Wizz Air receives serious fine in Hungary for unfair commercial practice
Change language:
This is not the Hungarian low-cost airline’s best week. We wrote earlier that their shares began to drop on the London stock market after its management cut back its profit expectations. Now, the Hungarian Hungarian Competition Authority (GVH) fined Wizz Air for conducting unfair commercial practices while trying to sell their passengers expensive services.
Serious fine for Wizz Air – GVH could not be convinced
According to portfolio.hu, GVH fined Wizz Air because they provided misleading information to their passengers concerning automatic check-in. Furthermore, they hid that some extra services—like Wizz Priority or checked-in baggage—could be bought separately. That means the company intentionally directed its passengers to more expensive packages.
The GVH began the relevant process against the airline in 2023 and monitored the interval between November 2018 and May 2024. The GVH fine reaches HUF 307.8 million (EUR 771 thousand).
During the process, Wizz committed to carrying out IT developments and passenger compensation. However, the GVH did not accept that and imposed the fine.
The reaction of Wizz Air
Csaba Balázs Rigó, President of the GVH, said that transparent and available communication is crucial in air traffic, especially when delays and cancellations happen frequently. He also highlighted the importance of protecting passengers.
