Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air has launched an “all you can fly” annual subscription, allowing passengers to pay a lump sum to receive ‘unlimited’ air travel throughout the year, with some caveats.
The airline has been trialling a similar offer since last year on certain routes but has now launched a €599 ($658) subscription across its wider network as it looks to capitalise on growing passenger demand for air travel and reach one million flights per year.
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Despite the seemingly ‘too good to be true’ offer, the deal has also been criticised by some for the caveats put in place for its users, including the requirement that flights must be booked 72 hours in advance and will still require a flat fee of €9.99.
Wizz Air also warns that the subscription will only allow for three flights per day and does not cover any carry-on or checked baggage, and all other additional services will also have to be purchased separately.
Nick Wyatt, head of travel and tourism research and analysis at GlobalData, said while these aspects of the deal could assuage the excitement of some potential customers, the “innovative product” will still likely appeal to frequent travellers who are budget-conscious
He said: “This plays to current consumer financial concerns with 47% of European respondents in a GlobalData Q2 2024 consumer survey saying they are either extremely concerned (22%) or quite concerned (25%) about their current financial situation.
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By GlobalData“Wizz already enjoys strong brand recognition in the European low-cost airline segment but the success of its latest offer may well hinge on the finer details and how happy would-be fliers are to accept some of the offer’s limitations.”
While Wizz Air’s product is possibly the first annual subscription to be launched by a European airline, similar offers are already on the market elsewhere with Frontier Airlines in the US offering an annual ‘GOWILD!’ pass for $599 and AirAsia offering a ‘Super+ Premium’ subscription for S$699 ($529) per year.
Wizz Air will likely be hoping that the launch of the pass may tempt back customers who have been disenfranchised with the airline, which has experienced some legal issues in the last year, including allegations of greenwashing by an EU body and claims of “unacceptable” treatment of passengers by UK regulators.
