Cheap flights to Dracula’s hometown

Ever thought of Lithuania as sexy? Daniel de Carvalho says he does. But then again, he’s the communications director of Hungarian airline Wizz Air, and was in Israel this week to announce the addition of flights to Vilnius (Lithuania’s capital city), as well as Katowice, Poland and Cluj-Napoca, in Romania.

Well, if not exactly sexy, then fascinating, allowed De Carvalho, detailing the historical Jewish sites in Vilnius; the thrilling tours of Cluj-Napoca, Dracula’s hometown; and the “immorally low” prices of beer in Katowice. There’s also the benefit of significantly cooler weather in the summer, he said. And if those aspects of vacation in deepest Eastern Europe don’t appear enticing enough to seduce Israeli travelers, De Carvalho hopes the low prices will do the rest of the work.

For travelers who book in advance, the flights can run as cheap as forty euros, about NIS 200-NIS 250. De Carvalho joked that his cab ride from Tel Aviv was more expensive.

Last December, Wizz Air held a fashion show in the sky to launch its first flight from Tel Aviv to Budapest. Now, in addition to the daily flights to Budapest, and biweekly flights to Bucharest, there will be regular flights to Lithuania, Poland and Romania, starting in the fall.

Wizz Air is what De Carvalho described as an “ultra-low-cost” airline. For as little as 18 euros, travelers can fly to 95 airports, and choose from over 280 routes stretching from Dubai, United Arab Emirates, to Malaga, Spain.

However, the low costs provide the bare minimum, namely, a seat on the three- to six-hour flight and one small carry-on that can fit underneath the seat. Travelers have to pay extra for wheeled carry-ons (15 euros), a checked bag (20 euros), or a more spacious seat in the emergency exit aisle (15 euros). Food and drinks are also extra. And while kosher sandwiches are offered on the Tel Aviv flights, they are not complimentary.

Not everything is complimentary on Wizz Air flights (photo credit: Courtesy Wizz Air)

In order to keep costs down, Wizz Air also employs a minimum number of employees, said De Carvalho. “We have fewer cleaners in the office, we clean up our own mess, we have one secretary in the whole company who serves the CEO, and we don’t have a big marketing department,” he explained

The airline also makes a profit by selling insurance, rental cars and hotel stays.

“If you fly for 39 euros and you don’t buy anything else, we don’t make any money on that ticket,” continued the communications director. “But we might make money on the person next to you, who buys a coffee and insurance.”

The five current Wizz Air routes from Tel Aviv will carry about 200,000 passengers to and from Israel in a year. De Carvalho predicted the cheap prices will add even more incentives for Europeans to visit Israel as well.

But the director declined to comment on recent media reports that Wizz Air has appointed three banks to tender an initial public offering in London. He also noted that the company plans to add more routes to Tel Aviv by 2014, although he would not say from where.