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Wizz Air CEO József Váradi gets down Norwegian’s throat and hopes Erna Solberg will change his mind when he “gets the facts.”
Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air is a giant and has decided to capture the Norwegian aviation market with low prices. They have already struck with domestic airline tickets for 49 crowns.
Their entry into Norway has been met with strong protests, and even Prime Minister Erna Solberg has called for a boycott after the head of Wizz Air said they are a non-union airline.
– I just hope that as soon as you understand the facts and our values, you change your mind, says Wizz Air CEO József Váradi to Nettavisen.
Read more: Wizz Air has caused a price drop at SAS and Norwegian: it reduces the price of 2,000 crowns
Fight back against union criticism
He’s on a video link from Hungary, after an imaginary trip to Norway that went down the drain, where he wanted to spread the word about low prices and how to hijack the Norwegian market.
– You may think Norway is something special, but operating in Norway is like any other EU country. Any European airline can operate in Norway, he says when asked about unions.
LOW PRICE: Wizz Air is making a huge entry into the Norwegian aviation market and offers flights up to NOK 49 per ticket.
Photo: Wizz Air
Varadi emphasizes that they comply with laws and regulations, and that it is up to the employees if they want to join a union.
– 50 percent of the workforce in Norway is not a union. I respect your right to organize. It is your choice. But the airline industry is already fully regulated with rest time, the time that can be flown at a time, etc., says Váradi.
Read more: Wizz Air surprises with even lower ticket prices
– SAS and Norwegian already have dominance in the Norwegian market, how are you going to take advantage of them?
– We are not very interested in what SAS and Norwegian do. We do what we do. I think the competition is good, because it benefits consumers with lower prices and newer planes.
– What do you do better than SAS and Norwegian?
– You can look at our accounts and compare them with our competitors. We fly more than any other company and we are very efficient. We have the lowest climate emissions through newer aircraft and better technology, says Váradi.
The article continues after the measurement.
Norwegian hudfletter
Váradi believes that many other airlines have struggled for a long time, regardless of the coronavirus, and therefore have few reserves and need the goodwill of governments to gain state support. Wizz Air, on the other hand, has accumulated a large amount of capital in good years so that it can be used when a new crisis emerges.
– We use good times not only to survive when it changes, but also to accumulate reserves to use to our advantage in bad times, says Váradi.
Also read: The head of Wizz criticizes the boycott of flights
In Norway, Norwegian is synonymous with low prices and in many ways has ensured competition in the Norwegian aviation market. But the head of Wizz Air is not impressed by the company, which is now battling the coronavirus.
– Look at the accounts of the Norwegian airlines. Before the coronavirus, Norwegian was practically a bankrupt company. It has nothing to do with the coronavirus. It was a much deeper problem than that. They can go bankrupt, but it depends on the government, we’ll see, he says.
– What has Norwegian done wrong?
– Everything! They had a very focused business, but each time they opted for more routes that did not generate income and they lost control of the company. If Norwegian goes bankrupt, it’s not because of the coronavirus or because of Wizz Air, he says.
Norwegian rejects the Wizz Air manager’s accusations.
– Before the crown crisis brought aviation to a standstill around the world, Norwegian had implemented cost savings in the billions and was poised to deliver the best summer ever and a profitable 2020, so this is one false claim, writes Norwegian chief information officer Lasse Sandaker-Nielsen in an email to The Online Newspaper.
Read more: Now airline sales soar: – The cheapest ever
14 YEARS IN NORWAY: Wizz Air has flown to and from Norway for 14 years. Now these planes are becoming much more common at Norwegian airports.
Photo: Wizz Air
Wizz Air believes that they are among the most climate-friendly airlines and believes that it is highly inaccurate when authorities introduce seat fees.
– Said taxes must follow emissions and not be uniform taxes. Norwegians love to fly and authorities shouldn’t introduce taxes that go beyond consumers, he says.
– MDG has proposed an airline seat fee of NOK 300 on domestic flights with train connection. With 49 and 99 kronor bills, what do you think of that?
– I think politicians should think about it carefully. We believe that the aviation industry must become much cleaner and greener. We do this with ever newer aircraft and better technology. Before getting electric airplanes and green fuel, we must be careful not to do anything that destroys the entire industry.
Also read: Ap-Raymond strongly against Erna Solberg’s boycott of flight
– You can get 10 kronor banknotes for Norway
Wizz Air has already sold tickets for 99 and 49 crowns. But the boss himself says that it can quickly happen that Norwegians also get 10 kronor bills, as has been seen in various places in Europe.
– You can pass. We follow the market and the prices are based on that. There may be times when we have to stimulate customers and we do everything we can to achieve that, says Váradi.
The company has a strict low-cost strategy, which means that tickets are kept very low and that customers must purchase all additional services themselves. He doesn’t like the criticism that the company tries to bother customers with all the extra costs.
Read more: Norwegian responds in the air war: throws ticket prices to the bottom
– 55 percent of your income comes from tickets. The rest are extra services. Is it mainly to annoy customers?
– This is the customer’s choice. We try to make flights available to as many people as possible. So customers should have the choice, rather than us doing it for them. You can fly with a single ticket. But if you want more comfort or extra luggage, you pay for it, it says and adds:
– If you think that the cup of coffee you have on the flight is free, you are wrong. In fact, it’s the most expensive cup of coffee you’ve ever bought, says Váradi.
Although the company is a gateway to a host of destinations such as Croatia, Hungary, Italy and many more, they will not start with more connections.
– We see that more and more people are establishing more connections and, of course, our clients can. But they have to do it themselves. Several airports have started doing it for customers. We will continue to watch him, he says.
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