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Wizz Air is a Polish/Hungarian low-cost airline focusing on the markets of Central Europe. Its main bases are Budapest Ferihegy International Airport , Katowice International Airport,Warsaw Frederic Chopin Airport, with hubs at Gdansk Lech Walesa Airport, and Sofia Airport.
Wizz Air has announced it will offer direct flights from Budapest, Hungary to Tel Aviv, Israel starting December 6, 2012. The initial schedule will be three flights per week on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
In a statement, Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said: “Wizz Air is delighted to bring really low fares to Tel Aviv and launch its new route to/from Budapest. We expect our low fares to be a driving force in generating more tourism both in Budapest and Tel Aviv with our new route set to carry 45,000 passengers in the first year of operation. With fares starting from just €37.99 the airlink to Budapest will now be attractive for tourism and city breaks and also offer unbeatable value for business travelers. Israeli tourists will enjoy Hungary’s world class SPA’s, gastronomy and renowned wineries and we urge them to snap up the lowest fares quickly on wizzair.com.”
One-way fares start from just €37.99 including taxes.
Following in the footsteps of American budget airlines like Spirit and Allegiant, Wizz Air will charge a fee for travelers with large carry-on items. While it will be free to travel with small items such as laptops and handbags, items that cannot fit under the seat will be charged at €10.
Fees for carry-on luggage will begin as a trial period starting August 1, 2012, for all flights from London Luton to Katowic (and vice versa). Passengers who pay the carry-on luggage fee will also be given priority boarding.
Wizz Air hopes this will improve on-time performance and streamline the boarding process.
The press release from Wizz Air reads: “Wizz Air will now improve the least popular part of flying – the often stressful and inconvenient boarding process. We believe an online fee as low as €10 for large cabin baggage will encourage most passengers to bring only one small cabin bag that could easily fit under the seat. This will make boarding a more pleasant experience without the discomfort of congested cabin aisles, overfilling of the reduced storage space and consequent delays for offloading excess baggage. Less weight in the cabin will also result in less fuel burn, reduce costs and protect the environment. We hope our passengers will enjoy these benefits during the test on the London-Katowice route. If the test proves successful we will be rolling out our new cabin baggage policy and the benefit of the best boarding experience in the industry to all of our 244 routes across 28 countries.”
Due to consumer lobbying, European low-cost airlines have conceded to include the cost of paying by debit card in the stated price of tickets. Until now, the fee for paying by debit or credit card has been added to the airfare as an extra service, like seat selection or on-board meals, even though many airlines do not offer an alternative means of payment.
The change comes after investigations by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). It has been estimated that these payment fees cost travelers an additional £300 million per year in addition to the stated ticket price. Airlines like RyanAir charge fees as high as £6 per person to pay by debit or credit card.
By December 2012, airlines must include payment fees in the advertised airfares. Low-cost airlines that have agreed to this change include Ryanair, EasyJet, BMI Baby, Flybe, German Wings, Jet2, and Wizz Air.
Wizz Air has announced it will offer direct flights from Kiev, Ukraine to Kutaisi, Georgia starting on September 27, 2012. This is the budget airline’s first destination in Georgia and the initial schedule will be three flights per week.
“Wizz Air is delighted to announce this new Kutaisi route with very low fares for Georgian travelers and visitors. This year over 12 million passengers will chose Wizz Air’s low fares and superior service over high-fare and fuel surcharging airlines and for the first time this choice is now available in Georgia. We are pleased to contribute to the tourism development of the Kutaisi region and urge passengers to book early on wizzair.com to secure the lowest fares”, – said John Stephenson, Executive Vice President of Wizz Air Group.
This route will be operated by Wizz Air Ukraine. To celebrate the new route, promotional fares are available from €22.99 for one-way travel.
Wizz Air Ukraine has announced a new route from Kyiv, Ukraine to Kutais, Georgia. The new route is expected to launch on September 27, 2012.
The initial schedule will be two flights per week on Thursdays and Sundays. For the winter schedule starting in late October 2012, there will be three flights per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
One-way fares will start from €22 including taxes.
Wizz Air, the largest low-cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe, had announced two new routes to Ljubljana, Slovenia. Starting in October 2012, it will offer direct flights from London – Ljubljana and Brussels – Ljubljana.
The Brussels (Charleroi Airport) – Ljubljana route will begin on October 29, 2012, with one-way fares from €22.99. The London (Luton Airport) – Ljubljana route will commence on October 30, 2012, with one-way fares from €27.99.
In a statement, Wizz Air CEO József Váradi said: “Wizz Air is delighted in launching these two new routes to Brussels and London. Over the last 4 years Slovenian passengers have travelled to airports in neighbouring countries to access low-fare flights. Wizz Air returns to Slovenia with increased efficiency and low costs and will offer Slovenian passengers and visitors really low fares. We expect these low fares on our five weekly flights to be very popular and hope to invest further in Slovenian tourism and job growth in the future.”
Budget airline Wizz Air has announced two new routes to Milan-Malpensa, Italy. Direct flights from Milan-Malpensa to Budapest, Hungary, will begin on June 18 and flights from Milan-Maplensa to Bucharest, Romania, will begin on July 1, 2012.
Wizz Air already operates flights to 11 other Italian airports, and these new routes help secure its position as the leading low cost airline that connects Central and Eastern Europe.
Prices from Milan-Malpensa to Budapest and Bucharest are available as low as 19.99 Euro (one way, all-inclusive). Seats can be booked at www.wizzair.com.
Wizz Air announced that it will begin services from Debrecen Airport (DEB) from June 18, 2012. The airline will initially offer three weekly flights, on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, from Debrecen to London Luton Airport (LTN).
“Wizz Air is bringing the excitement of air travel at affordable prices directly to Debrecen. Instead of driving several hours to the capital, those living in Eastern Hungary can now fly from Debrecen and access London for a great value. Wizz Air is committed to the region and envisages offering more destinations from Debrecen in the future”, said József Váradi, Chief Executive Officer of Wizz Air.
Wizz Air is confident the new service will contribute significantly to the tourism of Eastern Hungarian and be an important driver for economic growth in the region. To celebrate their move to Debrecen, fares to London start from HUF 9,990 ($47 USD, one way, all inclusive) on wizzair.com.
Starting on May 27, 2012, Wizz Air will add Stavanger, Norway (SVG) to its destinations accessible from Vilnius (VNO). The new Vilnius – Stavanger service will operate 2 times per week, Wednesdays and Sundays.
Wizz Air is the largest low cost airline in Central and Eastern Europe and, with the new route, flies to three major Norwegian cities including Bergen, Oslo and the newly added Stavanger.
“Wizz Air is committed to growing its route network in Lithuania. By deploying a second aircraft to Vilnius this May, we are able to add even more destinations, and now offer access to 13 major European cities. This new route gives Lithuanians access to one of the most important industrial hubs in Norway while introducing a great tourist destination for those living in the Stavanger area,” said John Stephenson, Executive Vice President of Wizz Air.
