From September this is going to be a reality for 10,000 WizzAir customers who purchased the new £466 pass earlier this summer. On the Wizz website, the Hungarian airline advertises a One Time Yearly Payment which once paid passengers are "ready to take off" across the whole Wizz network. This encompasses "780 routes and 53 countries" stretching from Norway all the way to Uzbekistan and even the Maldives within a three-day booking window.
But is it really as good as it sounds? Passengers in the UK may be more familiar with Wizz’s infamous frequent delays and poor service compared to that of other European budget airlines.
It has to be asked whether the pass is simply a way of turning the reputation that precedes them around
Flight disruption has caused many problems for the airline in the last few years and resulted in large compensation payouts to customers. With a significant reduction in severe delays in the last year, it has to be asked whether the pass is simply a way of turning the reputation that precedes them around and generating some positive press coverage.
When you start reading more into the details of the pass, the terms and conditions of the website remain a little ambiguous. The three-day booking window means that the pass is, in reality, extremely inflexible. Only personal items are included with any extra baggage having to be paid for separately. Tickets can’t be transferred for another person's use and every condition relies on demand, meaning that seat availability and return flights are not always guaranteed.
Due to the pass’ reliance on demand, it is also not guaranteed that travellers will be able to visit all of their bucket list destinations
In the case of finding a cheap rate, travellers are in luck. At peak travel times, flights to some of Europe’s most popular destinations can set travellers back well into 100s of pounds, but due to the pass’ reliance on demand, it is also not guaranteed that travellers will be able to visit all of their bucket list destinations.
The pass won’t be to every traveller's tastes, however, on the flip side it offers a new more spontaneous way to travel, explore and keep in touch with loved ones who may live overseas. It certainly opens a door to exploring lesser-known locations, appealing to travellers with less fixed life commitments. It could also be seen as an effective way of filling otherwise empty seats in an age of cheap-as-chips budget airlines being at the centre of climate-focused travel controversies. Furthermore, it has to be asked why an airline that claims to be one of Europe’s greenest is giving away such cheap passes in the first place, with eyes on the travel industry more than ever to promote sustainable, low emissions travel options.