Wizzair

[Jorik]

Ljubljana

2 routes announced to/from Ljubljana:

London Luton LTN: 3x weekly (from October 30, 2012) Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday
Charleroi CRL: 2x weekly (from October 29, 2012) Monday, Friday

[LGS6753]

LJU to LTN is head-on with Adria...

[Powerjet1]

Adria don't seem to have flights for the winter so Wizz should be the only operator from oct. However, flights are bookable with Adria, ex LTN from April 2013

[eu01]

“We are truly delighted to celebrate Wizz Air’s 8th anniversary. Wizz Air was founded to bring low airfares to Central and Eastern Europe and beyond, and our team of over 1,500 aviation professionals delivers on our promise of really low fares, great customer service and tourism growth. We now operate the youngest and cleanest aircraft fleet in Europe and in our 9th year we will, once more, enjoy double digit growth, which is clearly above average among European airlines in 2012. In the financial year ended 31 March, we grew passenger traffic by 15% and registered a record net profit. This achievement is only possible thanks to lean and efficient business processes, solid financial performance, an outstanding dedicated workforce, and the preference of millions of passengers who choose really low fares and great service.

József Váradi, CEO, Wizz Air (at the anniversary)

A record net profit? No details, as usually. But shouldn't we believe?

[racedo]

A record net profit? No details, as usually. But shouldn't we believe?

If they have never made a profit (not sure and not bothered to check) and then make €1 then that is a record net profit.

[DublinPole]

When SkyEurope went bust they claimed they had been profitable for several years but it later was proven they had never made a profit at that point. Since then they've not spoke or published any figures at all, but continue to claim they are profitable, which they were proven to have lied about in the past.

Wizzair marketing and press releases always tend to be interesting - a lot of the time their press releases read exactly like Ryanair ones, and some phrases are a pretty much carbon copy.

[CCR]

Flew with Wizzair recently..they have got to be the only airline that allows smaller carry on baggage than Ryanair!! Unfortunately, I only learned that at the gate and got charges 52 pounds..back to Easy for me!!

[DublinPole]

The Wizzair Luggage policy is interesting. They allow up to 32kg for checked in luggage which is the highest I've seen. However they appear to what I would call 'Fuel Surcharge it'

In other words the longer the flight, the more the bigger the cost of the bag.

[mart901]

Wizzairs cabin baggage policy is exactly the same as Ryanair. 1 piece 55x40x20cm, maximum 10kg.

Wizz Air

General Terms + Conditions of Carriage

Easyjets is slightly bigger and carries no weight restriction other than you must be able to lift it into the over head bin without assistance. Also in my experience easyjet are not so pedantic or likely to charge you extra at the gate or check in.

Baggage allowances | easyJet.com

[DublinPole]

Reductions from Summer 2012 on Polish routes for the winter.

Gdańsk
Destination - Summer 2012 - Winter 2012/13
Barcelona - from 2 to 1 flight per week
Bergen - from 4 to 3 flights a week
Doncaster / Sheffield - from 4 to 3 flights a week
Dortmund - from 7 to 5 flights a week
Eindhoven - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Glasgow / Prestwick - from 2 to 1 flight per week
Hamburg / Lübeck - from five to four flights a week
Liverpool - from three to two flights a week
London / Luton - from 13 to 12 flights a week
Malmo - from 4 to 3 flights a week
Oslo / Torp - from 6 to 4 per week
Rome / Fiumicino - from 2 to 1 flight per week
Stockholm / Skavsta - from 7 to 5 flights a week
Turku - from 5 to 3 flights per week.

Katowice
Destination - Summer 2012 - Winter 2012/13
Barcelona - from 4 to 2 flights a week
Burgas - suspended for the winter
Cork - from 4 to 2 flights a week
Doncaster / Sheffield - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Dortmund - from 18 to 14 flights per week
Eindhoven - from five to four flights a week
Forli - suspended for the winter
Frankfurt / Hahn - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Cologne - from 3 to 2 flights a week
London / Luton - from 14 to 12 flights a week
Madrid - suspended for the winter
Malmo - from 3 to 2 flights per week
Oslo / Torp - from 7 to 4 flights a week
Paris / Beauvais - from three to two flights a week
Rome / Ciampino - from 4 to 3 flights per week
Stockholm / Skavsta - from 3 to 2 flights a week.

Lodz
Destination - Summer 2012 - Winter 2012/13
London Luton - from 3 to 2 flights a week.

Poznań
Destination - Summer 2012 - Winter 2012/13
Barcelona - suspended for the winter
Burgas - suspended for the winter
Cork - from 2 to 1 flight per week
Doncaster / Sheffield - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Oslo / Torp - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Rome / Fiumicino - suspended for the winter
Stockholm / Skavsta - from 3 to 2 flights per week

Warsaw / Modlin
Destination - Summer 2012 - Winter 2012/13
Burgas - suspended for the winter
Goteborg - from three to two flights a week
London / Luton - from 25 to 21 flights a week
Madrid - suspended for the winter
Oslo / Torp - from five to four flights a week
Paris / Beauvais - from 4 to 3 flights a week
Rome / Fiumicino - from 7 to 5 flights per week
Stavanger - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Stockholm / Skavsta - from 7 to 4 flights a week.

Wroclaw
Destination - Summer 2012 - Winter 2012/13
Cork - from 2 to 1 flight per week
Doncaster / Sheffield - from 3 to 2 flights a week
Eindhoven - from 3 to 2 flights a week.

[Jack1985]

DublinPole Your comparing the Winter reductions to this Summer which gives your summary zero credibility. I think you'll find if you compare these flights to the previous winter you'll probably find much has not changed.

Growth Stagnant? Looking at WizzAir's order book it has over 120 orders which seems alot for a carrier unwilling to actually give detailed fiscal results. Where can Wizz grow next? to me they seem to be underestimating strong base positions e.g. Budapest, Warsaw. They could have and should have swooped on Malev's demise but they didn't Ryanair beat them to it in there home market before they even announced replacement flights. The move to Warsaw Modlin has seen Wizz shoot itself in the foot twice. They move all operations to Modlin for a lower cost base, Ryanair join them (virtually), then OLT set up at Chopin. Definitely there's massive scope for expansion in CEE but in reality where do people on this forum who know Wizz well expect it to grow next?

[toledoashley]

Surely Ukraine would be a good start, the numbers going to the Red Sea are very impressive, so that should be a good option for holiday flights?

What about Georgia (has been talked about), or Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia?

[davidjohnson6]

Granted this is not the only reason people fly but the migration of lots of people in central Europe to the UK + Ireland as part of joining the EU is what gave the economic rationale for Wizz to exist originally. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan are not EU members, their citizens generally do not have the right to live and work in the EU. I imagine that entrenched interests will make life difficult for foreign LCCs who try to set up locally with a non trivial operation.

Baving said all that many network carriers flying to thsse countries badly need some competition to stop their fares being so eye wateringly high.

[DublinPole]

Your comparing the Winter reductions to this Summer which gives your summary zero credibility. I think you'll find if you compare these flights to the previous winter you'll probably find much has not changed.

The above routes are being reduced in the winter from the frequencies they are in the summer. Sorry if that is not clear I've changed the post. But what I said was factually correct, but I can see how some people can interpret it the wrong way.

My gripe with Wizzair is why they are still robbing passengers from Cork of seven euro per flight as they continue to charge the government tax at the old rate, despite the fact it has been reduced for over a year now?

[Jack1985]

What about Georgia (has been talked about), or Moldova, Azerbaijan, Armenia?

I imagine that entrenched interests will make life difficult for foreign LCCs who try to set up locally with a non trivial operation.

This was my thinking originally. This is the problem Wizz face moving forward if they want to create operations in Moldova, Azerbaijan etc.. they have to create additional subsidiaries (existing - Wizz Ukraine, Wizz Serbia) which will only drive down profits (if there even making any). Only advantage Wizz have now is they have orders to back up expansion, while most LCC's in Europe are near the end of there order books.

My gripe with Wizzair is why they are still robbing passengers from Cork of seven euro per flight as they continue to charge the government tax at the old rate, despite the fact it has been reduced for over a year now?

There actually charging €10 when it is infact €3, although it should be pointed out this is what could be keeping there Cork operation afloat.

[Jorik]

Kutaisi

NEW AIRPORT for Wizz Air (Ukraine): Kutaisi in Georgia

Kiev Zhulyany - Kutaisi (from September 27, 2012)

[toledoashley]

So Georgia was right... Maybe this is where they are heading?

[Jack1985]

Excellent news, any expansion to further drive down prices in these un-tapped markets is welcome.

[TBSC]

Jack1985

to me they seem to be underestimating strong base positions e.g. Budapest,
Warsaw. They could have and should have swooped on Malev's demise but they
didn't Ryanair beat them to it in there home market before they even announced
replacement flights. The move to Warsaw Modlin has seen Wizz shoot itself in the
foot twice. They move all operations to Modlin for a lower cost base, Ryanair
join them (virtually), then OLT set up at Chopin.

??

Number of BUD-based aircraft doubled (from 3 to 6) within a month, announced the same day Malev went bust. Ryanair has only 5 a/c based, couple of routes (all against Wizz) announced initially are not operated.
Low load factors on FR flights started without market research (admitted by O'Clown) despite thousands of free tickets handed away in media campaign. Hungarian media is full of delays on first weeks of ops (lack of crew as even hungarians flying for them on other bases refused to "return" home for low salaries) and miserable boarding system used at BUD Terminal 2.

Wizz beat FR with moving to Warsaw Modlin as well (is lower cost a problem theye days??). OLT won't be around for long anyway if they keep wasting money like they do now (check the polish news about their investor). SkyEurope, Air Polonia, Norwegian, Centralwings and the likes were at Chopin as well but you don't see them recently...

[DublinPole]

Hungary is an interesting one without doubt but the war at Budapest is not as cut dry as Wizz winning here, despite what some of the Hungarian press seem to think, as having been to Hungary a couple of times since the competition between then and Ryanair started up it's very much a mixed bag.

Whilst Ryanair did pull out of a couple of routes they announced, it is not all one way there, on some routes Ryanair are beating Wizz on loads and on other routes Wizz are beating Ryanair. The more Eastern routes will always be more popular for Wizz are better known here, and indeed Ryanair generally don't compete on a lot of these routes.

However in Italy Wizz are said to be struggling from Budapest and they are pulling out of Bergamo (July) and Forfi (October) because of the fact Ryanair's flights to the same areas have had better take up than that of Wizz. So it's not all one way despite how some of the press like to to portray it. Each company has it's strengths in the European market,

Wizz is not that well known in Western Europe, other than by residents of Eastern European countries who have moved to Western Countries, whist similarly in the likes of Bulgaria, Ukraine, Latvia, Macedonia, Lithuiania, Romania and Serbia without a doubt are Wizz territory and they enjoy very good brand recognition here,whilst then you have Norwegian, very successful in Scandinavia, but again not hugely well known outside here.

Right now at Warsaw and Budapest there is a fare war between Ryanair and Wizzair which means both carriers are selling at crazy prices, Wizzair with 2 Euro fares and Ryanair with 5 Euro fares on routes which are competing with each other, such competition is going to last until a lot of such duplicate routers fail to become duplicates anymore as winners emerge on each route. After that you will see prices go to more sustainable models, something which has bore out time and time again.

Generally outside those two airports, there is not much between the two airlines. Ryanair are without doubt more punctual than Wizzair and are better in times of a crisis because of their huge fleet and have lower fees for the most part along with a better, non fuel surcharging baggage policy. Wizz on the other hand don't have as many announcements during flights which some people prefer.

Personally I use both airlines and generally wouldn't avoid either, but I do generally find the airports that Ryanair use are more convenient for me in Western Europe and on routes where there is no competition, Wizz tend to be quite expensive, compared to routes which Ryanair have no competition, for example routes from Cork to Poland are expensive, lucky to get a flight cheaper than 60-70, From Dublin the highest price I've paid in 5 years with Ryanair is 44.99 and sometimes less. Wizz claim it's because of Government taxes at Cork, yet the tax was reduced to 3 euro but they are still charging 10 euro nearly a year later.