As budget airlines stretch to 7-hour flights – what is the limit on no-frills endurance?
Exclusive: Four hours is the maximum for two-thirds of passengers, according to poll – though a quarter will fly for as long as it takes
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Your support makes all the difference.Four hours flying in the cheap seats: for most passengers, that is the maximum feasible journey aboard a low-cost airline.
A poll conducted on X for The Independent found just over half of the almost 2,700 self-selecting users say they would tolerate a flight on the likes of easyJet, Ryanair or Wizz Air of up to four hours. A further one in seven said that two hours was their limit – meaning that almost two-thirds (65 per cent) are not prepared to go longer than four hours.
One in nine would stretch to six hours with minimal legroom and no seat recline.
But almost a quarter (24 per cent) said they would fly for as long as it takes, so long as the fare was right.
The social media poll was launched after Wizz Air announced plans to fly an all-economy jet between Gatwick airport and Jeddah on Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea. The distance of almost 3,000 miles will take nearly seven hours.
Starting on 1 April, easyJet will launch flights between Luton and Tbilisi in Georgia – a trip scheduled for five hours 40 minutes on the inbound leg. Britain's biggest budget airline already has a six-hour-plus flight from Belfast International to Hurghada on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
The longest Ryanair flight, from Warsaw Modlin to Tenerife South, is timetabled at just five minutes short of six hours.
One respondent to the poll, Jonathan, wrote on X: “At hour four on the 3am Wizz Air Tel Aviv to Luton in February, most of the fit young grown men forming the majority of the passengers were reduced to brace position out of a mixture of extreme discomfort and consequent exhaustion.”
But Paul wrote: “Just done Sharm el Sheikh (5.5 hours) with easyJet – was absolutely fine.”
“Flying is now a trial of endurance,” Peter Cooper commented with some exasperation. “Misleading pricing, complicated booking and ticketing procedures, airport car park rip-off, drop off rip-off, security queues, bag-size police, cramped economy experience, strikes, delays.”
The 24 per cent who said they would be happy with a no-frills flight of any length include two members of The Independent travel desk.
Global travel editor Annabel Grossman said: “If the plane will get me there without too serious delays at a reasonable cost and without screwing me over with hidden costs or questionable ethics, then I’ll fly it.
“Legroom, meals, lounges and in-flight entertainment are all luxuries – ones that I enjoy, certainly – but not necessities. A safe, efficient service is my only major concern, and if a budget airline can provide this I’ll certainly book the ticket.
“I’m more than happy to bring my own food, plus a couple of good books and podcasts to last me several hours. I should probably note that I’m 5ft 3in so legroom tends not to be an issue.”
Travel writer Natalie Wilson said: “I’m team no limit if the price is right. An economy seat is an economy seat to me.”
Travel editor Benjamin Parker was last seen boarding an economy flight to Hawaii and was not available for comment.
But Ben Bradgate, an aviation professional, said: “My industry experience is that, in reality, price is king and most leisure passengers are not prepared to pay significantly more than they have to.”
A spokesperson for easyJet said: “While easyJet’s average flight time is closer to two hours our destinations further afield continue to grow in popularity and it’s great to see the vast majority of those polled are happy to fly anywhere with us for the right price.”
Wizz Air said its new Airbus A321XLR aircraft would “enable us to offer unbeatable fares to customers travelling on one of our longer-range routes”.
A spokesperson said: “Offering more affordable travel options, to more distant destinations, will allow more passengers to explore new cultures and is therefore an important step forward to democratise the industry. We’re already flying five-to-six-hour flights, and we’re proud to be able to offer an additional, cost-effective option for travellers to choose from.”
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