statistics of this section revealed:
- Seat reservations – 85% of survey respondents believe this is worth paying for
- 10kg of luggage – 89% of survey respondents believe this is worth paying for
- Travel insurance – 82% of survey respondents believe this is worth paying for
- Airport parking – 87% of survey respondents believe this is worth paying for
- Pre-booked meal – 76% of survey respondents believe this is worth paying for
Is adding extras through the airline website the best value for money?
While the convenience of adding extras to one transaction may seem worth it for the two-thirds of Brits planning on going abroad this year, it doesn’t always get you the best value for money and can lead to the price of your airfare rising rapidly. Instead, if you are travelling from Manchester airport for example, consider booking your Manchester airport terminal 2 parking through a third party company, which could offer better prices, the same applies to travel insurance. It might be more convenient to add these extras to one transaction but not as cost effective.
Brits love a bargain when it comes to holidays, so be sure to shop around for features that aren’t exclusive to the airline if you want the best value for money. This should help you save a few extra pounds that can be spent on fun activities on your holiday instead.