Ryanair / Easyjet deals

Scott, as far as heavier luggage goes, it won't go! Ryanair has a limit for checked as well as carry-on baggage, and you'll either check another "bag" or leave it. Of course, sometimes they don't weigh the bags, but I wouldn't count on this. The more bags you check, the more you pay. You'll just have to travel light.

Ryanair's checked bag limit per person is two bags, 15 kilos each -- a total of 66 lbs! Do you really need to carry more than that? One thing that could save you some money is to include your checked bag in your booking online instead of waiting to decide to check it at the airport. There is a discount for booking your bag ahead of time.

The fees, taxes, etc., are all clearly listed on their websites. You will see the total price before you confirm the booking of your tickets. Be aware of check boxes and such that might be prechecked for you (one of these airlines used to sign you up for travel insurance, for example, if you didn't uncheck the box). The nice thing about these airlines is that you can control virtually all of the extra fees by watching your luggage weights and dimensions and carryon rules, and taking a snack with you instead of getting one on the plane. There's really no way to answer your question about total cost because a lot depends on you. I have used both airlines without a problem with one checked bag and a carryon. In Ryanair's case, my flight with taxes was about $30 USD from London to Santander, Spain. With Easyjet, it was about $40 USD from Oviedo, Spain to London in total. In neither case did I incur additional fees for anything. The key to using the budgets is to know and follow the rules to the letter. Then there can be no surprises.

I would always go with either AirBerlin or Easyjet--the UK folks don't call it "robbin Ryan" without reason.