When I started planning our March escape, inevitably I chose WizzAir for the flight to Italy because they fly from Timisoara (which is 50 km from where we live). So, with a Rome flight bagged for March, we were happy.

I liked their booking process and I loved that they told you EXACTLY how much booking fee you’ll pay** depending on the type of card you use. That’s after a certain Romanian website told me they could only book WizzAir flights if I had a credit card AND they won’t be responsible for the booking. Wait a minute?! What’s the point to book through 3-rd party if they don’t offer ANY advantage?! So, I booked directly on WizzAir with my Visa debit card and within several days I got the receipt on the email.

I DO NOT like though that WizzAir only accepts online check in within 7 days (actually 6 days!) before your flight. So with my flight back on March 15, I could only download our boarding passes on Mar 9. Still, it saves 15 euros by checking in online.

We all know that low cost carriers get their revenue from additional fees. Including checked baggage fees. When we left for Rome, they only weighed the baggage at the gate (so carry on should be 10 kg max), but those who went through check in also had the misfortune to have their bags put in the “cage”. So, you are better off with a small-ish bag, to fit the measurements, and if you need checked baggage, buy it online (5 euros per bag).

We flew an Airbus 320, which looked amazing and had enough leg room. The flight was smooth (both ways) but landing on Timisoara was a bit…shaky. I am guessing it’s their land strip to blame but still..not a nice way to end the journey.

WizzAir flight attendants were nice to answer our questions about using the smartphone on flight mode or using the mp3 players. However, aside from telling certain people several times to sit down with their seatbelt on (while taxing to runway) or to shut down the cells, they didn’t enforce the respective rules. I suggest a fee for those who do not complain to the regulations. That should teach them and make the airline some money!

I would also suggest passengers not to rush to the gate when the boarding opens. Really, people, there are enough seats for you in the plane! Likeways, if the pilot says “stay in your seat with the belt on until we come to a complete stop”, you stay there…you cannot get out of the plane faster even if you tried!

The WizzAir flights were great, nothing to complain. Some of the passengers , unfortunately, cannot make the difference between flying and catching a bus to the next village. But, I am guessing that’s the major issue with low cost carriers…when you make flying available for the masses, you end up with dushbags.

Overall, I would recommend WizzAir for those who like to travel a lot but don’t need commercial airline full services. The airline treats the passengers well, but it’s a matter of luck when it comes to fellow passengers (at their best or worst). Price-wise, don’t expect extremely low fares. Flying to the Greek islands in the summer won’t be cheap (actually, it’s quite similar to the regular airline’s fees).

Sample fares*

Timisoara – Rome departure May 17, 2012: 59 RON / 13.50 EUR (without booking fees)

Budapest – London departure May 15, 2012: 9990 HUF / 33.70 EUR (without booking fees).

Budapest – Rhodes departure June 16, 2012: 21990 HUF / 74.50 EUR (without booking fees).

Our rating

Notes:
*at the time the article was written

**this article holds true for WizzAir in 2012. Since then, they have stopped using a booking fee regardless of what kind of card you pay with, there are two types of carry ons (one free, one paid for) and online check in opens much earlier
*** Update May 2014: now you can check in 30 days before the flight , choose between free (smaller) hand bag and paid for (larger) hand bag and also choose your seat.
**** Update May 2016: on the most recent flights we took, we were able to choose the seats at the time of booking. The system auto-assigns seats but, for a small fee, you can choose the ones you like!

(c) photo Alex P.