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Airline guide

Wizz Air compensation

Wizz Air's Central and Eastern European network runs on tight aircraft rotations, so one morning delay often cascades through the day. EU261 applies to every one of its EU departures.

Quick answer

Wizz Air's Central and Eastern European network runs on tight aircraft rotations, so one morning delay often cascades through the day. EU261 applies to every one of its EU departures.

Airline
Wizz Air
Main hub
Budapest
Potential compensation
€250–€600 per passenger
Route coverage
EU departures; EU-airline arrivals

Does Wizz Air have to pay?

Wizz Air flies from EU and EEA airports, so EC Regulation 261/2004 applies to those departures regardless of where the flight is going. Its bases cluster in Hungary, Poland, Romania and Italy, with sectors to the UK, Spain and the Gulf. Most of those routes fall in the €250 band, with longer ones reaching €400.

What usually decides the claim

  • Wizz Air frequently offers account credit instead of cash — you are entitled to the cash, and accepting credit can be read as settling.
  • A late inbound aircraft is the airline's own operation, not an extraordinary circumstance.
  • Crew shortages and rostering failures have repeatedly been rejected as excuses by national courts.
  • Non-EU destinations still count when the flight departed from an EU airport.

How to send your claim

Wizz Air wants claims through its online claim form or the customer relations address linked from its Contact page. Paste your drafted letter into the form and keep a dated copy.

If they refuse

Airlines often reject a first claim with a one-line reference to extraordinary circumstances. Ask them to state the specific cause and the reasonable measures they took. If the answer is unconvincing or none arrives within 14 days, escalate to the national enforcement body in the country of departure — for Budapest-based flights that is the regulator of that state — or to an approved alternative dispute resolution scheme.

Common questions

Wizz Air gave me a voucher. Can I still claim cash?
Yes, unless you formally accepted the voucher as full and final settlement. Say in writing that you decline the voucher and claim the statutory amount.
How long do I have to claim?
It depends on the country whose courts would hear the case: three years in Germany, five in Spain, six in the UK and Ireland, two in some others. Older flights are often still claimable, so it is worth asking.
Does Wizz Air charge to process a claim?
No. Claiming under EU261 is free and the airline has to handle it, which is exactly why handing 25–35% to an agency is hard to justify.

Primary sources

Official guidance and legislation used to review this page.