Wizz Air Compensation

Must-Know Rules, Facts and Tips

TravelD
6 min readAug 19, 2019

According to EU 261, a passenger has the rights to receive the following compensation from Wizz Air:

  • €250 — if the flight was up to 1500 km
  • €400 — if the flight was between 1500–3500 km
  • €600 — if the flight was more than 3500 km

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Table of contents

  1. What Incidents Qualify for Compensation?
  2. Rules to Know about Wizz Air Flight Delay Compensation
  3. Wizz Air Cancelled Flight Compensation
  4. Services You’re Entitled to at The Airport
  5. Summary

What Incidents Qualify for Compensation?

If you’re an avid traveller, you know better than anyone that nothing can go precisely according to the plan. That is why you should always be prepared.

We’re here to help you deal with injustice towards passengers, clients of airline companies. Did you know that less than a half of passengers know their rights regarding reimbursement?

So, some flights are delayed and others are cancelled altogether. But when do this incidents entitle passengers to be compensated?

EU261 regulation states the following conditions under which a person has rights to receive compensation from the air service. Your situation qualifies for reimbursement if a flight was:

  • postponed for more than 3 hours;
  • denied boarding because it was overbooked;
  • cancelled without informing passengers less than 14 days before the departure;
  • the reason a passenger missed a connecting flight and reached the intended destination 3 hours + later than they were supposed to

It should be noted that this regulation also classifies three types of flights. Depending on the type of flight, the standards for compensation policy will differ.

The flights are differentialized according to the distance the plane overcomes:

  • short distance — less than 1500 km
  • medium distance — 1500–3500 km
  • long distance — more than 3500 km

The services, benefits and money payment will be different, taking into consideration how far your plane was going.

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Rules to Know about Wizz Air Flight Delay Compensation

Here’s what you should know if your flight was delayed.

Firstly, you can file for compensation, only if the following conditions were met:

  • you arrived at the airport not later than 45 minutes before the departure;
  • the departure was postponed for longer than 3 hours;
  • you were travelling within the territory where the rules of EU261 apply

Secondly, the amount of money reimbursed will differ depending on how distant your flight was. Let’s remind you it’s €250, €450, €600 for short, medium, and long distance flight respectively.

Sometimes if the delay is longer than 3 hours, but shorter than 5 hours, the money you can get is €300. To be on the safe side, you’d better have such cases investigated by experts. AirHelp has a team of professional lawyers ready to fight for your rights.

Another thing worth noting is the services Wizz Air has to offer you if your departure was delayed. The rules are the following: in case the flight was postponed for more than 2 hours, passengers have to be provided with free refreshments. Moreover, they are entitled to make 2 phone calls, have access to email writing or fax sending.

These standards apply to different types of flights. Airline is obliged to provide you with services mentioned above if there was a delay of flight more than:

  • 2 hours for up to 1500 km
  • 3 hours for 1500–3500 km
  • 4 hours for more than 3500 km

Provided the departure was put off for more than 5 hours, passengers can exercise their rights to withdraw from their flight. In such a situation, an air service is required to reimburse you for ticket expenses or offer you another ways to arrive to your destination.

It’s also worth mentioning who gets compensation if you were travelling as a group. According to EU261 regulation, the compensation should be awarded to each passenger.

So if your group was of 6 people, you were flying up to 1500 km, each person has to get €250, that is €1500 in total.

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Wizz Air Cancelled Flight Compensation

And what if your flight was cancelled? How to assert your rights and receive compensation?

To start with, you need to find out what was the reason of flight cancellation. It’s essential information as your reimbursement largely depends on the circumstances under which you couldn’t use your flight.

If the cancellation happened due to extraordinary circumstances, this is not the fault of the air service. Therefore, this case doesn’t qualify for compensation. Extraordinary situations include various weather problems (blizzard, fog, thunderstorm etc.), political instability and strikes, and any kinds of medical or safety emergencies.

That is to say if your departure was cancelled because of Wizz Air, the company owes you compensation.

Let’s see when a passenger is entitled to file for reimbursement:

  • if they were informed about the cancellation less than 14 days before the departure;
  • if they weren’t offer alternative means of transportation to their destination;
  • if the reason of disrupted flight was that of airline

In terms of money, you can get €250, €400, €600 if your flight was short, medium or long distance respectively.

You’re probably also wondering and what if my ticket was more expensive than the one for the alternative flight?

If a passenger paid more for their original ticket than for the ticket the company offered as an alternative one, an air service should refund the cost of the original ticket:

  • 30% of the cost of the ticket for short distance flight (up to 1500 km);
  • 50% of the cost of the ticket for medium distance flight (1500–3500 km);
  • 70% of the cost of the ticket for long distance flight (more than 3500 km)

Another interesting question that may bother many is ‘Are babies entitled to receive compensation?’

If your baby has an individual ticket for a seat, then your baby has the same rights to get compensation as the adult passengers.

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Services You’re Entitled to at The Airport

But for compensation, airlines are required to minimize the inconveniences experienced in case the flight was delayed or cancelled.

Firstly, often ask the air service to announce your rights and the reasons of the disrupted transportation.

Secondly, air service is obliged to make reparation for the caused discomfort. Passengers have to be offered free refreshments, if they are waiting for their flight longer than 2 hours. In case they need to make a phone call, write an email or send a fax, air service has to provide them with such an opportunity. It’s up to 2 phone calls, emails or faxes.

Thirdly, if the flight is rescheduled until the next day, you must be provided with a hotel to stay, as well as transportation to the hotel and back to the airport. Airlines must cover all the expenses.

Another service you have all the rights to ask for is to bring you back to the initial destination of your departure.

Finally, if the alternative transportation took you to the intended city, but not the intended airport, you’re entitled to demand the air service to reimburse the money spent on the unexpected transportation expenses to the original airport.

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Summary

Concluding, let’s summarize the facts about getting Wizz Air compensation:

  • you get compensation if the flight was postponed for longer than 3 hours, or a company informed you too late about the cancellation (less than 14 days before the departure, or they didn’t offer you an alternative variant of transportation.
  • compensation can be 250, €400, €600 for short, medium, long flights respectively.
  • you’re eligible to ask for a refund if a flight was postponed for longer than 5 hours.
  • an airline must refund 30/50/70% of the cost of the original ticket if it cost more than the alternative one.

If there are any questions left regarding compensation eligibility, or the amount of it, or any other issues are troubling you, don’t hesitate to rely on AirHelp for expert assistance.

This article contains affiliate links to AirHelp

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TravelD

Useful and insightful articles on how to overcome flight delays and enjoy your trip.