Passengers at London Luton Airport will now have the option of either carrying a free cabin bag of a smaller size, or paying a fee to take a larger bag on to the aircraft, when they travel on Hungary-based airline, Wizzair.
From August 1, 2012, passengers on Wizzair’s Luton Airport to Katowice (Poland) route will have to pay a €10 fee for a larger piece of cabin baggage, a step the airline has taken to control the problem of lack of storage space on smaller aircraft. The fee is applicable on all cabin baggage measuring more than a specified size of 42x32x25cm, on tickets booked from July 9, 2012, onwards.
The new airline baggage policy is being tested on this route, and its results will determine whether or not the policy will be implemented long-term.
Daniel de Carvalho, the airline corporate communications manager, said, ‘Wizz Air pioneers in returning consumer friendliness to low cost air travel: our customers praise Wizz Air’s helpful and friendly crews and products tailored for families, such as the Wizz Xclusive Club. Wizz Air will now improve the least popular part of flying – the often stressful and inconvenient boarding process.
We believe an online fee as low as €10 for large cabin baggage will encourage most passengers to bring only one small cabin bag that could easily fit under the seat. This will make boarding a more pleasant experience without the discomfort of congested cabin aisles, overfilling of the reduced storage space and consequent delays for offloading excess baggage. Less weight in the cabin will also result in less fuel burn, reduce costs and protect the environment.
We hope our passengers will enjoy these benefits during the test on the London-Katowice route. If the test proves successful we will be rolling out our new cabin baggage policy and the benefit of the best boarding experience in the industry to all of our 244 routes across 28 countries.’
