Wizz Air to offer 'business class on a budget' upgrade with middle seats kept empty

Budget airline Wizz Air is launching a new seating option that guarantees passengers won't have anyone sitting in the middle seat beside them. From December, travellers booking with Wizz Air will be able to upgrade to Wizz Class, which ensures the middle seat remains empty, providing extra space without the premium price tag of traditional business class.

However, passengers shouldn't expect luxury amenities such as lie-flat beds, complimentary champagne, or a separate cabin. The upgrade simply offers additional elbow room, seats positioned towards the front of the aircraft for quicker disembarkation, and priority access to overhead luggage compartments.

The airline has not yet disclosed pricing details for this new option, though Bloomberg reports that executive Michael Delehant stated: "In terms of fares, it's never going to be more than buying the cost of another seat. It's not meant to be a money-grab."

Silvia Mosquera, commercial officer at Wizz Air, told the Independent: "The roll-out of Wizz Class follows feedback from our growing number of business travellers who value low-cost travel options and prefer additional space during the flight".

At present, Wizz Air passengers have the option to pay for seat selection when travelling, whilst Wizz Plus and Privilege Pass members receive complimentary seat selection, reports the Mirror.

However, currently the only upgrade available involves choosing front seats or exit rows, which provide extra legroom.

This enhanced seating option will be introduced on select flights departing from London, Rome, Warsaw, Bucharest and Budapest in December.

Wizz Air has also recently confirmed the relaunch of the All You Can Fly membership, which for €499.99 (approximately £440.37) provides access to multiple flights per year, with a booking fee of €9.99 (approximately £8.80) per booking. Based on the company's press release, members who have previously purchased a subscription used it an average of nine times a year.

Those who register can travel on more than 950 routes throughout their network, with destinations spanning Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

Members have the ability to book flights between 72 hours and three hours prior to departure, making it perfect for individuals who appreciate spontaneous getaways. Only 10,000 memberships are made available each year.

That said, feedback regarding the product has been varied. In a Reddit post, one customer stated: "I recently bought Wizz Air's "All You Can Fly" pass, thinking it would be an amazing deal to travel more affordably. But honestly, this has been one of my worst decisions."

They added: "The "unlimited" flights feel like a joke because there's almost never any availability! When there is, it's typically for routes that would have cost around £20 anyway.

"The whole thing feels like it's set up to make it nearly impossible to use, especially with their 3-day rule. You can only book flights 3 days in advance, which just seems designed to trap you into buying a return ticket separately."

However, another poster shared a more favourable experience, saying: "I've had 20 flights with Wizz Air from Budapest. They offer a lot of flights from Budapest so its a good start. Sometimes the availability was very good (for example, I could fly to Tenerife in Christmas time when the round trip was around 1000 €).

"I've had a flight to Eindhoven in Eastern period when the flight would have been almost 500 €. So it could be a good deal if you don't have fixed dates and you fly alone."