Transport companies across the EU waive travel fees for Ukrainians

Wizz Air has offered 100,000 free tickets, while many rail companies will accept a Ukrainian passport as a ticket

Several European travel companies, including rail and air, have decided to either reduce ticket fees or waive them altogether for Ukrainian citizens. The idea, inspired by solidarity with their plight, is to help the refugee wave, brought on by last week’s Russian invasion, move through the continent easier and faster. 

Today, Hungarian low-cost airline Wizz Air announced it will offer 100,000 free tickets to Ukrainians trying to get to their destination country on the European continent. The offer will apply only to people leaving from border countries – Poland, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania.

At the same time, many European rail companies have also announced they will waive fees for train travel. Until today, these include the Belgian SNCB, German Deutsche Bahn, the Austrian ÖBB, the Dutch Company NS and others. The claim for many of them is that for Ukrainians boarding trains, their passport or ID is their ticket.

Taking luggage will be harder on planes

According to a statement from Wizz Air today, the company is committed to helping people get where they need to be and has already added larger planes as well as more flights in border countries, going towards other parts of Europe.

Ukrainian refugees who want to apply for either a reduced or free WizzAir ticket will have can do it through a special website.

The free tickets, however, come with some caveats, like the fact that they will be available for flights only in March 2022 and for flights that have available seats. Additionally, the 0 euro tickets include one free carry-on bag with dimensions of 40X30X20 centimetres. Any additional luggage is subject to fees.

At the same time, Wizz Air has also added refugee fares for Ukrainians stranded in other countries. Their price will be 29.99 euros and 69.99 euros, with the higher price applying to passengers travelling to the UAE, Iceland and the Cannary Islands. These reduced rates are also subject to the same restrictions as the free tickets.

The company has also said that they encourage refugees to check for lower fares, as sometimes Wizz Air flights can be even cheaper. However, they also want to guarantee that all refugees have a chance for a low-cost flight.