Wizz says passengers will ‘suffer’ through 7-hour flights on its new Airbus A321XLR for cheap tickets. See the no-frills cabin.

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Wizz says passengers will ‘suffer’ through 7-hour flights on its new Airbus A321XLR for cheap tickets. See the no-frills cabin.

Wizz Air is set to launch new long-haul routes using its upcoming Airbus A321XLR.

The first flights, a seven-hour trek, will start in March between London and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

Wizz Air will offer significantly cheaper fares compared to competitors like British Airways.

Low-cost carrier Wizz Air is banking that price-sensitive customers will book its new no-frills

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to save money on long-haul flights — and it’s not being shy about the cabin.

The Hungarian carrier announced in September that its

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would start in March, trekking seven hours between London Gatwick and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Wizz has also scheduled a similar-length A321XLR

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between Milan and Abu Dhabi from June.

The

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has gained hype for its extended range that can reach 5,400 miles, or 11 hours, nonstop — opening new route opportunities previously unreachable or unprofitable for airlines.

Wizz has opted for the same

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it uses on its A321neos for its future A321XLR fleet, which it believes customers will be willing to tolerate for cheap tickets.

“15, 20 years ago, I thought three hours would test passenger tolerance, and then we pushed it to six hours, and we are still fine,” Wizz CEO József Váradi said during a September press conference in London. “You kind of suffer the pain, if you wish, for the economic benefits that you are deriving from the transaction.”

The carrier’s London to Jeddah ticket prices start at about £135 (about $180) one-way — about

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. Milan to Abu Dhabi starts at about £110 (about $145) one-way, more than half the price of UAE-based Etihad Airways, which also flies the route.

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A321XLR won’t even come with free water.

Airbus developed the A321XLR as a long-haul workhorse.

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An Airbus A321XLR at the Farnborough Airshow in July.Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu via Getty Images

The

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that can shuttle more people further than ever before. The new narrowbody has an extra fuel tank that extends its range, flying about 800 miles further than its A321neoLR (long-ranged) predecessor.

This means it can open more airline route options, particuarly on lower-demand city pairs that can’t profitably fill a widebody plane.

The ********* Union Aviation Safety Agency certified the A321XLR for passenger flights in July, and it’s

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approval from US regulators. The A321XLR’s first customer is Spanish flag carrier Iberia, which is scheduled to fly between Madrid and Boston in November.

Wizz said the A321XLR will mirror its A321neos.

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A Wizz Air Airbus A321neo during a tour at the Dubai Air Show in 2021.Thomas Pallini/Insider

Wizz Air uses an all-Airbus fleet, which helps save money on things like labor and maintenance.

The

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consists of several A320 variants, including the previous-generation A320-200 and A321ceo and the next-generation A321neo.

The modern A321XLR will be the carrier’s longest-ranged aircraft but fit with the same layout as its A321neo, which it already flies on routes

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.

The A321XLR will offer minimal legroom and no recline.

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A Wizz Air Airbus A321neo.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Váradi compared Wizz’s no-frills planes to

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, saying most passengers “sacrifice some level of comfort” there, too, given that there are no lie-flat beds in regular coach.

However, widebody planes — even on long-haul

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— offer recline and at least 30 inches of pitch in economy. The same can’t be said for Wizz, which will offer just 28 inches of pitch and no recline on its A321XLRs.

That’s the same amount of legroom you’ll find on

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in the US.

Everything beyond a random seat and a personal item costs extra.

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Wizz A321neo menu on an April flight taken by a Business Insider reporter.Pete Syme/Business Insider

Unlike mainline carriers like British Airways and Etihad Airways, which Wizz will directly compete with on its A321XLR routes, the

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beyond an unassigned seat and a personal item.

This means larger carry-on bags, food, and even water will be a fee — so its recommended passengers prepare by bringing their own snacks and water.

“When you take a legacy carrier and you get a coffee for free, that is probably the most expensive cappuccino in your life,” Varadi said. “We don’t want to do that.”

According to Wizz’s online

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, food bundles starting at £8 (about $11) include a sandwich, drink, and snack. Soups start at £3.70 (about $5), while a water bottle costs £3.20 ($4.25). Alcohol, chips, and coffee, among other items, are also on *****.

An oversize personal item will cost £48 (about $64) at the gate.

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The check-in and bag measuring stands for Wizz Air.NurPhoto/Getty Images

Most

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for free, but it has to fit within specific dimensions. For Wizz, that is 40 x 30 x 20 cm with a 10-kilogram (22-pound) weight limit.

Wizz’s website said customers who show up to the gate with a personal item that exceeds the size limit will have to pay a £48 fee. Pre-paid carry-one bags can be up to 55 x 40 x 23 cm but have the same weight restriction as personal items.

Checked bags of varying weight, as well as sports equipment, can also be purchased for an additional fee.

There is no inflight entertainment or WiFi.

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Passengers won’t find seatback screens, but there is a small tray table to prop a tablet on.Thomas Pallini/Insider

Like its ultra-low-cost counterparts, Wizz saves money on aircraft weight by not installing inflight entertainment or

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This means customers can’t watch a free movie on a seatback screen or stream

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“If you want to have more fun, you have to create the fun for yourself,” Wizz Air CEO József Váradi told

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in September. “It’s not going to be us who create it.”

Some of Wizz’s aircraft have a Bluetooth-enabled onboard

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as a lower-cost alternative to WiFi. Still, the system can’t connect to the internet, and it’s uncertain if it will extend to Wizz’s A321XLR fleet.

Bored passengers could read the inflight magazine.

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The Wizz Air inflight magazine.Pete Syme/Business Insider

Customers should pre-download content to their tablet or cellphone or risk hours of boredom when flying Wizz long-haul — though there is an inflight magazine available.

There are also no power outlets, so customers should plan to bring a portable charging bank to keep their devices juiced up.

The last row of the cabin will likely have no window.

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A Wizz Air Airbus A321neo.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

Business Insider

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from Madrid to Rome in April and found that the plane was so packed with seats that the last row of the cabin did not have windows.

Flyers hoping a view will alleviate the roughness of a no-frills lond-haul journey may want to pay extra to secure a seat in the center or toward the front of the plane.

There are some extra legroom seats, for a fee.

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A Wizz Air Airbus A321neo.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider

The front row and exit rows of

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Airbus fleet have extra legroom, which costs extra. For example, the cheapest extra legroom seat on a one-way flight between London and Jeddah on April 1 is £31 (about $41).

Wizz also offers “upfront seats” that allow passengers to board and deplane quickly. These seats start at £28 (about $37) on the London-Jeddah example, while regular cabin seats start at £15.00 (about $20).

Some passengers may get lucky and secure a

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randomly if they opt not to pre-pay for an assigned seat — but don’t bank on it.

Wizz’s A321XLR is an example of the plane’s versatility.

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*********’s new Flagship Suite on its A321XLR has sliding doors.********* Airlines

The A321XLR has secured more than 550 orders worldwide from budget and mainline airlines alike, meaning it can fit into both business models.

Wizz is an example of the A321XLR’s budget layout. However,

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and ******* Airlines plan to install multi-class cabins with lie-flat beds in business class.

Further, the mainline

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will sport reclining seats, inflight entertainment, and standard legroom — though customers likely won’t be able to take advantage of the same savings offered by Wizz.

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#Wizz #passengers #suffer #7hour #flights #Airbus #A321XLR #cheap #tickets #nofrills #cabin

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