What to know about Wizz Air, the Hungarian low-cost airline

Origins and company history

Wizz Air was founded in September 2003 by József Váradi, the former CEO of Malév Hungarian Airlines. The goal was to build a low-cost airline serving Central and Eastern Europe. The first flight took place on May 19, 2004, connecting Katowice to London Luton, shortly after Poland and Hungary joined the European Union.

A global low-cost airline

Currently, Wizz Air offers flights to nearly 200 destinations across Europe and beyond, operating from 33 bases in 16 countries. Key locations include Albania, Austria, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Serbia, the United Kingdom, and the United Arab Emirates. The airline operates a modern fleet of more than 200 Airbus A320 and A321 aircraft, with an average age of 4.3 years, focused on keeping operating costs low while maintaining high efficiency.

Strategies and industry recognition

Wizz Air maintains lower operating costs by maximizing fleet utilization and prioritizing airports with lower landing fees. This is a common strategy for budget carriers, similar to how Southwest Airlines operates in the United States.

The airline has earned recognition for safety and sustainability, appearing on lists of the ten safest airlines in the world according to airlineratings.com. It received the Airline of the Year award from the Air Transport Awards in 2019 and 2023. Additionally, it was named Most Sustainable Low-Cost Airline by the World Finance Sustainability Awards from 2021 to 2023.

Differentiation and future outlook

Wizz Air distinguishes itself through a commitment to sustainability, maintaining one of the lowest carbon emission intensities in the industry. The company plans to continue expanding its network and fleet, with an order pending for nearly 300 aircraft, including A321XLR models that offer greater flight range. This strategy is designed to strengthen its presence in European and Middle Eastern markets while sticking to its core low-cost model.

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https://www.wizzair.com
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Reviews of Wizz Air

Summary of 2 reviews
3/5
Average rating
+10 recs +10 -0 Score weighted by contributor expertise level: a recommendation from a level 3 member counts as 3.
Total recs

Average ratings by criterion

Customer service
3.5/5
Reliability
1.5/5
Value for money
4.5/5

Affordable prices but plenty of little tricks

Having traveled 5-6 times with Wizz Air, I haven't had any disastrous experiences. Most of the flights went well. You are on a low cost airline so everything costs extra, no surprises there. However, the free underseat bag has even smaller dimensions than EasyJet, you have to pack extremely light! And I find their check in system a bit sneaky. It opens 24 hours before, but if you want to do it earlier you have to pay for seats, otherwise it costs a hefty fee (40€!) to do it at the airport (a quick thought for anyone who isn't tech savvy...). Anyway, nothing dramatic, but not very friendly business practices in my opinion.

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A bit opaque, but still legit

I just flew Wizz Air for a round trip from Orly to Budapest. It was the cheapest offer.
First impression was very negative: the outbound flight, scheduled for 9:30 AM, was announced with a 2-hour delay, then finally a 4-hour delay. At the time, there was no explanation and just a €5 voucher to buy a croissant.

Fortunately, I knew that in such situations, European law requires compensation of €250. There was zero communication from the airline regarding this RIGHT. I imagine many passengers missed out on it.

On the positive side: after submitting the request on their site, I got my bank transfer within 8 days.

Another bad surprise: upon arriving in Budapest, I realized my suitcase was damaged. One foot had been ripped off, leaving 2 screws exposed and ready to scratch everything in sight. According to the airline's website, you have to get a specific form at the airport to file a claim. I tried to ask for it on the return flight, except there is no Wizz Air desk. I asked an airport employee who gave me an internal number to call from a phone booth. I tried it, and I got a voicemail in Hungarian. I hung up and stopped wasting my time.

Back in France, I filed a claim on their site. The first response was that I needed that famous form from the airport and an invoice from a repair shop. I really thought they were going to hide behind the missing form to dodge their responsibility. In the end, I still got my costs reimbursed by insisting a little.

My takeaway: the customer service is responsive, but not at all proactive, and the instructions on their site regarding claims are not clear.

PS: I do not know if it made a difference, but I did warn customer service that I was waiting to see how they would resolve my problem before posting a review on Avygeo ;)
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