DCA-SEA
Jul 10, 08, 12:52 pm
Since info on Wizz Air was tough for me to find on FT before our trip (some info here: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=805659&highlight=wizz) I thought I'd give a quick report. And, it seems to fit better in this forum than in Trip Reports (no tasty F meals to describe).
Bought our tickets in January, 0 fare + taxes and fees = 58 euro for two tickets.
Arrived at ZAG by Croatia Airlines bus (30 kuna, ~25 min) from the main Zagreb bus station about 90 minutes prior to the flight. We each had a backpack to carry on; my GF's a medium sized REI pack, mine a full-size REI pack half-full with the aluminum stays taken out.
Check in had two agents, no e-check in, for an A320's worth of pax (I overheard that our load was 149). The line was lengthy; we got through in about 20 min. The agent asked whether we were checking our bags; we said no, and she handed us our boarding passes and pointed us to security. No weighing, no sizing. I was surprised, as my big-but-not-full bag tends to look bigger and heavier than it is.
Security at ZAG was fast and easy (no bag size hassle there either), but there's only one bar and one duty-free shop after security.
Since Wizz is "free" seating - no assigned seats - we sidled over to the gate door about 10 minutes prior to the posted boarding time, so we could make sure we were near the bus doors. ZAG has no jetways, at least for international flights; all boarding is by bus to airstairs at the front and back of the plane.
No agents appeared until the posted boarding time, and they were the same two agents that had checked us in (ie. don't get there late, or you won't get a boarding pass to get through security). When we didn't start boarding by 10 minutes after the posted time, with no announcements, I said to my GF, "are we waiting for an airplane?" Right on cue, the pink and purple A320 landed in front of us, about 45 minutes late inbound.
They turned the plane very fast, and we were boarding about a half-hour late - but still with no announcements of a delay, no update of the monitors, and no other info, which is consistent with info I found on Wizz elsewhere (they don't communicate). No bag sizing at the gate.
At the airplane door, the pink-polo-shirt wearing F/A asked for our boarding pass stubs. That surprised virtually everyone boarding, and slowed the process. Keep yours handy, and if you've got a group, each person should keep their own.
Following some advice from the WN FT forum on open seating, we went to about halfway between the exit rows (IIRC, you can pay extra to reserve those) and the back, and took a window and aisle. Sure enough, we scored one of the few empty middle seats, on the theory that if you're a solo traveler and you have to sit in a middle, you'll sit near the front, or right by the back door if you get on there.
Seats are purple leather, and firm but comfortable. Seat pitch is tight - I'm 5'11", and my knees were brushing the seatback pocket when sitting upright. I'm guessing 29-30 inches. Seats do recline.
Like other European low cost carriers, you have to buy any and all food and drink, and it's expensive. We brought apples to eat, and an empty water bottle through security and filled it before boarding.
While the airline is Hungarian and Bulgarian, the inflight magazine was mostly in English, and decent. Signs and labels on the plane were in English and a language in the Cyrillic alphabet.
We landed at LTN about 25 min late, and joined the slow non-EU citizens immigration line. Took the EasyBus to Victoria (9 pounds walkup, cheaper in advance - the very same bus as Green Line, but cheaper to buy tickets through EasyBus).
In all, I'd fly Wizz again, with the usual caveats about the likelihood of delays or cancellations on an airline with few planes to spare and a limited schedule (e.g 3 or 4x week, ZAG-LTN).
Bought our tickets in January, 0 fare + taxes and fees = 58 euro for two tickets.
Arrived at ZAG by Croatia Airlines bus (30 kuna, ~25 min) from the main Zagreb bus station about 90 minutes prior to the flight. We each had a backpack to carry on; my GF's a medium sized REI pack, mine a full-size REI pack half-full with the aluminum stays taken out.
Check in had two agents, no e-check in, for an A320's worth of pax (I overheard that our load was 149). The line was lengthy; we got through in about 20 min. The agent asked whether we were checking our bags; we said no, and she handed us our boarding passes and pointed us to security. No weighing, no sizing. I was surprised, as my big-but-not-full bag tends to look bigger and heavier than it is.
Security at ZAG was fast and easy (no bag size hassle there either), but there's only one bar and one duty-free shop after security.
Since Wizz is "free" seating - no assigned seats - we sidled over to the gate door about 10 minutes prior to the posted boarding time, so we could make sure we were near the bus doors. ZAG has no jetways, at least for international flights; all boarding is by bus to airstairs at the front and back of the plane.
No agents appeared until the posted boarding time, and they were the same two agents that had checked us in (ie. don't get there late, or you won't get a boarding pass to get through security). When we didn't start boarding by 10 minutes after the posted time, with no announcements, I said to my GF, "are we waiting for an airplane?" Right on cue, the pink and purple A320 landed in front of us, about 45 minutes late inbound.
They turned the plane very fast, and we were boarding about a half-hour late - but still with no announcements of a delay, no update of the monitors, and no other info, which is consistent with info I found on Wizz elsewhere (they don't communicate). No bag sizing at the gate.
At the airplane door, the pink-polo-shirt wearing F/A asked for our boarding pass stubs. That surprised virtually everyone boarding, and slowed the process. Keep yours handy, and if you've got a group, each person should keep their own.
Following some advice from the WN FT forum on open seating, we went to about halfway between the exit rows (IIRC, you can pay extra to reserve those) and the back, and took a window and aisle. Sure enough, we scored one of the few empty middle seats, on the theory that if you're a solo traveler and you have to sit in a middle, you'll sit near the front, or right by the back door if you get on there.
Seats are purple leather, and firm but comfortable. Seat pitch is tight - I'm 5'11", and my knees were brushing the seatback pocket when sitting upright. I'm guessing 29-30 inches. Seats do recline.
Like other European low cost carriers, you have to buy any and all food and drink, and it's expensive. We brought apples to eat, and an empty water bottle through security and filled it before boarding.
While the airline is Hungarian and Bulgarian, the inflight magazine was mostly in English, and decent. Signs and labels on the plane were in English and a language in the Cyrillic alphabet.
We landed at LTN about 25 min late, and joined the slow non-EU citizens immigration line. Took the EasyBus to Victoria (9 pounds walkup, cheaper in advance - the very same bus as Green Line, but cheaper to buy tickets through EasyBus).
In all, I'd fly Wizz again, with the usual caveats about the likelihood of delays or cancellations on an airline with few planes to spare and a limited schedule (e.g 3 or 4x week, ZAG-LTN).