Within a few days, Wizz Air abandoned passengers twice without any care after canceled flights. Both at Paris-Orly Airport and in London, customers of the airline had to see for themselves what was going on, because there was no help from the carrier.

In fact, EU Regulation 261/2004 clearly states that passengers have the right to assistance in the event of delays and cancellations. This includes, for example, drinks, food and, if necessary, hotel accommodation. Also, passengers have the right to be provided with alternative transportation that will enable them to reach their destination at the earliest possible time.

Wizz Air has been interpreting the topic of substitute transportation extremely creatively for years and refers those affected to a passage in the General Terms and Conditions that contradicts the case law of the European Court of Justice and the Supreme Court (Austria): According to Wizz Air, passengers only have the right to rebook on one another Wizz Air flight to this airport or to one that is close to the destination area. In most cases, customers bite on granite when it comes to customer service, so that there is nothing left but to first dig into their own pockets and then, if necessary, to claim the expenses in court with the help of a lawyer or a consumer protection organization.

Those passengers who were recently stranded in London or Paris did not receive any assistance from the carrier. They were left to their own devices and the hotline could only refer to the app. Those affected claim, however, that no rebooking and/or refund options were offered in the app. The travelers would only have received an SMS or e-mail informing them that the flight had been canceled.

The behavior of Wizz Air in the case of the Paris flight, which is to be operated in the direction of Budapest, made waves in the Hungarian media. The passengers are said to have been stalled for hours before the cancellation of the flight was communicated more or less impersonally via SMS. After that, there were no aftercare services.

Since neither replacement transport nor hotel rooms were organized by the ground service provider commissioned on site, the Wizz Air customers had to see for themselves what to do next. The carrier's hotline and app weren't much help either. The airline acknowledged the incident and commented extensively on it.

“Wizz Air, like the rest of the aviation industry, does its utmost to ensure passengers reach their destination with the least possible delay. However, due to the widespread understaffing in the industry, particularly in air traffic control, ground operations, baggage handlers, security services and airports, there may be minor or major disruptions and delays, mostly for reasons beyond our airline's control. Unfortunately, the longer the delays, the greater the risk of cancellation due to strict safety regulations such as strict compliance with flight crew working hours or inflexible airport time windows. “In this case, a similar situation arose: due to staff shortages in air traffic control, our flights were delayed and our colleagues could not return to Paris before the airport closed. We have informed our passengers via SMS and email about the expected delays and cancellations and we apologize for the inconvenience caused. We fully understand your frustration as everyone wants to be able to enjoy free travel again after the long shutdown and at Wizz Air we are doing our best to make that happen."

Wizz Air also announces that the incident will be investigated and the contracted service provider in Paris-Orly will be questioned. One will "take the necessary measures if the contractor fails". The company further writes: "Wizz Air will reimburse the damage caused by the cancellation and our affected passengers can request the statutory compensation amount in addition to the reimbursement, which can be requested via wizzair.com".

In other words, Wizz Air promises to reimburse passengers for accommodation costs and any additional costs for alternative transportation. Did the extensive coverage of the Hungarian media contribute to this? Wizz Air Hungary is based in Budapest and the carrier flies with EASA-AOC but with a Hungarian operating license. However, it was only recently announced that an offshoot was launched in Malta.