ZH
IT
DE
Wizz Air ordered to compensate Hungarian teenage boys over age dispute
A Hungarian court has ruled that Wizz Air must pay compensation of nearly HUF 400,000 (EUR 1,036) after unlawfully refusing boarding to two teenage brothers at Budapest’s Liszt Ferenc International Airport, citing age-related concerns that later proved unfounded.
Wizz Air refused to let the boys on board
The incident took place in October 2023, when the 14- and 15-year-old boys were due to fly from Budapest to Istanbul to visit their father, who works in the Turkish capital. Despite holding valid tickets, the siblings were denied boarding by airline staff, who claimed the older brother was under 16 and therefore could not take responsibility for travelling with his younger sibling.
According to the family’s legal representative, attorney Roland Tóth, the airline’s justification did not align with its own published rules. Wizz Air’s website clearly states that passengers aged 14 and over are permitted to travel alone without adult supervision. “This condition was fully met in this case,” Tóth said, adding that the airline’s refusal lacked any legal basis.
The boys’ mother had to intervene
As Blikk wrote, after receiving a distressed call from her sons, the boys’ mother immediately went to the airport. Determined to ensure they reached their father, she purchased new tickets for them with Turkish Airlines, allowing the teenagers to travel later that same day. She also demanded an explanation from Wizz Air staff, pointing out that no prior warning had been given during booking that her children would be unable to fly alone.
She further criticised the airline for failing to draw up any official record when boarding was denied. Following the incident, she formally requested reimbursement for the unused Wizz Air tickets, compensation of EUR 250 per child under EU passenger rights rules, and a refund of the EUR 342 spent on replacement tickets. Wizz Air rejected the claim, again referring to age restrictions.
Ridiculous judgment.
Wizz Air’s conduct has been reprehensible from start to finish. They outright lied multiple times. The family went through a lot of stress, spanning two years.
400 grand is a spit in the ocean for Wizz Air and does not begin to assuage the ordeal the family endured. Alongside these compensatory damages, the court should have ordered punitive damages amounting to millions of forints, thus teaching Wizz Air a valuable lesson for future instances of mendacity, incompetence, and obstructionism.