If you’ve been following my series on flights, airports, and the overall tourist transportation experience, you know I’ve given up.
By given up, I mean that I’ve said adieu to hopes of an on-time flight and organized experience at the airport. (For now, at least.) I plan ample time for layovers, I prepare for delays, and I even organize longer trips to account for day(s)-long transit.
In other words, I’m waiting for the day that airlines and airports are staffed and managed at the same level they were pre-pandemic.
In the meantime, there’s a new offer that’s caught my attention: Wizz Airline’s All You Can Fly pass.
Wizz Airlines, you say?
Wizz Airlines is a low-cost airline from Hungary, which offers transportation around Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and Central Asia.
Though they’ve been around since 2004 (largely serving central European locations), their reach expanded in 2020 thanks to a new partnership.
During 2020, Wizz took the helm as Europe’s largest low-cost provider. Shortly after, the company sold just over half of its shares to become a joint venture with the UAE’s Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company.
In 2022, that helped usher in a ‘memorandum of understanding’ with Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Investment. As far as I can tell, that memorandum covers added flights to and from Saudi Arabia with the goal of promoting tourism throughout the country.
With dozens of high-profile tourism efforts underway, Saudi Arabia needs more airlines touching down. In other words: Despite being a budget airline, Wizz has some serious wind under its wings.
And its unrolling a novel new concept in budget airfare.
In August 2024, the company launched an ‘All You Can Fly’ pass that costs €499 ($555) for the year. But with other options available to access solid airfare, is it worth it?
What’s included & how does the Wizz All You Can Fly pass work?
Wizz’s year-long pass allows flyers to access the company’s network of 780 flight routes across 53 countries. Though it’s often billed as a discount European airline, Wizz does have a broad reach.
Here’s the catch—flyers with the All You Can Fly pass are only able to book flights 72 hours before takeoff. There’s no minimum guarantee on free seats and availability is always subject to other conditions. Also, and maybe more importantly, carry-ons aren’t included.
Starting in September 2024, Wizz Airlines will open up bookings for all enrolled All You Can Fly subscribers.
The All You Can Fly Pass—what does it look like in practice?
The All You Can Fly arrangement is pretty straightforward. Pay an upfront, annual fee, then get access to seriously discounted flights, including international routes.
That lets flyers purchase tickets to and from international destinations and pay only around $10-20 for their seats. That might take them as far as New Delhi or as close as Barcelona. The choice is theirs.
Ideally, flyers with the All You Can Fly pass from Wizz gain access to cheap seats on flights heading around the world. But let’s take a closer look at how that might pan out.
Wizz Airlines isn’t the first airline to offer an unlimited pass (I’m going to cover Frontier’s scheme below). Other flyers who paid for similar passes noted that many flights were fully booked. Some have also pointed out that these types of passes are designed to help airlines fill their empty seats at the last minute… not necessarily to help flyers save.
That means the pass might not actually deliver any value. That’s doubly true when you consider Wizz’s hefty luggage fees and the fact that the All You Can Fly pass doesn’t include carry-ons.
Additionally, it’s possible to fly around Europe on cheap flights costing only $10-50, depending on the location and season. Wizz’s Hungarian hub in Budapest is no exception; flights are notoriously cheap around central and eastern Europe.
So why pay for a pass in the first place?
Learning from Frontier
Frontier Airlines offers a similar program with its All-You-Can-Fly pass.
I’ve combed through a few different review platforms to gauge whether flyers enjoy the program; it’s a pretty mixed bag. Some users said that Frontier’s annual flat fee took them to places they would have never been before, including around South America and Latin America.
But it seems like a positive experience is dependent on the local airport. If someone lives close to a Frontier-served airport that regularly offers flights to and from interesting destinations, it’s a clear win. The less busy the airport, the more likely pass-holders are to get on flights for cheap.
If not… well, what’s the point?
It’s worth noting (again) that the All You Can Fly pass from Wizz only makes seats available 72 hours from the takeoff time. If a pass holder wants to fly to a popular destination during high season (or even the shoulder season), they probably won’t find seats. Maybe for months on end.
Who should use the All You Can Fly pass?
I think Wizz’s All You Can Fly pass is only worth it for people who like to travel often and at the last minute from certain locations. Budapest, Wizz’s hub, would be an ideal spot. The same for its secondary hub in Romania’s capital Bucharest.
Similarly, if you’re interested in newer destinations like Abu Dhabi or the UAE’s Dubai, then it’s probably a great deal. (Though given the price tags at these locations, I’m not sure why you’d need a discount airline pass.)
So, if you’re living in a smaller destination that includes solid routes on the Wizz network, then go for it.
Just make sure you’re great at packing your handbag. And make sure you pay for your pass soon. Apparently, Wizz has limited the offer to only 10,000 flyers.