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- European budget airline Wizz Air's "All You Can Fly" membership is back for a third time.The low-cost carrier also announced it's going to test out a business-class product."Wizz Class" would block off the middle seat, as some US budget airlines have introduced.
Wizz Air is bringing back its "All You Can Fly" membership and targeting more business travelers, the European budget airline announced Tuesday.
It's the third time Wizz has offered the deal, which costs 499 euros per year, or about $580.
10,000 memberships are available to people resident in 34 countries across Europe and the Middle East.
"We realized that a lot of people that bought the 'All You Can Fly' were actually not Wizz customers before," Silvia Mosquera, the commercial officer, said at a press conference in London.
The offering comes with some caveats. Each flight segment costs an extra 9.99 euros ($11.65) and can only be booked within 72 hours, subject to availability.
Wizz said the average "All You Can Fly" member uses the pass nine times a year.
The Hungarian carrier also revealed that it's about to start testing a business class.
The seats will essentially be the same, but with the middle one blocked off — similar to short-haul business class on legacy European airlines like British Airways.
Pete Syme/BI
"I don't expect us to have half the aircraft blocked, but as we're moving more and more with business passengers, they're requesting a little bit more," said Michael Delehant, senior chief commercial and operations officer.
He added that "Wizz Class" is aimed at "low-cost business travelers" who might own a small company and don't want to spend first-class prices, but still want extra space.
Mosquera said the tests would involve the first row of the airplane, and could be packaged with benefits like priority boarding.
"Wizz Class" will be available in December on some flights from five destinations: Budapest, Hungary; Bucharest, Romania; Warsaw, Poland; Rome; and London.
It's a similar move to some US budget airlines, which are increasingly looking to attract more premium customers as their profits fall.
Wizz Air's share price is down 24% this year. The airline has been hampered by issues affecting the Pratt & Whitney engines on some of its aircraft. As a result, 41 planes are currently grounded.
In July, it shut down its operations in Abu Dhabi, citing geopolitical instability, regulatory issues, and the climate affecting engines' fuel efficiency.
