HomeHungaryHungary is investigating Wizz Air for violations of consumer protection laws

Hungary is investigating Wizz Air for violations of consumer protection laws

The Hungarian government has ordered an investigation into budget carrier WizzAir for possible violations of consumer protection laws, the Associated Press reports.

The airline is the object of the second such investigation, which has been conducted by the Budapest authorities since June.

According to the Hungarian Telegraph Agency (MTI), the investigation, commissioned by Hungary’s Ministry of Justice, was carried out after the agency said it had received new complaints against the Budapest-based company for failing to provide information and assistance to customers whose flights were delayed or canceled.

Other complaints against the Hungarian carrier include failure to provide accommodation and alternative flight options to passengers affected by air traffic violations, failure to respond to consumer complaints within 30 days, and lack of a toll-free customer service line.

This violates Hungarian law and consumer rights, the ministry said in a statement.

This is the second investigation launched by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government against Wizz Air since June. At the time, the government announced that it would impose extraordinary taxes on sectors that receive excess profits: from the banking and insurance sectors to airlines. Hungarian authorities say these gains are due to increased demand after the pandemic, but they deny these claims.

Earlier this month, Hungary accused Irish budget airline Ryanair of breaching consumer protection rules, resulting in fines of more than €750,000.

It comes after the company raised ticket prices to take account of an extraordinary tax on excess profits, which Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary described as a “rip-off” and “idiocy”.

Orbán’s government hopes to raise 815 billion forints ($2.1 billion) through its tax policy to weather a period of rising inflation and energy prices and reduce the budget deficit.

We remind you that “DIP” previously wrote that “low-cost carrier Wizz Air canceled flights to Moscow due to trolling and calls for a boycott.”

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