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In the last few days it became known that Wizz Air is canceling numerous routes in its European route network. Ryanair’s competitor reacted to this and teased so-called “rescue tariffs” in a media release.

Even if it doesn’t suit the low-cost airline Wizz Air, the carrier has to provide replacement transport in the event of cancellations. This also applies if the cancellation occurs more than 14 days before the planned departure. In practice, the pink low-cost airline consistently refuses to meet this obligation and falsely claims that the only option is to refund or rebook to another Wizz Air flight. Passengers who want to exercise their right to alternative transport – even with another airline – have to sue in almost all cases. Requests from lawyers are also mostly rejected, as Wizz Air apparently speculates that the risk of legal costs may be too high for many travelers due to the often low ticket prices.

Regardless: The competitor Ryanair is now trying to attract passengers whose booked Wizz flights have been canceled and is advertising “rescue tariffs” that are said to be available one-way from less than 20 euros. The Vienna-Nis and Skiathos-Bucharest routes are explicitly mentioned in the media statements.

Says Ryanair manager Jade Kirwan: “Ryanair saves the day once again as Wizz Air cancels their routes.” In addition to the 19 Polish routes that were canceled just last week, a further 21 routes to/from Hungary, Romania, Luxembourg, Serbia and Slovenia deleted. As Europe’s most reliable and affordable airline, we are pleased to welcome Wizz Air passengers on our regular flights, including from Niš to Vienna and from Skiathos to Bucharest, from just €19.99.”