Eurowings is the low-cost subsidiary of Lufthansa Group and a hybrid carrier. They have grown rapidly, with the acquisition of planes and routes from airberlin and brussels airlines and are now offering short-haul flights all over Europe and long-haul flights to North America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia! My recent Economy class trip with Eurowings was very pleasant and puts them somewhere between low-cost carriers and full-service airlines!
Pre-Departure: Booking a flight with Eurowings and checking in online is easy and pleasant, with a modern and well designed web site and mobile app. I was able to select a seat at check in without a fee! Read my detailed review of the Eurowings online experience for more!
On the most basic fares, Eurowings only allows hand luggage. This includes one standard international carry-on of 55x40x23cm up to 8kg and a small, personal item of 40x30x10cm. This is generous compared to European low-cost carriers like Ryan Air or Wow Air and should be enough for a short trip. You can purchase checked bags of up to 23kg from EUR8 (second bag from EUR75) with their Basic fare. Smart fares include one check-in bag, Best fares 2 and Business Class include 2 bags up to 32kg.
I traveled with hand luggage only and checked in online, so I did not need to go to the check-in counter and could proceed straight to security. Online check-in is not available for all loung-haul flights and priority check-in is limited to BizClass fares and some LH miles & more elite members.
Eurowings does provide lounge access to elite members, BizClass travelers and Boomerang credit card holders.
The boarding process was well organized and orderly, with elite customers boarding first and everybody else following quickly after.
Onboard Service & Food: The service on my short flight of under 2h was friendly, more so than on many European full-service carriers, and thorough with regards to safety procedures. Staff directed passengers to their seats and assisted as needed. Shortly after departure, flight attendants came through and offered drinks and snacks for purchase. The food and drinks were reasonably priced, comparable to Ryan Air and other low-cost carriers.
Eurowings does try to project a younger, more fun image than the stodgy parent company – I don’t think you’d find a barf bag like this on Lufthansa:
Seat Airbus A319/320 (2 class): Eurowings is flying Airbus A319/A320 planes on short haul flights, with a 2-cabin layout. BizClass consists of 3 rows of 3-3 seats with the middle seat kept empty and a seat pitch of 32in.
I was seated in Economy Class with the same 3-3 layout and a seat pitch of what SeatGuru calls 30-32in and I’d describe as 30in and tight.
Airbus A320 series plane are slightly wider at 18in than the Boeing B737 RyanAir is flying, so you do have a little more space here. The plane was clean, and seats were in good condition. The magazine pocket in the slimline seats is moved up above the tray, giving you a little extra knee room. I was comfortable enough on the short flight. There is no personal entertainment screen in the seats. Some flights offer streaming entertainment to your own phone or tablet, but it wasn’t working on my flight.
Bottomline: Eurowings is positioned as a hybrid carrier, between the low-cost competitors like Ryan Air or Wizz Air and full-service airlines like parent Lufthansa – and this shows. You get a reasonable hand luggage allowance, well organized ground service and friendly onboard service. You can still select any available seat at check-in and are not getting automatically stuck in a middle-seat like on Ryan Air. Yet, you still have to pay for checked bags, food and drink. While the base fare on Eurowings may be a little higher than other LCCs, but it’s easier to get away without seat assignment and luggage fees! That makes Eurowings good value in my book and I’d prefer them over other LCC in Europe – and even some full-service airlines!