The CEO of one Europe’s largest and fastest-growing budget carriers is calling for the ban of business and first class. For the environment, of course. And of course, his airline does not offer a premium cabin of service.
Jozsef Varadi, the CEO of Wizz Air, said:
Business class should be banned. These passengers account for twice the carbon footprint of an economy passenger, and the industry is guilty of preserving an inefficient and archaic model.
A rethink is long overdue, and we call on fellow airlines to commit to a total ban on business class travel for any flight under five hours.
Varadi claims this is all for the environment. With a straight face, he claims “if we are truly to make a difference” airlines must eliminate premium cabins.
He rightfully mocks other airlines for their lip service on the environment but then points to WizzAir’s own record as the “most responsible” on carbon emissions.
That’s like saying Three Mile Island wasn’t as bad as Chernobyl…
Want to know why he’s really full of it? He also frowns upon connecting flights, i.e. the hub and spoke model:
Look at connecting traffic compared to point-to-point. When you connect, you’re going to be taking 2 flights. So your impact on the environment is going to be at least twice as bad compared to a single flight, a point-to-point flight.
Right. Like passengers through Budapest, where Wizzair serves 64 destinations, or Warsaw, where Wizzair serves 46 destinations, only fly nonstop. Wizzair may not sell “connecting” flights, but that means nothing. Rather, consumers just buy two tickets instead of one. That policy is not for the environment, but to minimize EU261/2004 delay compensation claims.
Mr. Varadi, your hypocrisy is showing.
CONCLUSION
Like the antics of Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary, we know that this is likely jut as much a publicity stunt as anything else. But for someone who runs a very respectable airline, I am surprised by his rather disreputable antics.
This is clearly a tongue in cheek comment by the CEO, referencing the Lufthansa CEO who claimed that LCCs needed to be regulated as they were bad for the environment.
You can take my guns. But I’ll give you my Premium Class cabin only when you pry it from my dead cold hands.
This joker needs to offer a competitive product rather then resorting to cheap gimmiks to sell seats.
I imagine the progesssion is eliminate business class>create premium economy with smaller seat pitches and no premium meal options>charge the same for it as they did for proper business class
Does Mr. Varadi and his family avoid taking advantage of their travel privileges as much as possible, and even then fly economy only?
Didnt think so.
Aren´t other airlines also trying to sell “gimmiks” to sell seats?
No lounge access for domestic first class. Emirates introducing business class light and many others.
I guess the question should rather be if European Airlines offer enough to call it business class.
In my opinion European airlines did exactly what you described, eliminate “real” business class and charge as if it´s a proper one.
At least write his name correctly.
The proposal has merit, certainly worthy of consideration. There are far too many old fossils up the pointy end, not caring a jot for the environment or the impact their footprint will have on generations to come. Yes, on reflection ,banning business class space for all flights under 4 or 5 hours would be a good start. Let them sit with the hoi polloi and eat cake together…and lessen the environmental impact.
Ok commie
Ok boomer
Ok Ageist.
In Europe the planes don’t have bigger seats nore pitch in Business on short haul. Well an empty middle seat but then you would have to cancel flights if Eco not full too.
To be honest, I do think Jozsef Varadi is correct in the points he made.
For intra European travel the hub model by Lufthansa is just unattractive, compared to what Wizz, Ryanair or EasyJet offer. Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg are all cities with more than 1 mio inhabitants and Lufthansa doesn´t offer any flights except for their Munich or Frankfurt ones. Lufthansas focus is on connections to long haul flights and that´s their market. If your looking at flights less than 4h within Europe Lufthansa and co. have no relevancy in my opinion. I´m based in Berlin, the company I work for decided to ban connections if theirs a direct option available 2 years ago , to safe money and of course some carbon. Everybody was shocked to be downgraded from Lufthansa Business to Ryanair and co. TBH nowadays the change doesn´t bother me at all. Connections and Business class within Europe just make no sense if you are not connecting to long haul. There´s no difference in economy class at all and it´s even hard to distinguish business class. If the hard product would be better you might be able to challenge my opinion but with the currenct business class offered within Europe I think Wizz is right.
Make business class pay more. Use 10% to fund climate initiatives. Frankly we need more of those solar sails that take 2 days to cross the ocean. Leisure travelers can fly in those. They should be cheap.
The jet engines that can travel fast should have nose bleed fares. Use those fares to subsidize climate research.
Send republicans to Delhi to enjoy the regulation free pollution. They should be happy with the pollution. We will be happy to see them die sooner.
Not meant as reply.
Once again proving leftism is an ideology of jealousy…always other people that need to sacrifice, not you. Stop traveling if you think it’s a crisis, you hypocrite.
It’s the exact same seats with an empty middle and a free meal, plus extra luggage and lounge access, right?
Anyways, LCCs in Europe also don’t have to handle luggage if they don’t offer connections, no? Saves them money (and a bit of carbon for the luggage moving).
Anyways, the correct thing to do when externalities don’t match prices is to adjust the prices…
This is hypocrisy at its best!
Wizz Air opening so many new routs around Europe and calling for banning business /first class, I mean you Serious!?
What they do is charging more for extra luggage and offering you some premium membership where you actually can take more luggage, don’t be naive!
This all statement is ridiculous considering that is coming from CEO!!! Trying to do some self promotion /company in my opinion!
“ That’s like saying Three Mile Island wasn’t as bad as Chernobyl…”
I know it has a reputation, but Three Mile Island was decidedly nowhere near Chernobyl. Rigorous studies could not find a link to increased cancer rates following the incident. #themoreyouknow
I don’t mean to equate the two, just state that both were bad. Just because one was not as bad (or not nearly as bad) does not make it good or turn it into a positive.
Your analogy is bad and you should feel bad
Your opinion is noted.
Not only were cancer rates not higher, nobody actually died from the 3 mile island incident. That was a positive.
31 died from Chernobyl, if you believe the official count. So yeah, it was not only not as bad, but not even in the same ballpark. It’s about as bad an analogy as saying USAir1549 wasn’t as bad as Pan Am 103. Nope, it sure wasn’t.
A cheap publicity stunt and nothing more. What this moron seems to forget is that a.). most flights in Europe under 5 hours don’t actually feature a business class (standard economy with a blocked middle) b.) hub and skis arguably more environmentally friendly than point to point since aggregating passengers allows fewer flights on larger aircraft which reduces emissions on a per seat basis. c.) the whole trend of not flying as a method of virtue signaling on the environment isn’t good for his company either. Arguably its worse for low cost carriers because it means people should fly less which is more likely to hit LCC’s than full service airlines. Also talking points like his (rooted in nonsense) only make that entire situation worse.
That’s hub and spoke not hub and skis. Blasted autocorrect
Aggregating passengers isn´t always best. Direct flights take the ideal route between two points, whereas connecting flights often take a detour to the connecting hub. At least for leisure travel most people are flexible on holiday destinations and often adapt their plans depending on available routes. In Europe most leisure traveler prefer direct routing instead of the connection hustle.
If you look at typical European holiday destinations like Barcelona, Mallorca or Mykonos most Europeans use LCC. Full fare carrier most often take connecting passengers from long haul flights to those destinations.
I’m not talking about customer preference I’m talking environmental impact. Moving the largest number of pax on the largest airplanes (assuming they are full) and the fewest number of flights leads to minimal environmental impact.
That’s hub and spoke not point to point.
Of course when you actually factor in what people want from travel it’s a very different picture.
Oh no, if there’s no business class, what will our beloved white privileged, obnoxious travel bloggers do?
Yes, we won’t be able to read your obnoxious, jejune comments any longer!
What are you then doing here? Got lost my dear?
Not surprisingly coming from the ceo of the worst company i have ever flew with..
I wonder who and how he flies outside of his airline’s own network
Just like every other ceo who’s salary or business travel policy permits
The nan us a multi millionaire moron, he and his dsmikytrsvrl in luxury all the time, this isca publicity stunt to sell mirecseat to working class for for a few pouuds extra need mot ‘ve treated lije cattle class and cramped into dirty poorly nsinrsined aircraft thstvthese budget carriers ae forcing on people.
Business pay extra and often carry less with them they go not create twice the carbon foot print they created the same as budget passengers but pay more.