Wizz Air launches 'all you can fly' subscription - but there are a few catches...

Budget airline Wizz Air is giving passengers the chance to get as many flights as they can take in a year at the cost of £426 (€499). It's the first airline to offer the scheme in Europe, with similar subscriptions launched by Frontier Airlines in the US and AirAsia based in Malaysia.

The new subscription adds to its other deals: Discount Club and Multipass.

While flying as many times as you want might sound like a great deal, there are a few catches to beware of which could take the cost upwards of £500 a year, and cause a few headaches.

1. Booking ahead

Most of us like to book our holidays in advance to be able to organise time off from work, pet care and plan our trip.

But you are only able to take advantage of the All You Can Fly pass if you book three days or less in advance. And of course that means there might not be space on the flight you want to take.

You also need to pay an extra €10 per flight when booking.

However, it's great if you like to live a nomadic lifestyle and don't mind where - or when - you holiday.

2. Luggage

Unfortunately the deal doesn't include hand luggage or checked in suitcases so these must be purchased separately.

Wizz Air is the third worst airline in the UK for free hand luggage, NimbleFins research found.

It allows customers a free bag up to 40cm x 30cm x 20cm in the cabin, with a Priority ticket needed to take a larger bag in the overhead compartment.

3. Limited availability

So far the subscription has been open to 10,000 people and Wizz Air said it sold out in most countries within 24 hours.

However, it may still open subscriptions again, so it's worth doing your calculations now to see if it's worth it for you.

We’ve outlined its other subscription options later in this article.

Wizz Air standards

NimbleFins previously reported Wizz Air as being the worst airline in the UK for customer service two years running.

It was also named the worst for delays for the third year.

However, the budget carrier disputed the findings of the customer service research branding them "inaccurate, unrepresentative and misleading".

More than half of those questioned said they had experienced at least one problem with Wizz Air's customer services. A fifth said the company never replied to their email. One in 10 said their call had been disconnected after spending a long time in the queue.

Wizz said it had invested £90m to improve its offering to its 12.3m customers.

Wizz Air All You Can Fly benefits

With Wizz Air’s All You Can Fly subscription you'll get a fixed price no matter what time of year - so you won't need to worry about flying peak or off peak.

You can also buy up to three flights a day during the 12-month period.

However, because you can only book up to three days in advance, you're essentially helping Wizz Air fill up its emptier flights and, with the extras you need to pay such as luggage and seat allocation, helping them fill the coffers a little more too.

What is Wizz Air Multipass?

Wizz Air Multipass is another subscription where frequent flyers can pay a certain amount a month to access one flight a month (either single or return).

The deal is good for people who perhaps live or work abroad or have family overseas.

For people in the UK, it's €64.99 (£55) a month for one international flight from the UK on all Wizz Air's international routes. It's €129.99 (£111) for one return trip a month.

Flights from overseas are slightly cheaper.

For example for those living in Dubai, you can get one flight a month from the United Arab Emirates for €59.99 a month. A round trip subscription costs €119.99. It's the same price for Italy.

Trips must be booked at least five days in advance.

However, like with All You Can Fly, this subscription doesn't include luggage which costs €37/€74 (£32/£63) for hand luggage and €48/€96 (£41/£82) for 20kg for each month depending if you're choosing the one way or return option.

What is Wizz Air Discount Club?

Wizz Air's Discount Club gives customers discounts on flight fares, luggage and food and drink.

For €39.99 a year up to two people will get €10 discount on flights over €19.99 and €5 off checked-in bags when bought online.

There are also vouchers and promotions for onboard refreshments.

The same deal is available for up to six people for €69.99.

With the standard policy, a user would be up on the deal if they bought two return tickets and checked in one bag, but of course the more you fly the more you get out of the membership.

Similarly, if a family of four went on holiday with two checked bags, they'd save €30 by taking out the group membership.

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