I Flew On Europe’s Worst Airline — Here’s What Surprised Me

My experience flying from London to Vienna on Wizz Air

Would you fly on the worst airline in Europe?

Wizz Air is a Hungarian low-cost airline that specializes in short-haul flights around Europe. In a survey looking at customer service, boarding experience, and value for money, thousands of people ranked Wizz Air in last place.

But, is Wizz Air really as bad as everyone says? I was curious to find out. So, I purchased a one-way ticket from London to Vienna and braced for a shocking experience.

Here’s what it’s actually like flying with Wizz Air:

Check-in takes a long time

I arrived two and a half hours early for my flight at London Gatwick Airport. The lines for check-in at Wizz Air, both economy and priority, were full to the brim — similar to the seating arrangement of Wizz Air’s planes.

Because the line was so long, several people on various flights almost missed the deadline to drop off their baggage at check-in. By the time I finished check-in and security, I only had ten minutes before the gate opened and my flight started boarding.

Wizz Air recommends arriving at the airport two hours early, as that’s when the check-in opens. But if you want to avoid stressful delays, you should arrive three hours before your flight.

Flying business class is more affordable than economy

Wizz Air offers an option called “Wizz Air Priority.” This ticket gets you additional features like extra baggage, separate boarding, and more. Essentially, it’s their version of business class — and it was definitely worth the money for me.

With low-cost and budget airlines, the small fees add up. And on Wizz Air, this is true, especially when it comes to bag allowance.

The economy ticket for Wizz Air, for example, offers basically nothing besides a seat on the plane. You’re only allowed to bring a personal item. You have to pay additional fees for a cabin suitcase and checked bag. Honestly, I was surprised they didn’t charge to use the restroom.

On the Wizz Air website, for example, they answer a frequently asked question about what you can and cannot bring on board.

“Can I still carry a coat, towel, or blanket into the cabin?

Yes, you can take the following personal items on board free of charge: a coat or blanket, mobile phone, reading material for the flight; products from duty-free shops; for children younger than two: food for the duration of the flight; a pair of crutches for physically disabled passengers.”

I’ve never seen an airline specify that you can bring your “mobile phone” free of charge, except Wizz Air. Clearly, the airline is so famous for charging extra for baggage that people are worried their cell phone might count as an additional personal item.

I realized when I was booking my flight to Vienna that I would have a lot of add-ons, such as a checked bag and a cabin suitcase. When I crunched the numbers and looked at the legroom, I realized Wizz Air Priority would give me a much better experience.

My seat was in the first row of the plane, so I had extra legroom. The tray table was larger than usual. And, the flight attendants reserved the overhead compartment for everyone in my row, so I didn’t have to put any of my bags at the back of the plane.

Baggage allowance is weirdly specific

The baggage policy on Wizz Air truly shocked me.

In terms of baggage allowance, with Wizz Air Priority, I was allowed 32kg for a checked bag and a free cabin suitcase along with a personal item. I was especially impressed with the 32kg baggage allowance, as on a prior flight from Boston to London with Delta, I had only been allowed 23kg.

When I’ve flown with Delta, my cabin suitcase fits in the overhead compartment no problem. But with the smaller Wizz Air planes, my cabin suitcase was too big. So, I had to check my bag. Because my bag was under 10kg and I had a Wizz Air Priority ticket, I was able to do so for free. If I didn’t have Priority, I would have been charged £48 GBP ($60 USD).

If you’re bringing any checked bags or cabin suitcases (trolley bag), watch out for all of the hidden fees. Make sure the weight and the size of your bags match the Wizz Air website.

Expect delays (because they’ll probably happen)

A survey found that only 56% of Wizz Air flights actually arrived on time in the last year. Therefore, it’s safe to say delays are fairly common with Wizz Air.

I experienced this firsthand when traveling to Vienna. My flight was delayed by fifteen minutes due to slow boarding. However, since it wasn’t a long delay and I wasn’t in a rush to arrive in Vienna, I didn’t mind too much.

There is no free food

It’s common for most European short-haul flights to not provide free food. The same is true for Wizz Air. You can buy food on the flight if you want, but it will be overpriced (like any airplane food).

I ended up getting a meal deal at the airport for £5 GBP ($6 USD) and eating it on the plane. I purchased a sandwich, bag of chips, and a water — and it was better value for money than anything on Wizz Air’s inflight menu.

Bring your own entertainment

Wizz Air does not have any in-flight entertainment. This means no movies, tv shows, or music.

I ended up listening to music and an audiobook on my flight with my phone, and I was thankful I had pre-downloaded the entertainment. It was a two-hour flight, so it sort of felt like getting on a two-hour bus (where I wouldn’t expect entertainment to be provided anyway).

I did, however, miss the in-flight tracker that flights usually have on the TV screens on the back of the seats. I love seeing which countries I’m flying over in real-time.

Would I fly with Wizz Air again?

Overall, I had a good experience flying with Wizz Air. If I wanted a cheap flight and Wizz Air was an option, I would consider flying with them again.

However, there are a lot of discrepancies between Wizz Air Priority and economy (with legroom, baggage allowance, etc.). In the future, I would probably only fly Wizz Air Priority.

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