Wizz Air Reviews

Written By Joanna Teljeur

Last Updated: September 10, 2024

This is an honest unbiased overview of Wizz Air airline. AirAdvisor is not paid or affiliated with Wizz Air airline to write this overview.

The Hungarian budget airline is one of the most popular choices in Europe for passengers looking to purchase cheap flights. But how cheap are tickets, and how good is the Wizz Air experience once you get on board? In this Wizz Air overview, we'll give you all the information you need before purchasing a ticket with this low-cost carrier.

Wizz Air - Booking Tickets and Check-in

You currently have multiple ways of purchasing Wizz Air tickets:

• Wizz Air website
• Wizz Air app
• Phone
• Travel Agency
• Comparison websites

The cheapest way to purchase the tickets is either through the Wizz Air website or the mobile app. Purchasing them directly from Wizz Air via phone call will add a tax of 15 euros or pounds, depending on where you are calling from.

Buying your tickets from third parties, like travel agencies and flight comparison websites, will also incur extra charges.

Keep in mind that although Wizz Air tickets are cheap, you will have to pay extra if you want to bring a carry on bag, priority boarding, checked luggage or want to select your own seat (if you want a bigger leg room, for example). The prices depend on a flight, but if you are among the Wizz Air frequent travelers, you should definitely sign-up for the Wizz Air Discount Club.

One more thing worth mentioning is that you can also purchase travel insurance directly during the booking process.

Wizz Air Additional Charges

If you've never flown Wizz Air before, here's a list of all the other costs you might incur when booking a ticket.

• Wizz Priority - ‎€5 – ‎€60 online and through the call center or €30 at the airport
• Wizz Discount club - €39.99 for a standard membership or €69.99 for group membership
• Assigned seat - ‎€4.00 – ‎€60.00
• Wizz Flex - ‎€5.00 – ‎€20.00

Check out all the fees on the airline's website.

Wizz Air Check-In

You can check-in yourself online for free, or do it at the airport for a fee.

Online check-in for Wizz Air flights is open 30 days up to 3 hours before your flight is scheduled to depart if you also purchase a seat with your booking. If not, it opens 48 hours before departure. If you do your check-in online you will receive your boarding passes immediately. You can either print them or use the Wizz Air app to show them at the airport.

Wizz Air Baggage Policy

Like all budget airlines, Wizz Air allows you to bring only one bag as a free carry-on. So, it can be either a backpack, purse, etc. (CAREFUL: check backpack dimentions in-advance, as Wizz Air allows really small bag for free). So, if you're a woman with both a purse and a laptop bag, you have a problem. You're only allowed to bring one of those for free.

If you want two carry-on bags, you will need to purchase Wizz Priority.

The bag fees depend on the weight of your checked bag. It's worth noting that by purchasing a Wizz Discount Club membership, you can save some money on checked bags. It's usually 5 euros per bag.

Here are the allowed dimensions for each type of baggage:

• carry-on bag: 40 x 30 x 20 cm, 10kg max weight (the bag must fit under the seat in front of you)
• trolley bag: 55 x 40 x 23 cm, 10kg max weight (it must be able to fit in the overhead bins)
• checked-in bag: 149 x 119 x 171 cm, max weight is 10kg, 20kg, 26kg or 32kg, depending on your purchase (you can check-in up to 6 bags)

The fees for checked-in bags range from 5 euros to 119,5 euros, depending on weight, season, distance, etc.

You can also transport sporting equipment, like skis, golf bags, diving gear, etc. For more information on this, go to Wizz Air's Baggage Allowance Guide.

Wizz Air Airport Experience

Your Wizz Air airport experience will depend on where you are flying from. The more flights Wizz air operates from the airport, the busier the check-in and checked baggage counters will be. Remember that you will have to pay extra if you also want do to your Wizz Air check-in at the airport.

The busier airports will also have reserved counters for Wizz Air priority passengers. By taking advantage of this feature, your airport check-in will go much faster. On the downside, you will have to pay extra, but honestly we advice to pay for it and avoid the real headache.

Since Wizz Air is a low-cost carrier, there's no special lounge that you can use while waiting in the airport. So, before you board, you can either wait near the gate or visit one of the airport's restaurants or shops, or just pay to access lounge of your choice.

Wizz Air Boarding

The boarding process is pretty straightforward. While full-service airlines split passengers into several boarding groups, based on their location in the plane, Wizz Air, like other low-cost airlines, splits all travelers into 2 groups based on priority status. Boarding will first be available to Wizz Priority customers first.

As soon as you will arrive near the gate, you will probably start seeing a line forming. If you do have Wizz priority boarding, you shouldn't worry about joining it. Those are usually passengers who don't have Wizz air priority boarding, and they usually start queueing as soon as they get to the gate.

Once boarding is opened, a second line will form on the left side. This is reserved for passengers who have priority status. Once you are at the gate, you will have to present both your boarding pass and your passport or ID card to ground staff.

Again, depending on the airport, the plane is either connected to the terminal or not. In case of the latter, you'll either have to walk to the plane or take a shuttle bus.

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Wizz Air - Airplane Interior

Almost all Wizz Air planes have fairly simple interiors. Nothing really stands out apart from how crammed together all the rows are.

Wizz Air has notoriously small leg room, although it's a bit bigger than other budget airlines. For extra leg room, buy seats that are either on the first row or on the wings, next to the emergency exits.

Wizz Air Seat Space: Pay Extra to Enjoy Your Flight

Speaking of seats, Wizz Air boasts only leather seats. The downside is that most of the airplanes have rather hard seats, so you start to get numb after 1-2 hours of flight.

If you're taller than 1,75m (or 5ft 9in), you're going to be pretty uncomfortable for the entire flight duration. Your knees will constantly touch the back of the seat in front of you, and if you try to spread your legs left and right, you'll be hitting your neighbors.

If you can afford it, purchase one of the seats with extra legroom. If not, at least go for one of the aisle seats. These allow you to stretch your legs from time to time. This is even more important if your flight is longer than 2 hours.

Wizz Air In-Flight Service

Don't expect a free meal on Wizz Air flights because you won't get one. In fact, you shouldn't even expect a free glass of water when you fly Wizz Air.

Anything you want to serve onboard, you will have to pay for. A water bottle costs 3 euros, same as a coffee or a cup of tea. If you want to eat something, snacks start from 2 euros and sandwiches from 5. This is comparable to other airline inflight prices.

Besides these, you can also purchase perfumes, make-up, watches, sunglasses, or even Wizz Air products.

If you do buy something to eat, it's worth mentioning that the tray tables are rather small, so always be careful, or you might end up spilling your drink over your phone while trying to eat some chips.

Compared to many budget airlines, Wizz Air flight attendants are a big plus. Most of the time, they are smiling and eager to help with anything you need. If compared to other more established airlines, Wizz Air flight crews are typially young and friendly.

Wizz Air Flight Disruptions: When to expect and Compensation

Because it is a low-cost airline with over 1100 routes and 153 planes, you can sometimes expect to encounter a flight delay or even cancellation. Their cancelation rate in late 2022 was 6,5%, which is just the European average.

Generally, if your outbound flight is early in the morning, you shouldn't experience any disruptions, but you might expect a delay if your flight is in the afternoon or evening. You might expect that delay of first plane might arrive late causing slide in schedule.

Note: you should know that you are entitled to compensation if your Wizz Air flight is canceled or delayed, according to the EU passenger right law.

Depending on the flight distance, you are entitled to anywhere between 250 and 600 euros for Wizz Air delayed flights or cancelled flights. Additionally, you are also entitled to receive free food and water and even hotel accommodations if an overnight stay is required.

How to make a Wizz Air Complaint

To make a complaint, simply go to Wizz Air's Complaints page and fill out their form.

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Wizz Air Customer Service

There are currently a couple of ways to contact the airline's customer service:

1. Online chat - available 24/7
2. Call center - available in 10+ languages

Besides these, you also have an extensive FAQ section where you should find all the information you require.

Conclusion - Is Wizz Air Safe?

Wizz Air is a fairly good carrier, but like most budget airlines, it has some downsides. Yes, we know about a lot of complaints and negative experiences, but given the volume of Wizz Air business it is expected from a low cost airline.

Even if the tickets are cheap, you will need to purchase extra services to make your flight experience more comfortable. You don't get anything for free on the flight, not even a glass of water, the legroom is rather small, and the seats are uncomfortable.

On the plus side, besides the cheap tickets, the staff is friendly and always ready to help, and the checked-in baggage fees are smaller compared to full-service airlines.

You should know that Wizz Air has better score when it comes to passenger rights claims, if compared with other low cost airlines.

All in all, Wizz Air is a great choice if you can pack light and want to save money when you travel. In such a case, you could probably get to almost any major city in Europe for around 10-20 euros. Otherwise, just plan to pay for some add-ons and check if such price makes sense for you.

However, if you want a comfortable experience and can book your flight months in advance, it might actually be cheaper to go with a full-service airline.

Add-on: Wizz Air App

About Wizz Air

Wizz Air is a Hungarian low-cost carrier that began operations in the early 2000s. Since its launch, the company has been steadily expanding its presence across Europe by offering competitive fares with unparalleled service. Wizz Air isn’t shy about providing value and expansiveness to their customers; they now offer routes to more than 145 destinations across 43 countries in Europe and the Middle East. 

Wizz Air is certified as a 3-Star low-cost airline for the quality of its airport and onboard product and staff service. Product rating includes seats, buy onboard food & beverages, cabin cleanliness etc., and service rating is for both cabin staff and ground staff. 

Apart from offering great savings on flights, they have also maintained their commitment to customer satisfaction through various initiatives like a discount program for frequent flyers. Additionally, their aircraft operates at a smaller carbon footprint for environmental consciousness, making them a more attractive pick for the eco-conscious traveler.

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