I flew on Europe's 3 biggest budget airlines: easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz. The best wasn't the cheapest, but its friendly staff made all the difference.
Pete Syme
- I flew with Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz in a two-day trip to compare Europe's main budget airlines.
- Ryanair's small carry-on size and efforts to maximize profits were irritating.
Ryanair, easyJet, and Wizz are Europe's three biggest budget airlines, but the experiences can be quite different.
If you're planning a vacation soon, you might find the prices are similar — or have found a great deal with Ryanair.
Last month, to compare the three airlines, I flew from London to Madrid with Ryanair, then on to Rome with Wizz, and back home with easyJet.
Ryanair's base price was $44, but I chose a seat and also upgraded from its restrictive carry-on size to make it $83. The easyJet flight cost around $76, and Wizz was $59. Of course, prices can vary wildly depending on demand. I've seen Ryanair tickets as low as $18 and as high as $250.
After my trip, I think the biggest difference was with the staff. EasyJet's flight attendants were friendlier than most I've encountered flying economy with legacy airlines.
The British budget carrier also seems to have the most respect for its customers because it doesn't have as many additional fees as Ryanair and Wizz.
I was most impressed by easyJet thanks to its friendly flight attendants, and least liked Ryanair because it felt like the airline tries to squeeze out as much extra money as possible.
Booking the flights, easyJet was helpfully straightforward. There weren't any surprise pop-ups and every stage was clear.
There wasn't too much to complain about in the Ryanair booking process, but it definitely took longer with a couple of pop-ups and a range of addons to click through. It had the cheapest base price at £35 ($44) without extras, but I paid £8 ($10) to choose a seat.
The booking process at Wizz Air was irritating. To avoid signing up for its "Discount Club," you have to scroll down and click some tiny text. I missed this the first time and had to start all over again.
The button to agree to sign up was the same design and in the same place as the skip button for every other page. I didn't realize this until I noticed the membership fee at checkout.
Wizz is also the only one of the three that doesn't take American Express, which can be disappointing if you want to maximize your rewards points.
Since budget airlines have restrictive baggage rules — and it was a one-night trip — I only traveled with my trusty tartan rucksack. The night before my first flight, I checked its size against the airlines' limits.
Since my bag's laid flat, it measured an inch or two wider than after I'd packed.
EasyJet's app has a nifty augmented-reality tool which means you don't need a measuring tape for its size limit — the largest of the three at 45 x 36 x 20cm.
This matched up at the airport's sizer. I couldn't find one for Wizz, but its limit is slightly smaller at 40 x 30 x 20cm.
But I was disappointed to see just how tiny Ryanair's limit is: 40 x 20 x 25cm. My bag still squeezed into the sizer, but I'd already paid an extra £24 ($30) because I wanted to ensure I wouldn't face a fine of up to 70 euros ($75).
Ryanair's free carry-on size is also smaller than US budget carriers like Frontier, Spirit, Allegiant, and Southwest.
However, when boarding, the staff didn't seem to care how big anyone's bag was — and some looked much larger than mine. I didn't risk it because Business Insider paid for the flights, so being stuck with a fine would be hard to explain to my boss.
All three airlines charge extra for checked luggage, and the prices vary by route and season. EasyJet starts at $8.75, Wizz starts at $9.15, and Ryanair starts at $12.90.
EasyJet doesn't say what its prices could go up to. For Wizz, a 20kg bag could be as much as $93, and on Ryanair it could be as much as $75.
If you have a large suitcase and you're visiting several cities on vacation, you might find it cheaper to travel around Europe via train. Of course, this varies route by route, but it's worth looking into.
Fortunately, all of my flights were on time. However, a 2022 analysis of data from the British aviation regulator found Wizz had the longest average delay at 44 minutes.
Wizz was named the worst short-haul airline in a survey published in February by Which?, a British consumer advocacy group. It said 44% of passengers reported some kind of problem.
I've heard bad stories from friends about Wizz cancellations. Last summer, my roommate had his flight home canceled twice, and it took him several attempts to get his money back.
With Wizz and easyJet, I boarded via a jet bridge, whereas Ryanair has steps built into its planes to save time between flights, and minimize costs.
I tracked the Boeing 737-800 on Flightradar24 and saw that boarding opened at my gate almost as soon as it touched down at London Stansted Airport, leaving the crew with little time between trips.
Perhaps the biggest difference between the three flights was the friendliness of the cabin crew. There was no hello when I boarded Ryanair; Wizz greeted most passengers; and easyJet said a grinning hello to everybody.
After boarding the Ryanair flight, I was somewhat flummoxed when I found my seat was in the emergency exit row, even though I paid £8 ($10) for a normal aisle seat.
Of course, this would usually be a benefit, but it hampered my ability to compare like-for-like. Also, it suggests people could spend extra to choose row 18 but end up with a normal amount of legroom.
A Ryanair spokesperson said this happened because after I booked, the aircraft was changed from a 737 Max to a 737-800, "due to operational reasons."
I also thought the Ryanair interior was ugly, with its garish color scheme and ads on the overhead lockers.
The easyJet Airbus A319 I flew on was 13 years old, so the interior looked dated, although I thought the seats' moquette pattern was fun without being overbearing.
Wizz Air had the most modern plane of the bunch, a 14-month-old Airbus A321neo fitted in its latest interior with blue leather seats.
All of the airlines are no-frills so there were no plug sockets, and none of the seats reclined. I was comfiest on board Wizz, but that might just be because its seats were more than a decade newer.
Ryanair maximizes its turnaround time between flights by eschewing the seat pocket so it doesn't have to be cleaned out. This can be a bit of a nuisance if you want somewhere to stow a book or water bottle.
However, there is something to be said in favor of that because on easyJet, both myself and a passenger in front found some trash in the pockets.
The Ryanair plane was indeed the cleanest. On board Wizz, I found an empty coffee cup in the bathroom — plus there wasn't any soap in the dispenser.
EasyJet's bathroom was pretty spacious and included its own branded bottle of soap.
Ryanair also had airline-branded soap — plus a custom no-smoking sign in eight different languages.
I was the least impressed by the flight attendants on board Ryanair. The food and drinks cart was one row away from me when the seatbelt sign came on, but never returned even when it went off again.
I didn't plan on buying food or drink — let alone scratch cards or tax-free cigarettes — but I was surprised I wasn't even given the option.
I had low expectations for Ryanair but still came away disappointed, especially after I'd flown with Wizz and easyJet the following day.
Looking through Ryanair's list of fees is almost exasperating.
Remember to check in on the app at least 2 hours before departure, or pay $69 at the airport. It's also $144 to change the name on your booking. Plus, there's a $69 fee if you need to reserve therapeutic oxygen for medical reasons.
Coupled with the tiny carry-on size, it feels belittling.
Wizz and easyJet don't list fees for therapeutic oxygen. The former charges up to $43 to check in at the airport while it's free with the latter.
The Wizz crew appeared to be professional and friendly and knew what they were doing. But I'm wary of its record for delays and expected the bathroom to be in a better condition.
Seeing the friendliness of the easyJet cabin crew made me smile after a long day of traveling. They were chatting to passengers and sharing stories about Rome during the trolley service.
I'd even say they were friendlier than most flight attendants I've spoken to in economy class on legacy carriers.
EasyJet also says it will let you fix spelling mistakes on bookings for free, which is a nice touch in the world of budget airlines where fees can pile up.
In short, it felt like the only airline that properly cared about the customer, with a friendly crew, fewer fees, and the largest carry-on size.
Even though the base price of my ticket was the most expensive, I thought it was worth more than the Ryanair and Wizz experiences. On some routes, it might even turn out cheaper with easyJet.
Of course, ticket prices and the cabin crew depend a lot on where you're flying to, and some destinations might only be served by one airline. If you have a suitcase, you might even find it cheaper on a legacy carrier.
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