Flight Review: from Budapest to Abu Dhabi on Wizz Air A321neo
Flight: W6 235
From: Budapest-Ferihegy (BUD)
To: Zayed International Airport Abu Dhabi (AUH)
Flight time: 6h
Aircraft: Airbu A321neo
This is not the first time I review Wizz Air, but not only it’s been a while (> 5 years!) but quite a few things are different this time.
The first and most notorious element is that this is a really long flight to do in a bare-bones ultra-low-cost carrier. I have done some pretty long low-cost flight reviews before, such as these covering a Spirit Airlines transcontinental flight and a trip with Salam Air from Muscat to Kuala Lumpur.
However, I had been really looking forward to try one of Wizz Air’s services to the Gulf, since Europe to the Middle East is a market of expansion for European low-cost carriers. Wizz Air, in particular, and despite the closure of its Abu Dhabi-based subsidiary, continues to be a pioneer and leader in this segment. And with the arrival of new longer range versions of the Airbus A321neo, I guess will see more and more people flying long segments in this type of cabin.
So, here are some of my notes from the trip I completed recently between Budapest and Abu Dhabi!
Let’s start with just a few words about Budapest airport, since it is also part of the experience.
The fact is that I quite like this airport, because it has managed to expand capacity in a pretty efficient way. It is not flashy or monumental, but it is pretty modern and functional.
A couple of details I liked: note the antropomorphic armchair and the work capsule in the pictures.
By the way, the boarding was done via bus from the non-Schengen area of the terminal.
Wizz Air A321neo inflight experience
At least for once I was the first one to board the plane, so this allowed me to take some pictures of the cabin unimpeded.
This was also a very, very new A321neo aircraft (HA-LDA) which, at the time of this flight, had been in service a matter of days! (it was delivered in October 2025 and, interestingly, it was built at Airbus’ factory in Tianjin, China!)
So, it is not just that the cabin was impeccably clean…it literally smell new, as if you had just bought a brand new car and were taking it for a first ride!
As you can see, the seats and cabin look have changed a bit since I wrote my Wizz Air A320 review a few years ago.
This one has RECARO-branded slim seats in the softer blue tone (with purple linings). The seats have all a net-like pocket at the bottom. They do not recline at all.
Pitch is, well…low-cost standard (as you can see in the pictures below), but flying on a tidy cabin makes already such a big difference!
Wizz Air offers you, of course, the chance to get some seats with extra space. These are at the front and next to the emergency exits. You can see below what sort of pitch are we talking about.
Onboard amenities with Wizz Air
Wizz Air may not offer any sort of inflight entertainment (IFE) onboard its aircraft, neither streaming on your deivces, nor seatback screens, let alone internet connectivity (not yet, at least, although this may soon change).
What it does offer (without having to pay extra for it!) is a pretty good inflight magazine. It is still packed with advertising, of course, but there is some interesting content in there as well.
As per food and drink, this is, all opt in and paid. I usually skip meals on short European flights, but this was a rather long flight and I was also keen to taste by myself what does Wizz Air offer to its (semi-) long-haul customers.
I came to the conclusion that the best option was to get one of the meal packages, which include a snack, a sandwich and a drink for between €11.5-13.5. For one extra euro you can swap the soft drink for a bottle of wine.
How was it?
It is obviously not a peak culinary experience, but it does a decent job in filling the stomach at a reasonable price point. Would definitely have it again if on a 6 hour flight like this one!
The flight was long enough for me to give the coffee-and-pastry package a go, as well. While this is designed primarily as a brealfast option, I thought this would complement well my previous meal.
Instead of the croissant I got the chocolate pastry (doubling as a dessert), which was ok, just.
The coffee, however, was really good. Next time would possibly have the coffee alone for better value.
Our Take:
And this is how, some six hours after departing Budapest we reached our destination. My impressions: When I told people I had flown to the Gulf on an ultra-low-cost carrier, I got many puzzled looks, however, I found it actually much more bearable than I had expected.
A couple of caveats: bring your own entertainment (I always do anyways) and one of those inflatable neck pillows if you have a chance. Purchasing some food and drink onboard also makes the experience way more pleasant and I think it doesn’t really cost much more than ordering it at one of the airport restaurants.
Would I do it again? Certainly, if the price point is right! (it helps that I usually travel very light).
The low cost way to travel from Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai
Although not part of the Wizz Air experience, strictly speaking, I am aware that possibly many travellers flying into Abu Dhabi may have Dubai as final destination.
If looking to continue with the low-cost (but great value) experience, the way to do so is to take the Abu Dhabi Airport to Dubai Express Bus. It departs every hour from right in front of the terminal (outside and to the right side of the arrivals hall). The tickets are purchased from a small booth inside the terminal (on the same right side area, right next to the gate leading to the Uber/Careem waiting area is). It costs 25 AED, which is around €6.
It takes about 1h 10min and it goes nonstop to Ibn Batuta bus station in Dubai, which is close to Dubai Marina.
The bus is pretty modern and comfortable and, at the time when I took it (around 11pm), it was quite empty, so it felt almost like a premium service.
So, this is another way to get to Dubai!
