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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.

<p class="ingestion featured-caption">Wizz Air will offer no free inflight perks on its long-haul A321XLRs.Thomas Pallini/Business Insider</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Wizz Air is set to launch new long-haul routes using its upcoming Airbus A321XLR.</li><li>The first flights, a seven-hour trek, will start in March between London and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.</li></ul><p>Low-cost carrier Wizz Air is banking that price-sensitive customers will book its new no-frills <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/the-evolution-of-transatlantic-flying-in-photos-2021-10">narrowbody planes</a> to save money on long-haul flights — and it's not being shy about the cabin.</p><p>The Hungarian carrier announced in September that its <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wizz-airbus-a321xlr-passengers-london-saudi-arabia-suffer-pain-2024-9">first Airbus A321XLR flight</a> would start in March, trekking seven hours between London Gatwick and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Wizz has also scheduled a similar-length A321XLR <a target="_blank" class href="https://aviationweek.com/air-transport/airports-networks/wizz-air-base-first-a321xlr-milan-launch-longest-route-yet">route</a> between Milan and Abu Dhabi from June.</p><p>The <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/airbus-a321-xlr-plane-launch-game-changer-new-routes-iberia-2024-7">new A321XLR jet</a> 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.</p><p>Wizz has opted for the same <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-inside-airbus-a321neo-pioneering-long-haul-single-aisle-trend-2022-1">high-density, all-economy cabin</a> it uses on its A321neos for its future A321XLR fleet, which it believes customers will be willing to tolerate for cheap tickets.</p><p>"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."</p><p>The carrier's London to Jeddah ticket prices start at about £135 (about $180) one-way — about <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wizz-air-airbus-a321xlr-british-airways-boeing-787-flights-review-2024-9">one-third the fare of British Airways</a>. 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.</p><p><a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wizz-air-unlimited-flights-550-dollars-strings-attached-2024-8">Wizz's new long-haul flights on the</a> A321XLR won't even come with free water.</p>
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