An airline that bills itself as Europe’s greenest ultra-low-cost airline launched an all-you-can-fly subscription service last month. Wizz Air’s latest promotion invited travellers to pay €500 ($552) for 12 months of “unlimited flights to any destination on its network”.
According to the airline, all 10,000 passes sold out within 24 hours. “We have been overwhelmed by the extremely positive response for our new ‘All You Can Fly’ membership and are excited to start flying our new members,” a representative from Wizz Air Abu Dhabi, the company's Middle East subsidiary, told The National. “The membership allows frequent flyers to save money, visit friends and family more regularly and spontaneously visit off-the-beaten-track destinations.”
Travellers who purchased passes can now fly to destinations such as Maldives, Iceland and Italy, with no routes excluded from the membership. The airline has not said if it will sell more subscriptions in the future.
“The subscription is perfect for frequent, spontaneous flyers seeking deals, with any optional extras or add-ons available at the regular price,” the representative said. “As our network continues expanding, we expect greater interest in our unique and exciting products."
Travellers in the UAE can still purchase Wizz Air’s MultiPass, a 12-month subscription plan that allows subscribers to travel each month on eligible Wizz Air flights by paying a monthly fixed fee.
A golden ticket to unlimited flights
Wizz Air's all-you-can-fly passes sold out in less than a day, but is the membership a golden ticket to unlimited, year-round flights? While no specific destinations are excluded from the promotion, the airline doesn’t guarantee seats on any of its routes. “There is no specific percentage of seats reserved for non-subscribers/subscribers, this is a subject of availability,” the representative explains.
On every flight, the airline will determine if enough seats are available for All You Can Fly members. This could mean that during peak times such as public holidays, summer and Christmas, travellers who have paid for an annual subscription may need to spend more to guarantee a seat.
Under the membership, flights can only be booked three days before travel – so it’s not ideal for travellers who want to plan. “Wizz Air will determine ahead of the 72-hour period if enough seats are available to be booked via All You Can Fly memberships,” said the representative.
The membership claims to “offer unlimited ticket purchases”, which does ring true. However, travellers should not expect a free ride. Every flight comes with a flat booking fee of €9.99. And since return flights are only bookable if flights are within 72 hours of the initial booking date, most reservations are set to come with two booking fees as trips longer than three days will need to be reserved via two one-way flights. However, this doesn't apply to the first booking under the membership, which is complimentary.
These niggles are minor and unlikely to impact frequent flyers and those who are flexible about where they travel. However, the promotion has not landed well with environmental groups.
"Frequent flyer programmes are fuelling aviation’s unsustainable growth, giving some flyers a false sense of reality that we don’t live in a climate crisis. Unlike what some may think, flying is not an all-you-can-eat buffet," says Jo Dardenne, aviation director at Transport & Environment, Europe’s leading advocates for clean transport and energy.
Binge-flying or bargain airfares?
And while Wizz Air isn't the first airline to introduce a flight subscription service – US budget airline Frontier has a similar model – given that we’re in the midst of a climate emergency and that aviation is already struggling to meet its sustainability targets, the airline's campaign could be perceived as irresponsible. But that’s not so, says Wizz.
“The new product not only helps travellers discover Wizz Air’s extensive network but, in fact, contributes to maximising the load factor during the last 72 hours before the flight," the representative said. "High load factor is a crucial efficiency driver and leads to a reduction in emission intensity."
The airline, which operates one of the youngest fleets in the industry, is keen to highlight its efforts towards more sustainable flights. “Wizz Air is proud to have the lowest carbon emissions intensity among our airline competitors, making it the most sustainable flying option,” says the representative, highlighting Wizz Air's target of reducing CO2 emissions per passenger/km by 25 per cent by 2030 as well as the company's continuing investments in sustainable aircraft.
RACE RESULTS
1. Valtteri Bottas (FIN/Mercedes) 1hr 21min 48.527sec
2. Sebastian Vettel (GER/Ferrari) at 0.658sec
3. Daniel Ricciardo (AUS/Red Bull) 6.012
4. Lewis Hamilton (GBR/Mercedes) 7.430
5. Kimi Räikkönen (FIN/Ferrari) 20.370
6. Romain Grosjean (FRA/Haas) 1:13.160
7. Sergio Pérez (MEX/Force India) 1 lap
8. Esteban Ocon (FRA/Force India) 1 lap
9. Felipe Massa (BRA/Williams) 1 lap
10. Lance Stroll (CAN/Williams) 1 lap
11. Jolyon Palmer (GBR/Renault) 1 lap
12. Stoffel Vandoorne (BEL/McLaren) 1 lap
13. Nico Hülkenberg (GER/Renault) 1 lap
14. Pascal Wehrlein (GER/Sauber) 1 lap
15. Marcus Ericsson (SWE/Sauber) 2 laps
16. Daniil Kvyat (RUS/Toro Rosso) 3 laps
TEST SQUADS
Bangladesh: Mushfiqur Rahim (captain), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Liton Das, Shakib Al Hasan, Mominul Haque, Nasir Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Mehedi Hasan, Shafiul Islam, Taijul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed.
Australia: Steve Smith (captain), David Warner, Ashton Agar, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Matthew Wade, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson and Jackson Bird.
Honeymoonish
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Unresolved crisis
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter conflict since 2014, when Ukraine’s Kremlin-friendly president was ousted, Moscow annexed Crimea and then backed a separatist insurgency in the east.
Fighting between the Russia-backed rebels and Ukrainian forces has killed more than 14,000 people. In 2015, France and Germany helped broker a peace deal, known as the Minsk agreements, that ended large-scale hostilities but failed to bring a political settlement of the conflict.
The Kremlin has repeatedly accused Kiev of sabotaging the deal, and Ukrainian officials in recent weeks said that implementing it in full would hurt Ukraine.
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Torbal Rayeh Wa Jayeh
Starring: Ali El Ghoureir, Khalil El Roumeithy, Mostafa Abo Seria
Stars: 3
The%20specs
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Common OCD symptoms and how they manifest
Checking: the obsession or thoughts focus on some harm coming from things not being as they should, which usually centre around the theme of safety. For example, the obsession is “the building will burn down”, therefore the compulsion is checking that the oven is switched off.
Contamination: the obsession is focused on the presence of germs, dirt or harmful bacteria and how this will impact the person and/or their loved ones. For example, the obsession is “the floor is dirty; me and my family will get sick and die”, the compulsion is repetitive cleaning.
Orderliness: the obsession is a fear of sitting with uncomfortable feelings, or to prevent harm coming to oneself or others. Objectively there appears to be no logical link between the obsession and compulsion. For example,” I won’t feel right if the jars aren’t lined up” or “harm will come to my family if I don’t line up all the jars”, so the compulsion is therefore lining up the jars.
Intrusive thoughts: the intrusive thought is usually highly distressing and repetitive. Common examples may include thoughts of perpetrating violence towards others, harming others, or questions over one’s character or deeds, usually in conflict with the person’s true values. An example would be: “I think I might hurt my family”, which in turn leads to the compulsion of avoiding social gatherings.
Hoarding: the intrusive thought is the overvaluing of objects or possessions, while the compulsion is stashing or hoarding these items and refusing to let them go. For example, “this newspaper may come in useful one day”, therefore, the compulsion is hoarding newspapers instead of discarding them the next day.
Source: Dr Robert Chandler, clinical psychologist at Lighthouse Arabia
The specs: 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn
Price, base / as tested: Dhxxx
Engine: 5.7L V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 556Nm @ 3,950rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.7L / 100km
