Bits: WIZZ Class expanded, Emirates adds Gatwick flight, new carbon labels for flight bookings
News in brief:
Wizz Air expands its WIZZ Class ‘business lite’
If you’ve been following HfP recently then you’ll know that Wizz Air, the Hungarian low cost carrier with bases across Europe, including Gatwick, recently introduced a bare-bones version of European business class.
Called WIZZ Class, it is limited to Row One and offers a blocked middle seat as well as a snack and refreshment from the trolley.
When launched a few weeks ago, it was only offered on a handful of routes between six bases. I tried to book one and found the booking process convoluted and the fare surprisingly expensive.
It seems this initial phase was a trial. Happy with the performance of the routes, Wizz has decided to roll out the product across its entire European network. This is an easy process because, as the airline notes:
“Unlike traditional business-class products, WIZZ Class requires no costly cabin redesign. By simply blocking two middle seats, Wizz Air delivers a more spacious experience while preserving the high-efficiency configuration that keeps fares low.”
During the trial, Wizz Air said “uptake exceeded expectations” citing business travellers as a key driver for its success. Silvia Mosquera, Wizz Air Commercial Officer said:
“After testing WIZZ Class at six of our bases and receiving overwhelmingly positive feedback, it became clear that passengers – especially business travellers – value the extra comfort and space this service provides.
Even with the limited initial rollout, demand exceeded our expectations. That’s why we’re now extending WIZZ Class across the network, giving more customers access to additional room and convenience while staying true to our efficient single‑class model.”
Wizz Air could make it even more successful, of course, by simplifying the booking process. At the moment it is an upgrade to an upgrade – if you don’t know about it then it’s incredibly easy to miss. Making it a clearer and more visible option would surely only increase uptake.
Emirates adds an additional Gatwick flight
Qatar Airways and Emirates appear locked-in to a competition to see who can expand most quickly in London, with seemingly insatiable demand.
Emirates has just announced a fourth daily flight from Gatwick, increasing its weekly flights from London to 87. This covers Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted.
The new service will be operated by the airline’s latest aircraft – the Airbus A350 – which makes its debut in London, having initially launched with flights to Edinburgh.
The A350s feature updated versions of Emirates’ existing staggered business class seating, upgraded with the latest tech including 4K screens and fast wi-fi and is marginally less blingy (image below). It also includes premium economy, introduced in 2022 and which the airline is in the process of retrofitting on its existing A380 and Boeing 777 fleet.
An all-new business class is due to arrive on later A350 deliveries later this decade, with Emirates CEO Tim Clark teasing the new seats at every opportunity.
New carbon labels for flight bookings coming
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority wants to help passengers book low carbon flights, and to that end is asking all airlines and travel agents to start publishing standardised emissions data during the booking process.
The CAA hopes that companies adopt the new guidelines, which have already been through a consultation process, by April 2027.
The idea is that, a bit like food nutrition labels, you’ll easily be able to compare the carbon intensity of different flights.
It’s something you might be familiar with from Google Flights, which has had something similar for some time albeit based on third party estimates. The CAA wants more precise data based on aircraft type, cabin class and density, and should be consistent across platforms. This means that you should see the same figures when booking a flight on an airline’s official website or a third party.
However, there’s a danger that it will conflict with other national and international schemes, with the EU operating its own Flight Emissions Label. In the long run I suspect it will be standardised by the International Air Transport Association but in the short term airlines will potentially have to comply with multiple frameworks.