FANCY a cheap flight this summer? To get the best bargains it helps if you are: a) on the internet; b) short; c) travelling alone; d) with just a change of underwear and a toothbrush; e) plenty of time; f) on a diet and g) not paying by credit card.

Cheap flights have been brilliant.

Who’d have thought back in the days when air travel was glamorous and special and just for the very rich, that it would end up being cheaper than taking the train?

Well I hope you make the most of it, for cheap flights are no longer as cheap as they were. Although the basic low prices seem to be the same, and include taxes, the number of extra items the airlines find to charge for increase every year.

Still, there are plenty of bargains to be had, just as long as you know exactly what you could be paying for.

■ Some budget airlines charge you an extra fee for booking in person.

Could be £5 or more.

■ Check in at the airport and that could cost you £5. It’s cheaper to do it online.

■ You can choose your seat, but if you want one with extra leg room, that could cost you an extra £10.

■ Taking luggage costs around £8 for one bag, £20 for a second and don’t even think about excess baggage ■ Queues at check-in, especially with heightened security, can take a very long time. Even if you get to the airport in time, your flight could still close before you get past the scanners.

Priority boarding will speed up the process for an extra £8 or so.

■ No free drinks or nibbles on budget airlines. Coffee and a sandwich could knock you back anything up to £7, even £3 for water.

■ Paying by Visa Electron is often free. Paying with a debit card can cost around £2. Pay with a credit card and it can cost £4 or 2.5 per cent of the total, whichever is the greater.

All these charges are per person, per flight, which adds up to a lot, making a huge difference to a family holiday.

And that’s before you’ve paid for parking... lounge access... insurance.

The dearest mistake of all is to get the name wrong on the ticket. Just one letter wrong, or calling someone Katy instead of Kathryn, for instance, and the ticket has to be changed at the cost of around £100 to £150. Especially if you’re booking on behalf of friends, please make sure you have their names on the booking form exactly the same as they appear on their passport.

Because of all these extra charges, it can sometimes be nearly as cheap and often a lot less hassle to travel with one of the scheduled airlines.

Ryanair’s latest proposal – not yet put into action but it can only be a matter of time – is to charge you £1 to use the loo on board. Better not bother with that £3 bottle of water, then...