The Airbus A321XLR could be a game changer for budget airlines. See how Wizz Air’s cheap 7-hour flight would compare with British Airways.

Budget airlines typically use just one type of aircraft because this reduces the costs of pilot training and maintenance. For example, Southwest Airlines only flies Boeing 737 jets, while Spirit Airlines only flies narrowbody Airbus planes.

It wouldn’t make financial sense for Wizz to operate a widebody jet like legacy airlines, so the XLR allows it to open new routes.

"There is a lot of appeal of this from a tourism perspective, but also from a religious traffic perspective, so we think that it actually satisfies quite some demand flows," said Wizz CEO József Váradi.

That means no reclining seats on the 239-capacity jet.

"15, 20 years ago, I thought three hours would test passenger tolerance, and then we pushed it to six hours, and we are still fine," Váradi said.

He said most passengers "sacrifice some level of comfort" on widebody aircraft too, given that there are no lie-flat beds in economy class.

"You kind of suffer the pain, if you wish, for the economic benefits that you are deriving from the transaction," Váradi added.

My flight from Madrid to Rome was fine and there was little to complain about. However, I was already getting bored and I think a seven-hour flight would really test my limits.

From my experiences of Europe's three big budget airlines, I ranked it below easyJet but better than Ryanair.

I flew on Europe's 3 biggest budget airlines: easyJet, Ryanair, and Wizz. The best wasn't the cheapest, but its friendly staff made all the difference.

The seat pitch — the distance between the same spot on one seat and the one in front — is 28 inches on Wizz, compared to 30 inches on Ryanair.

On the bright side, it seems this row is only used during fully booked flights, as it was empty during my realtively-busy journey.

If you do forget to bring a book or your phone runs out of battery, there is a magazine that also includes the menu.

The cheapest food offerings include soup for 3.50 euros ($3.86) or a meal deal with a baguette for 7.50 euros ($8.28).

Wizz also had a summer deal on beer, where passengers could buy the fourth one for free at a cost of 18.60 euros ($20.53).

For flights next March, when Wizz launches its route, flying British Airways one-way from London to Jeddah starts at £383 ($500).

That's about three times as much as the Wizz flight, but it would almost certainly be a more comfortable journey.

It might've been nearly three times as long as the Wizz flight I took in April, but I found it more enjoyable given the comforts.

I opted for the pasta, which came with a bread roll, fruit, and a chocolate dessert.

I found Greta Gerwig's "Little Women" helped while away the time better than reading a novel on board my Wizz flight.

Many passengers might never have considered destinations like Jeddah before — but now longer routes are available on budget airlines thanks to the A321XLR.

The spartan nature of an ultra-low-cost carrier would be made more apparent by the competition with a legacy airline's widebody jets, but the price gap could be a game changer.