The Drip Report · October 2026
Who added the most?
How much each airline's real price, with a cabin bag, a checked bag, a seat and the card fee, sat above the fare it advertised. The typical fare from our live searches in October 2026 (the latest 600 fares per airline at most): 3,351 fares in all.
1Etihad Airways28 fares · 1 route
+17%typically $332 more than advertised
2Cathay Pacific600 fares · 1 route
+13%typically $168 more than advertised
3Qatar Airways110 fares · 1 route
+8%typically $162 more than advertised
4Fiji Airways600 fares · 1 route
+4%typically $49 more than advertised
5Singapore Airlines600 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
6Philippine Airlines27 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
7Malaysia Airlines600 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
8China Southern Airlines12 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
9Thai Airways22 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
10JAL24 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
11Asiana Airlines384 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
12Korean Air338 fares · 1 route
+0%typically $0 more than advertised
City by city.
Across the 3,351 fares we fully priced in October 2026, getting a cabin bag, a checked bag and a seat added $196,150 on top of what was advertised. Here's where the trip starts.
From Brisbane+4%
Typically $49 more per fare (average $91) · $54,550 across 600 fares · most added: Fiji Airways (+4%)
About $330 million a year across Brisbane's 3.6 million international departures*
From Sydney+0%
Typically $0 more per fare (average $51) · $141,600 across 2751 fares · most added: Etihad Airways (+17%)
About $440 million a year across Sydney's 8.7 million international departures*
* An estimate, not a measurement: the average extra per fare we priced from that city (counting fares that already include everything as $0), times the international departures from that city in July 2025 to June 2026 (BITRE). Each departure is one return trip. It assumes everyone bought a cabin bag, a checked bag and a seat; people who travel light pay less. Shown once a city has 100 priced fares.
A 0% means the advertised fare already includes the basics. Fares we can't fully price (an airline that doesn't publish a fee) aren't counted, so no airline looks better for hiding a price. The rolling drip index · how the sums work · help stop the drip.
Other months: November 2026