Find cheap Wizz Air flights

Headquartered in Budapest, Hungary, WIZZ Air is the largest airline in Central and Eastern Europe in terms of passenger numbers. Since its first flight in 2004 (from Katowice, Poland to London, England), it has grown at an incredible rate. In 2023 it carried more than 63 million passengers.

WIZZ Air is billed as an ultra-low-cost carrier. This puts it in an even more budget class than Ryanair and Easyjet, which are mere low-cost carriers. In reality, there’s little difference between them. If anything, it just means there are even more add-on charges and services to wade through when you book.

Fleet and network

WIZZ Air’s network is huge. It flies 924 routes to 200 airports in 53 countries across Europe, the Middle East and Asia. Its mix of destinations includes many secondary airports and, like Ryanair, it’s responsible for opening up many fantastic cities (like Katowice) to new tourism. Always check the airports you’re flying to and from. They’re often small, have few facilities and are a long way from the cities they’re named for.

The business is split into four subsidiaries – WIZZ Air Hungary, WIZZ Air Abu Dhabi, WIZZ Air Malta and WIZZ Air UK. While all cover different routes, when booking they all operate under the same WIZZ Air banner. You can only book direct flights though, and there are no connecting flight options. So if you want to fly WIZZ Air to the Maldives, for example, you can. But you’ll have to book separate flights from your home airport to Abu Dhabi and then on to Malé.

The fleet is entirely made up of Airbus A320s and A321s, fine for short-haul journeys of a few hours. They’re not so forgiving on the airline’s longer routes though, like the seven hours from Abu Dhabi to Rome.

You get what you pay for

WIZZ Air doesn’t have the best reputation, even alongside other budget airlines. In 2024, the PA news agency named it the worst airline for UK flight delays for the third year running. It’s also had to pay fines to industry regulators over its handling of compensation payments from flight disruptions. It’s infamous for cancelling flights at short notice, leaving customers scrambling to find alternatives and then fend for themselves through its challenging compensation process.

My experiences with WIZZ Air have been no different to flying with any other budget airline. I’ve never had a flight cancelled at the last minute but have also suffered regular delays. This is why I only ever use it for short-haul trips. The risk of cancellation, basic facilities and excessive baggage costs make long-haul flights not worth it, in my opinion.

The trick to booking is to triple-check everything. If you need to change something after you’ve booked, it’s going to cost you – likely more than your original fare. Customer service is indescribably bad. Incredibly, if you want to open up a complaint via the call center, you’ll have to pay a sizable transaction fee!

But if you follow the rules, ignore the constant upselling and limit your expectations, it will get you from A to B. Eventually.

Fares and classes

As is the (ultra) low-cost carrier business model, WIZZ Air doesn’t offer classes beyond the economy. Instead, it offers fares and bundles. Starting with the bare minimum fare, its bundles add extras based on what it says are its most popular services. I find it’s almost always more cost-effective to book the basic fare and cherry-pick any added services I want. That’s especially true considering many services, such as early boarding and airport check-in, add no value at all.

All of the fare bundles listed below come with a family option. Add kids to your booking and WIZZ Air will auto-update the bundle to the family version. This adds a slight discount to each individual fare, which can add up if there are lots of you travelling.

Basic fare

The basic fare is exactly that – the price you see advertised when you search for a flight. It includes one 16in x 12in x 8in (40cm x 30cm x 20cm) cabin bag that must fit under the seat in front of you. You’ll be able to add any extra services you may want during the booking process.

You can also check in free online from 24 hours before departure when you’ll be randomly allocated a seat. If you pay to choose your seat, online check-in extends to 30 days before departure. Though with your preferred seat booked, there’s no tangible advantage in being able to do so. Some smaller airports don’t cater for online check-in, so it’s worth investigating before you book.

WIZZ Go / WIZZ Family Go

The Go bundle adds a 44lb (20kg), 59in x 47in x 67in (149cm x 119cm x 171cm) checked bag to your basic fare. It also means you can choose your seat, as long as it’s not in the first four rows or has extra legroom. Seat selection comes with online check-in 30 days before departure or you can check in at the airport on the day.

WIZZ Smart

Billed as the best for a “quick and easy airport experience”, the Smart bundle is designed to help you travel fast. Something of an irony for an airline with such a reputation for delays. Smart includes seat selection, a second cabin bag up to 22lb (10kg) and 22in x 16in x 9in (55cm x 40cm x 23cm), and priority check-in and boarding.

WIZZ Plus / WIZZ Family Plus

The Plus bundle is as close to full service as you’ll get from a budget airline. It rolls in every service WIZZ Air offers. That includes priority check-in and boarding, a 32kg (70lb) checked bag and a second cabin bag. It also includes extra legroom seats.

The best reason to book a Plus bundle is for its flexibility. You can change flights without added charges up to three hours before you fly. You’ll only need to pay the difference if the new flight costs more than the one you’ve booked. And no, you don’t get a refund for the difference if the new flight is cheaper.

You can also cancel your flight altogether, although you’ll get a credit to your WIZZ account rather than a cash refund. Beware – you’ll need to use it in 90 days or lose it.

On board – seats, legroom and facilities

It’s a bare bones experience on board both the A320 and A321. Seats are 18 inches wide, which is two inches more than Ryanair, but offer only 28 inch (46cm) pitch (legroom). That’s less than most other budget carriers and certainly not ideal if you’re north of six foot. Seats are otherwise comfy enough for flights of a couple of hours.

That’s your lot though. There’s no in-flight entertainment, WiFi, charging points, blankets or cushions, and nothing complimentary. In-flight service – the grandiosely named WIZZ Café and Boutique – is the usual array of overpriced snacks and drinks. Don’t be surprised if the things advertised are sold out. Typical of most budget airlines, the quick turnaround between flights often means the cabin isn’t very clean.

Memberships and Discount Club

WIZZ tries to lure in regular fliers with annual membership discounts. Light membership is free and offers the odd discount coupon or promo for in-flight snacks and drinks. Standard membership comes with a fee and adds discounts to fares and checked bags for the person booking and one other flier. Group membership offers the same deal but for five additional fliers. If you fly with WIZZ more than twice a year, especially as a family or with checked bags, the Discount Club is well worth joining.

You can also buy an incredibly complicated, non-cancellable 12-month MultiPass subscription. MultiPass lets you book flights month to month without paying higher fares typical of last-minute or high-season trips. The list of caveats is mind-boggling though.

Lastly is the Privilege Pass aimed at regular WIZZ Air fliers, in particular business fliers. For a fixed annual fee it adds seat selection, priority boarding and a second cabin bag to all your bookings. Useful if you fly WIZZ Air a lot, like once a month, otherwise it’s not worth the cost.

All you can fly subscription

In 2024, WIZZ Air launched its much-touted ‘all you can fly’ subscription. For about the average cost of New York to London return flights, you get unlimited flights across its network for a year. While it’s undeniably great value, typical of the airline it comes with plenty of hidden fees and exclusions. You can, for example, only book from three days before departure and have to pay an added fee!

This effectively means it’s a smart way of filling empty seats that may not get booked while still profiting from those added charges. Despite this, the scheme was wildly popular and the 10,000 allocated subscriptions sold out in most markets within a day. It generated lots and lots of great PR too, so don’t be surprised if they release more in the future.