Purchasing an Tezfly airline ticket used to be a rather straightforward process. You would choose your flight, pay for it, and go from point A to point B. The process of buying the ticket is more difficult now. Flyers are presented with a variety of options, each with a distinct cost.

The base cost of an airline ticket is typically simply a starting point because there are so many additional costs that can be added. Consumers don’t know what to anticipate unless they read all the fine print, which is a lot these days, says Max Levitte, co-founder of Cheapism.com. While your cable company bundles its services, airlines do the exact opposite by giving you a la carte options for items that were previously included in the base rate. Airline add-on fees, according to the carriers, are just one more way to give passengers more options. Jeff Smisek, CEO of United Airlines, compared the procedure to ordering a pizza, adding, “You used to only get a pizza with all the toppings when we served it to you. Passengers who opt for unbundling just pay for what they need.”

But what if the base cost of an airline ticket is now equal to the price it used to be “with all the toppings”? According to a spokesman for the industry, airlines require the additional funds to remain in the air due to the high cost of fuel. Baggage checks (the heavier the bag, the greater the cost), cancellations, and food and beverages are among the extras that once came with the price of an airline ticket but now require additional payments. Additional expenses for modern amenities like wireless internet access and seats with more legroom are also included in the price of an airline ticket. Even a new programme where a passenger can purchase a more expensive plane ticket and receive 1.5 seats is being discussed. If I were to be cynical, I may assert that people are more likely to purchase a second ticket because the size of flight seats has been decreasing over the past few years. (A few do.) Selling a double seat results in a reduction in the weight of passengers and luggage, which reduces fuel consumption while maintaining ticket prices. Of course, it’s likely that because I’m bigger than I used to be, the chairs are actually more cramped now.

According to a Consumer Reports survey conducted in July 2013, Spirit Airlines in the United States was the worst airline. Spirit’s revenue in 2012 was derived from sources besides air travel to the tune of 39%. Spirit is the only no-frills airline remaining with prices that can be up to 90% less than those of other carriers, according to George Hobica, the creator and editor of Airfarewatchdog, a website that tracks airline bargains. The issue is that in addition to the cost of an airline ticket, a variety of additional costs are levied, including $10 to $19 for the simple act of booking a flight, $3 for juice, a soft drink, or confectionery, and $35 to $100 for each carry-on bag. It’s ironic that Spirit Airlines is doing well while other, bigger airlines are struggling. It must be highly well-liked by passengers who don’t have luggage. It is evident that in order to find the best value on an airline ticket, the fees must be compared to the all-inclusive services of airlines like Southwest and Virgin America, even if no one enjoys additional fees.