Wizz Air is introducing a new add-on called “Wizz Class”, which will be rolled out across their entire fleet. This follows a roughly one-month long trial where the airline deployed this new cabin across their routes.
It’s fascinating, since out of the “big three” ultra-low-cost airlines in Europe (Ryanair, easyJet and Wizz), Wizz is the pioneer of such a concept. Wizz operates some fairly lengthy flights to Europe and beyond (they even have A321XLRs that operate as far as between Gatwick and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which is a 6h 30m flight), so it’s perhaps not too surprising that they found a way to monetise such a product.
I didn’t cover this development when Wizz Air was just trialling “Wizz Class” across some of their key routes, though thought it was worth flagging now that they’re rolling Wizz Class across the network. However, I find it fascinating that the aviation community is picking this up as a “business class” style add-on, which really tells you all you need to know about business class intra-Europe.
Here’s my hot take – there is no way on earth this product will ever be worth it. Here’s why.
Wizz Air Introduces “Wizz Class” Across Fleet
Wizz Air is introducing “Wizz Class”, a new premium add-on. This premium add-on consists of a first row seat with a blocked middle seat, a complimentary snack and refreshment, and a 10 kg carry-on allowance with priority boarding.
From reviews I’ve seen (such as this one on YouTube), that’s kind of it. You don’t even get a meal – a snack means a kit kat, a packet of crisps, or equivalent (not even a sandwich), and you’re also given a free non-alcoholic beverage. There also isn’t dedicated priority boarding – you simply just board with others who have purchased a package involving a bag.
Wizz Air A321neo Interior
Booking Wizz Class – This is Horrible Execution
So how do you book Wizz Class? I wish it was simple, but it isn’t…
Firstly, on the booking page, you can’t immediately just purchase a Wizz Class option. It can only be added at the seat selection stage. Instead, you’ll find the option to choose a Wizz Smart, Wizz Go, or Wizz Plus package, or you can continue with the basic price.
You must purchase a Wizz Smart or Wizz Plus package in order to see the “Wizz Class” option. Yep, even “Wizz Go” won’t get you there. You also don’t get the Wizz Class selection even if you go with the basic fare, but add Priority to your booking.
After you enter your details, if you choose the basic fare or the Wizz Go fare, here’s what you’ll see:
However, with the Wizz Smart or Wizz Plus package, you’ll see this screen instead:
As you can see, you can select a first row seat even if you don’t go with Wizz Class – they just don’t block the middle seat out for you. The fact that 1E is available in the first screen shows that neither of the people seated in 1D nor 1F purchased the Wizz Class fare.
Oh, you thought Wizz Class came with free seat selection, you said? Think again. For example, this below flight from London to Skopje cost £13 to reserve the one remaining seat in the first row…
Oh, I missed something. Wizz Air won’t let you continue your booking without reserving a (paid) seat in Wizz Class, so consider the seat selection fare part of the core price for the Wizz Class bundle.
Wait, did I forget to mention that you can’t use the app either? Wizz Class only shows up if you’re using the website on a browser (it will show up if you use a browser on your phone, but won’t show up if you use their mobile app).
So how much does it cost? My London to Skopje one-way flight on this day cost £36.99. I had to at least purchase a Wizz Smart fare in order to see Wizz Class at all, which was an extra £36.05. Then the actual Wizz Class package costs £55, and I couldn’t proceed without selecting a seat for £13 (even though only one was available). This led to a total ticket price of £141.04 – 3.8x the base price.
In comparison, just the Wizz Smart package on its own would’ve cost £73.04 for this one-way flight (which would’ve come with a normal seat selection, and priority boarding with a 10kg bag), or I could’ve paid £27 just for priority boarding and a 10kg bag for £27 (with no seat selection) leading to a £63.99 ticket fare.
Business class? Please no. Surely no one in their right mind would find this worth it
Okay, so what are the perks of Wizz Class?
- You get an empty middle seat
- You get priority boarding, along with everyone else who has priority boarding (including Wizz Smart fares and those who purchase a carry-on bag as an add-on)
- You get a 10kg bag (which is included with a Wizz Smart fare as well)
- You get a first row seat with a bit more legroom (in contrast, a first row seat costs £26/£13 if you have Wizz Smart, and an exit row seat costs £24/£11)
- You get a snack and a drink (this would otherwise cost around £3-£4)
- You get dedicated overhead bin space (great…)
There isn’t priority check-in, lounge access, checked baggage allowance, or anything of the sort. I get the spiffy branding (haha, “Wizzness class”), but unless you’re a business traveller with huge corporate money to swing (and hugely need the extra shoulder space to do your job that doesn’t require WiFi, since Wizz Air doesn’t have WiFi onboard any of their aircraft), surely this isn’t worth the extra £68 above a Wizz Smart package on a 3h flight.
Wizz Air snack – and even this would be above the “snack” Wizz Class seems to be offering!
In my opinion, this almost seems like an intentional mockery of intra-European business class. To be fair, the intra-European business class product is so sad, so I’m all for that. However, this is intra-European business class at its worst, taking away even perks such as fast-track security, lounge access, a legitimate meal, and the like.
The most similar product I can think of is Aer Lingus’ AerSpace (I’m not talking about their A321XLRs with lie-flat seats, but rather the blocked middle seat in the first row you’ll get on most routes). Aer Lingus may only block their first row middle seats, and also only offers a snack. However, their snacks are more substantial, they give lounge access at some airports (and fast track security in Dublin), and you can earn frequent flyer points. Additionally, AerSpace also comes with maximum ticket flexibility, so you can move your flight date or cancel your flight as you please. That’s a different product, and one that I can definitely connect with a bit more if I were to be travelling on business.
Aer Lingus’ AerSpace – a comparable product, but actually much better in many ways
Conclusion
Wizz Air has newly introduced a “Wizz Class” add-on, including an empty middle seat and a snack onboard. However, maybe I haven’t been travelling on business for too long and forget how important it is to have an empty middle seat, though the add-on on an add-on with an extra seat selection fee just seems unjustifiable to me. Even if I were to need the extra space, the execution just seems terrible to me – I would’ve had Wizz Class as a selectable option on the fare selection panel and be upfront about the cost, as opposed to making it an add-on that’s only available if you’re purchasing certain fare bundles.
I would’ve loved to be one of the first to review Wizz Class, though I’d rather use that money to fly roundtrip to Egypt or something, so…
What’s your take on Wizz Class? Would you be flying it anytime soon?
