Nothing kills the post-holiday mood quicker than finding out you’ve over shopped and will have to over pay the excess baggage fee to get all your new goods home.
As many airlines try to strip back the costs of a seat, they’re finding other ways to recoup their cash flow, one of which is hefty costs for excess baggage.
But not all added baggage fess are created equal. Some will set the unfortunate traveller back the cost of a new ticket, while others will leave the wallet weighing almost the same.
Figures taken from SkySkanner and airline websites shows the cost of taking 50 kg of luggage
Charges are often confusing and change depending on the flight route, departure airport, ticket class and if customers managed to think ahead and pre-book their excess online.
Last year, these complicated and often expensive fees lead to British passengers paying nearly £400million in excess.
One in five Britons has been charged by an airline for exceeding a baggage allowance for a flight in the past two years, leading to an average of £135 in fees each.
Even within the same airline fees can vary markedly, with some carriers having up to 32 different charging brackets.
For instance, Qatar, which has some of the heftiest fees in the world, will charge passengers heading to Australia, Europe, Japan and parts of the Middle East a whopping £54 for every extra 1 kg over 30 kg they pack.
For every 1kg over the 32kg allowance Emirates will charge some long-haul flyers £40.
Last year British passengers payed nearly £400million in excess baggage fees
Overall, the average cost for excess baggage per kg is £11.93.
And while United Airlines offers a 23kg bag for free, the airline will charge customers £78 for an extra suitcase and £150 for an extra bag that weighs between 33kg and 46kgs.
In comparison, both Virgin Atlantic and British Airways will allow customers to add an extra bag, worth 23kg, for only £65.
Budget carrier Jet2, which was recently crowned the best airline in the UK, will charge £20 for a bag up to 22kg booked online and £12 per kg after that.
Turkish Airlines have the cheapest per kg option, starting at £8 depending on the route.
And EasyJet will charge £10 per kg at the airport or £3 if booked beforehand, after customers hit 20kg.
Travelers looking to cut down on extras can fly with British Airlines, Air France, Etihad and Virgin Atlantic, among others, who all provide 23kg of baggage free on most routes.
The trick though is to keep the packing, and the shopping, to a minimum.