First Attempt to Target Business Travelers: Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced that starting this December, it will launch a new pilot on several European routes, offering upgraded seats with more legroom and a blocked middle seat. The initiative, called Wizz Class, will initially operate on flights departing from Bucharest, Budapest, London, Rome, and Warsaw.
Until now, the company has mainly catered to vacationers and passengers visiting friends and family. However, with the expansion of its fleet and route network, it is now trying to attract small business travelers and entrepreneurs who want a bit more comfort without paying the high prices of a traditional business class.
According to Michael Delahant, the company’s Chief Commercial and Operations Officer, the idea emerged following repeated requests from passengers seated in the first row. “Many of these passengers asked us to offer the option to keep the middle seat free in order to gain extra space and exit the plane quickly,” Delahant explained at a press event held in London.
The trial will initially focus only on the first row, which offers extra legroom, and the main innovation will be blocking the middle seat. Unlike other business classes on short-haul flights in Europe, this is not a full product with meals, lounges, or additional services, but a “seat-only” product that provides a slightly more relaxed and spacious flying experience.
Meanwhile, Wizz Air emphasizes that this is a phased pilot – not all flights from the airline’s bases will participate, and availability will be determined as needed. Alongside this initiative, Wizz Air is also exploring simpler in-flight internet solutions, allowing passengers to send messages, stream content, and make digital orders from their seats. The new system will be called Wizz Play and is expected to be gradually integrated into the airline’s new aircraft.
The goal, according to Delahant, is to allow low-cost business travelers “to stay connected during the flight without paying exorbitant amounts for wireless access.” During the event, the company also announced a third round of its Unlimited Flight membership program, which allows subscribers to fly unlimitedly for a whole year. The subscription, costing €499, enables free flight booking across Wizz Air’s entire route network, with an additional symbolic fee of €9.99 per booking.
The company stated that 10,000 subscriptions will be available for sale in 34 countries worldwide, and that members of the previous wave flew an average of nine times per year. Within the program, additional payments can be made for luggage and fast-track check-in.
Wizz Air’s move aligns with a broader trend among low-cost airlines worldwide, including American carriers Spirit and Frontier, which are attempting to expand their target audience to include workers and small entrepreneurs who cannot afford a luxury business class. Although the company emphasizes that it remains faithful to its “dense and efficient” model, the launch of Wizz Class marks a new approach for European low-cost airlines.