Budget airline launches ‘unlimited flight deal’ with one catch | World | News
A budget airline has relaunched a popular unlimited flight package for under £500 a year – but there’s a catch. Hungarian ultra-low-cost airline Wizz Air, which claims to be Europe’s fastest-growing budget airline, has reintroduced its discounted flight package, allowing frequent travelers to book hundreds of trips over 12 months for an annual fee of £439 (€499).
While the plan may seem too good to be true, it comes with some important conditions, including a requirement that all flights be booked within 72 hours of departure.
The annual amount also excludes a booking fee of £9.99, baggage fees ranging from £13.21 to £133.41 and a seat retention fee ranging from £44.03 to £132.09. It also has limited capacity, with only 10,000 membership points in 34 countries.
The ‘All You Can Fly’ package was first launched in 2024, dividing travelers and reviewers over whether it was a good use of money.
Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel urged customers to question whether they would actually save money by paying the annual amount, especially when booking and seat selection costs are taken into account.
“It is also ironic to see an airline that claims to be Europe’s ‘greenest’ airline encouraging customers to take unlimited flights,” he told the BBC after the plan was announced last year.
Travel journalist Simon Calder also suggested that the payment scheme could benefit people who regularly fly to visit family abroad, but less so for travelers who take infrequent or group trips.
“People will make their own calculations, and I did my own calculation, which is not going to be of much use to me,” he said.
Michael Delehant, Wizz Air’s senior commercial and operations officer, said subscribers had flown an average of nine times in the 12 months since signing up to the package deal.
“Despite the challenging economic environment where most prices have increased, we have continued to offer affordable travel options to our customers by offering them the opportunity to travel for the price of a pair of sneakers,” he added.
“This reflects our ambition to redefine the meaning of low-cost travel. We believe that affordable prices should be paired with high-quality operations and customer service, and we are delivering. This summer marked our best period on record, achieving the 1,000 flights per day milestone, with significant improvements in on-time performance, flight completion and turnaround times.”
