Wizz Air Airbus A321 Economy Class Review [CPH to GDN]

Airline: Wizz Air (W6)
Aircraft: Airbus A321
Flight #: W61742
Route: Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup (CPH) to Gdańsk Lech Wałęsa Airport (GDN)
Date: December 21, 2023
Duration: 1 hour, 5 minutes
Cabin and Layout: Economy class, 3-3
Seat: 16C
Cost: 369 Danish krone (~$54)

After booking a one-way vacation to Copenhagen, Denmark, I was challenged with planning the final week of my family’s winter break holiday. We knew we wanted to visit Kraków, Poland, and fly home from Warsaw, Poland, but direct flights and trains to Kraków from Copenhagen were a bit cost-prohibitive. Enter Google Flights and its Explore feature.

After seeing where we could fly from Copenhagen for around $50 per person, I landed on Gdańsk, Poland, on the northern coast of the country. The only concern with this plan was that the flights were on Wizz Air, which I had never flown. Tales of its tiny bag sizer are infamous, and I knew that booking with this ultra-low-cost carrier came with the risk that we would need to pay extra fees for baggage, seating, and food.

Ultimately, the flights were too cheap to resist, and I figured, “Why not?” Let’s see what all the fuss was about and if Wizz Air would be a good fit for your next intra-Europe short-haul flight.

Booking Wizz Air

I priced the flights via Capital One Travel and Chase Travel but ultimately opted to book with Wizz Air directly. I figured that with such a restrictive airline, booking directly might save me any headaches if the flight was delayed or changed.

I paid using my husband’s British Airways Visa Signature^® Card as he was working towards the minimum spending requirement on a welcome bonus offer. This card only earns 1x Avios on travel, so if you weren’t working towards a bonus, I’d suggest using one of our recommended best credit cards for airfare purchases to earn up to 5x points or miles.

I purchased the 5 Travel Light tickets (the most basic fare) for 369 DKK (~$54) each and added 1 checked bag at 20 kilograms (44 pounds) for 195 DKK (~$28).

While I was encouraged to select and pay for seating at booking, I quickly researched Wizz Air’s family seating policy. I felt confident that the random seat allocation at check-in, free of charge, would pair our kids with a parent (which it ultimately did).

Knowing Wizz Air’s baggage policies ahead of time also helped set our luggage expectations for our entire trip. This flight was the most size restrictive of our travels, allowing just 1 complimentary small personal carry-on per person that had to fit in the underseat space. We brought on a mix of backpacks and duffel bags, verified weights with our luggage scale, and checked a large suitcase.

Hot Tip:

You can subscribe to the Wizz Discount Club to save on fares and checked baggage when booking your flight. At €69.99 (~$76) per year, I would not have saved money on this particular booking and had no other plans for future Wizz Air flights.

Copenhagen Airport, Kastrup

Check-In

My family took a train from Copenhagen Central Station to Copenhagen Airport for 60 DKK (~$9) for 2 adults and 3 kids under age 12. The train and the subway cost the same, but the subway takes longer due to multiple stops.

We arrived at CPH’s Terminal 2 around 10 a.m. for our 12:45 p.m. flight. While the weather was wet and dreary on arrival, a plane-themed slide was just outside the terminal entrance, which made things a bit more cheery. The airport has several play areas for kids, which parents always appreciate.

Unfortunately, our early lounge plans were thwarted upon learning that bag drop only opens 2 hours before the flight. After a few minutes with cranky kids, my husband and I decided to divide and conquer. He stayed behind to check the bag, and I went through security with the kids.

As we were traveling within the Schengen Area, we did not need to clear passport control, so we passed through the traditional security screening and were on our way to the lounge.

Carlsberg Aviator Lounge

For those with Priority Pass access, consider stopping at the Carlsberg Aviator Lounge, near gates A and B on the level above Bistro Sommelier.

The lounge is open Sunday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday from 5 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Several lounge programs and airlines (excluding SAS) can access this lounge. I entered with my Priority Pass membership via my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card*×Information collected independently. Not reviewed by Capital One.. As my husband also has a Priority Pass thanks to being an authorized user on my card, our children could enter as our guests.

The lounge was busy, and the high-top seats with stools closest to the buffet had the most vacancies.

This lounge had an issue with a lack of readily accessible outlets. Most outlets were along the glass window walls that overlooked the terminal, so these wingback chairs were in high demand.

My family found 5 seats together at one of the banquettes along the wall. These were not the most comfortable for an extended stay, though they were sufficient for grabbing a quick bite and being on our way.

The buffet was set with savory lunch items, which was ideal since we were not planning on purchasing meals or snacks on the flight.

The options included cheeses, pickled herring, egg salad, flæskesteg with rødkål (roast pork with red cabbage), several spreads, a few fresh salads, bread, and fresh whole fruit. My kids were definitely disappointed that there were no sweets.

Beers on tap included Carlsberg, Brewmasters India Pale Ale, Carlsberg Nordic Ale, and Carlsberg 1883. There was a Coca-Cola soda fountain, a self-serve coffee machine, bottles of wine, and a juice and water dispenser. Note that there were no single-serve beverages to take out of the lounge with you.

The bathrooms were located near the check-in desk. There were not many stalls, but the bathroom was kept clean. There are no showers in this lounge.

Bottom Line:

Seating during peak times can be challenging, the lack of outlets was noticeable, and our gate was on the opposite side of the airport. Check out my in-depth review of the Carlsberg Aviator Lounge for more images and full details about this lounge.

Boarding

When we checked in, our flight’s gate was not announced. During our lounge visit near the A/B gates, I noticed it had been assigned to F8. After a 20-minute hike to the opposite side of the airport, we arrived at the F gates.

All aircraft assigned to these gates utilize remote stands, meaning you have to walk outdoors and up a stair ramp to the plane vs. access via a jet bridge.

After an agent set up the Wizz Air bag sizer, boarding was announced for Wizz Priority passengers. Thankfully, I never saw this sizer used by ground staff.

It was a cold and blustery day, so we quickly hustled across the apron and boarded the aircraft from the front. Passengers could also board from the rear, depending on the location of their seats.

On Board Wizz Air’s Airbus A321

The flight attendants wore hot pink parkas and greeted us as we boarded. I mentioned I liked one to an attendant as I passed, to which she replied, “I’m glad somebody does!”

The all-economy A321 cabin is set in a 3-3 configuration. There is 1 row of first row seats (extra legroom, fast exit, first served), 3 rows of upfront seats (fast exit, first served), 3 rows of extra legroom seats, and the remaining cabin seats are standard. The standard seats, where I was seated, have a seat width of 18 inches and a seat pitch of 28 inches.

My family had 5 seats in row 16, and I chose the aisle seat.

Even though our bags were expected to be placed under our seats, we found plenty of overhead space available.

Each seat had adjustable air nozzles and reading lights. Because this was a cold daytime flight, neither was needed.

The tray tables had a lip at the end to prevent sliding and a recessed cup holder. Unfortunately, it was too small for my laptop.

Legroom-wise, my knees were not quite up against the seatback pocket, but they were close. I had a lot of space underneath the seat in front of me to stretch out my legs, so the seat was comfortable enough for a flight of just over an hour.

Food and Beverage

Flight attendants pushed a for-purchase food and beverage trolley through the cabin around 24 minutes into the flight, with a quick pass-through for trash about 7 minutes later.

The entire Wizz Cafe menu is available online, but highlights included:

• Sandwich meal deals with a drink and snack from €8.50 (~$9)
• Sweet and savory snacks available from ~€2 (~$2)
• Sodas from €3.50 (~$4)
• Beer and wine deals for 2 from €12 (~$13)

Lavatory

I have few words for the lavatory other than minuscule. The restroom at the rear of the aircraft was quite possibly the smallest airplane lavatory I’ve ever seen. That said, it was clean enough, and the design made use of the small space and even had a baby changing station.

Service

I did not interact much with the onboard crew during this brief flight, but they smiled through chattering teeth during the boarding process when positioned next to the open cold and windy doors. The food and trash removal services were speedy and without fuss — just like they should be.

Arrival

We touched down in Gdańsk around 1:30 p.m. and were off the plane within 10 minutes. Similar to our departure in Copenhagen, it was cold, wet, and windy on arrival, so we quickly deplaned onto the apron and hustled into the airport. This flight utilized both the forward and rear doors for maximum efficiency.

Our checked bag arrived on the belt quickly, and there was no passport control since we stayed within the Schengen Area.

Visitors can easily follow the colored lines on the floor to various transit options to the city center. We opted for an UberXL for 108.92 Polish złoty (~$27.70).

Final Thoughts

Admittedly, the flight was the easiest part of this travel day. We bypassed any baggage scrutiny and had a quick and efficient flight. You can’t ask for much more when traveling with kids in winter!

What made our experience successful was being well-prepared. I was well-versed in the baggage policies before leaving home, researched family seating, snacked ahead of the flight at the lounge, and was prepared with electronic devices to compensate for the lack of inflight entertainment.

I would not hesitate to fly Wizz Air again if given the opportunity. This flight was a fifth the cost of similar SAS Go Light fares (with similar baggage policies), and paying more just to earn miles would not have made sense for us.