Wizz Air cancelled flight without explanation, helpless Hungarians stranded in Saudi Arabia

The Hungarian low-cost airline, Wizz Air, cancelled a flight bound for Vienna, leaving a group of 20 Hungarian passengers stranded in the Middle Eastern country’s capital, Riyadh.

These unfortunate events transpired on a Sunday afternoon. As reported by RTL Klub Hungary’s most popular commercial TV channel, some Hungarians attempted to check in at Riyadh’s international airport as their scheduled flight back to Budapest was abruptly cancelled without explanation. A group of 20 Hungarians had intended to return to Budapest via Vienna on the following Monday.

One of the passengers, Tamás Varga, described how they patiently waited in the check-in queue, only to realise after some time that their flight had been cancelled. Fortunately, they had accommodation arranged, courtesy of the company they were employed by in Saudi Arabia, which covered the expenses and facilitated the room bookings.

Their ordeal continued the following day when their new flight was also cancelled without any explanation. According to Mr Varga, Wizz Air, the Hungarian low-cost airline, offered no assistance. Ultimately, the Saudi company they worked for stepped in and helped them book tickets on another airline’s flight.

Wizz Air’s response

Rtl Klub approached Wizz Air for their perspective on the matter, but the airline did not give a response. Instead, they issued a generic statement, emphasising that Wizz Air always informs its passengers regarding flight changes. However, they mentioned that intermediaries or travel agencies might not always relay this information to passengers in a timely manner.

In the case of flight cancellations, passengers have the option to either rebook their flights for free or receive a full 100% cash refund. Furthermore, if flight rescheduling occurs due to the airline’s error, Wizz Air reimburses passengers for accommodation and other associated costs.

We previously reported HERE that Wizz Air had introduced new flights to Egypt, bringing the pyramids and Sharm-el-Sheikh holidays closer to Hungary. In THIS article, you can read about the Hungarian Competition Authority’s new investigation into Wizz Air following passenger complaints regarding their online ticket sales.