Are we witnessing the start of a new era of European low-cost air travel? I'm not quite sure if this situation deserves such a bombastic expression, nevertheless I put the timestamp on this day.
Wizz Air, the largest low-cost, low-fare airline connecting Western and Eastern Europe, today announced its new cabin baggage policy designed to eliminate the excessive number of bags carried onboard, overcrowding aircraft cabins. The airline also announced that the expected savings of this new policy will be shared with all of its customers.
Passengers on all airlines are currently subject to delays, offloading of cabin bags and inconvenience due to the lack of space caused by too many large bags. During a successful trial on Wizz Air’s London-Katowice route from the beginning of August, the onboard environment on the test route clearly improved with passengers bringing 20% fewer large bags into the cabin. This innovation resulted in a better onboard experience, helped in maintaining Wizz Air’s on-time performance and overall contributed to increased efficiencies.
Beginning October 04th, passengers booking Wizz Air seats* for travel from October 24th onwards can travel with a free small cabin bag (up to 42x32x25cm) or pay a ₤9 online fee to bring a large cabin bag (up to 56x45x25cm) on board. Goods purchased at the airport after security (an important source of revenue for Wizz Air’s 81 airport partners) will continue to be allowed in the cabin for free. This new policy does not apply to bookings made before October 04th or for flights departing before October 24th, except on the trial route London-Katowice where this policy already applies. Wizz Air believes this new ₤9 large cabin bag online fee will incentivize passengers to bring smaller bags on board the aircraft while only those choosing to bring large bags will pay for it. For new bookings on flights departing from 24th October, all Wizz Air fares will be discounted by ₤4.5 ** to share the expected cost savings with our passengers.
The source:
Wizzair news