Budget airline Wizz Air
It’s cheap and cheerful, and lays claims to all manner of green strategies. But do you get a meal or a movie?
Wizz Air would not be my first choice of airline, but when flights are a quarter of the price of competitors, I am happy to lower my standards. Despite its cheesy name, it turns out this budget carrier has higher standards than me.
Comparing costs to fly from London to Istanbul, I am shocked to find Wizz Air charging less than £100 while British Airways is almost £400. In Australian dollars, that’s $200 versus $800 for a four-hour flight. I have left it late to book, so the cheaper seats have sold out, but when I check multiple dates in 2025, the fares are triple for BA as well as Turkish Airlines.
Wizz Air has confusing bundles and extra fees, yet it ends up much better no matter what decisions I make about carry-on or check-in baggage. As I look more closely at its policies, I feel good about accidentally choosing Europe’s greenest airline.
The Hungarian company has an interesting sustainability manifesto. Launched with the belief that air travel should not be a privilege for only the wealthy, Wizz wanted to help more people fly for less money, but with the environment in mind. The business model is focused on smarter decisions about routes, fuel, seat density, loads and capacity.
The airline operates only direct routes and offers no connecting flights. This is because 15 to 20 per cent of fuel consumption on short-haul flights happens during takeoff and landing. The extra fuel burn and emissions are not worth it for hopping across one border. Routes are chosen where there is not a direct train alternative (under four hours) between the two cities.
To further avoid unnecessary pollution, it doesn’t fly half-empty planes. Last year, an average 91 per cent of seats were occupied, compared with the global industry average of 82 per cent. Wizz Air has no business class, so space is not wasted; more people are transported per flight.
With one of the youngest fleets in the world, the average age of its planes is less than five years, about half the average of its major competitors. Wizz mostly uses the efficient Airbus A321neo with modern engines that consume less fuel.
According to the airline, a Wizz passenger will have a CO2 footprint of 53.8 grams per kilometre on average, which is the lowest among European legacy carriers and similar low-cost airlines.
One aspect that is more of a murky green is the company’s promotion of all-you-can-fly subscriptions. Perhaps it makes sense for frequent flyers to commit to this greener airline, but not if people are flying more often to get their money’s worth. Flights are not free – you pay a hefty annual membership (at least €600/$1000) and then a flat fee (€9.99) per flight segment when booking.
A Multipass might work for Australians who spend a lot of time “wizzing around” Europe. An international pass includes Dubai and Abu Dhabi so you could take Wizz for the second leg of the long-haul flight from Australia to cities such as Budapest, Athens, Rome or Krakow. A 12-month plan starts at €60 a month, with no baggage included and plenty of restrictions.
My Wizz Smart bundle includes priority boarding, a 10kg carry-on trolley bag (small suitcase with wheels) plus another 10kg bag that fits under the seat.
I make sure to check in online as it costs £35 ($70) at the airport counter.
At the gate for my departing flight, I notice that most of my fellow flyers are younger than 50 and wearing modest backpacks, rather than wheeling around a suitcase. I assume they have paid to check in a bag or they’re Europeans travelling light for a weekend away.
The seats are hard, there are no free meals, entertainment or wi-fi, but I have saved $300, if not the planet. I would fly them again – I just won’t say out loud that I’m taking a Wizz.
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