Low-cost travel in Europe is plentiful thanks to an array of budget airlines offing holidays to some of Europe’s finest destinations for alluringly low prices. Now, one airline has been named the best of the bunch, taking the crown as “Europe’s Best Budget Airline”. While passengers may instantly think of Ryanair and easyJet when looking for low-cost flight options, neither of these budget carriers managed to take the hot spot. Instead, the crown was given to Wizz Air.
The Hungarian airline was named “Europe’s Best Budget Airline” in the annual AirlineRatings.com awards.
It is the second year in a row that the flight operator has been ranked number one by the safety and product rating website.
Taking into account how the airline’s environmental impact and safety record, a team of seven editors with a combined 200 years of industry experience made the final decision.
The team of judges also took into account inflight products, company innovation and the route network on offer by airline providers.
Wizz Air beat Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 to the top spot.
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The airline currently flies to 152 destinations and operates 120 aircraft, making it a major player in Europe.
The airline has already announced six new routes, set to take to the skies in August next year, connecting travellers to Barcelona, Bari, Berlin Schönefeld, London Southend, Turin and Verona.
Thanks to a new Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline will also increase the frequency of routes to Rome Ciampino, Bologna, Brussels Carleroi and Tel Aviv.
Wizz Air currently flies from 11 UK airports including ABERDEEN, Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Doncaster Sheffield, Edinburgh, Glasgow International, Liverpool, London Southend, London Gatwick and London Luton.
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A nod towards “the best of the best in the airline industry” it is hoped that the awards will “guide customers in their choice of the safety and best airlines to fly with”.
Stephen Jones, Executive Vice president and Deputy CEO of Wizz Air said: “We are delighted to be receiving this prestigious award by AirlineRatings. It once again underlines Wizz Air’s commitment to its customers by continuously investing in customer experience, offering the lowest possible fares and an ever-growing network of affordable travel opportunities.
“We continue to explore new horizons whilst ensuring that we remain a responsible business, and our ULCC business model is intact as we advance to a fleet of 300 ultra-efficient modern aircraft. Our friendly crew looks forward to welcoming you onboard one of our young and modern aircraft.”
In October this year, The Points Guy UK conducted a comparison of four of the UK’s favourite low-cost airlines, including Wizz Air alongside easyJet, Ryanair and Jet 2.
By analysing check-in requirements, carry-on baggage allowance, hold luggage, seating and priority boarding, they hoped to uncover the number one budget airline.
The comparison found that easyJet offered the most flexible check-in requirements, welcoming passengers to check-in for free.
Meanwhile, Jet 2 took the crown for the most flexible allowance for hand luggage. and Ryanair offered the best priority boarding package.
There was no clear winner for the best seating or hold luggage policies.
Ultimately the study revealed that there was no winner, as each airline offered such different things.
Instead, the experts at The Points Guy UK felt it largely depends on each passenger’s individual requirements.
A spokesperson from The Points Guy UK said: “There’s no winner in the realm of low-cost carriers. As each airline has such specific fees and rules and those often vary by route or season, it’s hard to select one superior airline.
“Plus, if hold baggage doesn’t apply to you, or you don’t care about seat width, then your favourite low-cost carrier may be quite different from your neighbour’s.
“The main point is to decide what’s important to you (such as a larger carry-on, an extra personal item, free airport check-in, cheap seat allocation) and pick the airline that offers you the most.
“Whatever airline you choose, read the fine print ahead of time and know exactly what your fare covers (or, more likely, doesn’t) and what parameters are attached to your ticket.”