- Budget airline Wizz Air is planning new long-haul cheap flights between the UK and Saudi Arabia.
- Passengers on the seven-hour flight will have to do without free coffee or entertainment options and share just 3 bathrooms.
One of Europe's biggest budget airlines is gambling that cost-conscious passengers are willing to go without complimentary coffees and other freebies on its long-haul flights.
With its new seven-hour route between the UK and Saudi Arabia, Wizz Air is hoping passengers will "suffer the pain" of low-cost, no-frills flights — and now the airline's CEO says it is on passengers to create their own entertainment, too.
"If you want to have more fun, you have to create the fun for yourself," Wizz Air CEO József Váradi told Bloomberg. "It's not going to be us who create it."
The budget airline's planned new route from London to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is certainly spartan.
The 240 passengers aboard each flight will share just three bathrooms. They will have to do without the entertainment screens and reclining seats in economy class available on Wizz Air's more expensive rivals.
Passengers can access unlimited food and drink, extra legroom, and more luggage options on the overnight flight — but will have to pay a premium. Varadi defended Wizz Air's no-frills approach to flying, suggesting that the airline's cheap tickets made flying more accessible.
"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."
A Wizz Air flight from the UK to Saudi Arabia will cost travelers as little as £134.99 ($178.50) when the route launches in March next year, with a comparable British Airways flight costing £556.54 ($738).
The Hungarian carrier is known for its cheap short-haul flights around Europe but is now aiming to expand to destinations further afield, including the Middle East, India, and Pakistan.
Wizz Air created headlines earlier this year when it offered passengers the chance to buy a year of unlimited flights for 499 euros ($550).
However, the deal came with some pretty sizable caveats, with holders facing extra fees for luggage and only being able to book flights within narrow time windows.
Wizz Air did not respond to a request for comment, sent outside normal working hours.