Aviasales vs Kayak: where are flights cheaper? An honest start: nobody can say that for every route, because both services display other companies' offers and those can change within minutes. By their own help pages, neither charges you for searching. We suggest looking at Aviasales first, since it filters for fares with baggage and you can earn cashback through us. Kayak has more tools around price trends and fees, and those are useful. Status: October 2026, based on the help sections of both services.
Who earns from what?
Aviasales says it sells no tickets and puts no commission on the price. Kayak says it is free to use and adds no commission or extra fees. Kayak also says how it earns money: if you click through to a partner and book, Kayak may receive a commission from that partner, per click or per booking. It costs you nothing extra. Kayak is part of Booking Holdings, the group behind Booking.com. That is no judgement, just background.
Final price: baggage, taxes, fees
According to Kayak, all flight prices include the applicable taxes and fees. Optional items such as checked baggage, seat selection or pets are left out, so baggage costs are not in the price shown. Kayak offers a page with airline charges and a Fee Assistant that estimates baggage and payment fees as they would apply at the provider. Hover over the suitcase icon and you see base fare, taxes and fees broken down.
With Aviasales the baggage filter is the quickest route: it lists only fares with baggage. Extra bags are added either on the ticket card or during checkout with the seller. The prices come from airlines and agencies and, according to Aviasales, are shown exactly as quoted.
Both admit that a displayed price can be out of date. Kayak explains that prices swing with supply and demand and asks you to report mismatches through a form. For you that means: compare the amount on the seller's page, not the one in the result list.
Hacker Fares: two tickets instead of one
One Kayak speciality is the Hacker Fare. Kayak combines two separate one-way tickets, often from different airlines, instead of a regular return ticket. That can be cheaper. Each ticket still has its own booking number, its own baggage rules and its own change and refund conditions. If one flight is cancelled, the other airline does not have to rebook you on the second ticket. Aviasales, by the way, advises buying a return ticket, as it says that costs less than separate flights.
Cancelling and changing
With both, the ticket belongs to the seller. Kayak writes that every cancellation is handled by the airline or travel agency that issued the ticket, and that the cost is set there too. With Aviasales it depends on fare and airline rules, and some fares allow neither exchange nor refund. You recognise the seller from your itinerary receipt. On Kayak there is sometimes a Book on KAYAK option, where you complete the booking with a third-party provider without leaving the Kayak site. Even then your contact is the provider, not the search engine.
Payment, alerts and aids
You pay on the seller's page, and that is where you decide on extras. If you like to watch prices, Kayak has more to offer: alerts daily or in real time after a notable price change, a price calendar, a search with three days of leeway either side of your date and a price forecast for the next seven days, available for return trips only. Kayak itself says the forecast is not perfect and shows a confidence level. Aviasales has a calendar with cheap days in green and an app that pings you when the price falls.
Service
Kayak runs a detailed help centre and a form for price errors. For problems with a booking it points to the provider you bought from. Aviasales can be reached by email and says the seller's confirmation normally arrives within 3 hours.
Side by side
| Point | Aviasales | Kayak |
|---|---|---|
| Own commission on the price | none, per help page | none, Kayak earns from the partner |
| In the flight price | sellers' prices, baggage per fare | taxes and fees, no optional baggage |
| Baggage help | filter baggage only | Fee Assistant and airline-fees page |
| Watching prices | calendar, app alert | alert, calendar, 7-day forecast |
| Two single tickets | advises a return ticket over single flights | Hacker Fare with separate rules |
| Cancellation | at the seller | at the airline or agency |
| Payment | at the seller | at the partner, sometimes Book on KAYAK |
Who suits what
Aviasales fits if you want a quick overview, want to see only fares with baggage and would like cashback. Kayak fits if you are flexible and want tools such as forecast, alerts and fee estimates. For both, the same look matters: who is selling, what is in the fare and what the last page shows as the total. More on Aviasales on our provider page.