After a great trip to Spain, the last leg of the trip was one of my most anticipated segments, our ride home in Austrian Airlines Business Class.
In case you forget which airline you are flying, just check the bulkhead.
Austrian recently completed a 90 Million Euro renovation to their entire longhaul fleet, currently consisting of 4 777-200ER and 6 767-300ER. There are new seats and new entertainment systems. We were seated in Business Class, and that’s where my focus will be. The seats in Business are arranged in a staggered configuration of 1-2-1. The seats are similar to what is available in Brussels Airlines Business Class, as well as a few others, including Swiss Businessand some Delta 767s.
Pair of seats in row 2 before departure
After our nice stay at Le Meridien Vienna, we retraced our steps to the Vienna Airport, with a tram, subway, then the CAT. We visited the Austrian Senator Lounge before our flight. It was fine, but nothing outstanding. Knowing there was a multi-course meal onboard, I didn’t bother to have too much in the lounge beyond some small breakfast snacks, juice, and tea. Our morning visit meant there were primarily breakfast options available.
The 767-300ER to take us to Chicago
We left the lounge before boarding time and headed to the gate. There was an additional security screening at the gate, as is common for flights to the US. The boarding area was a little crowded, but once they called Business Class, we got on board pretty quickly.
Austrian Airlines 767 Business Class
We were originally assigned window seats in back to back rows. For some reason, when we received our boarding passes at the CAT station, I noticed that our seats were changed to 1D/1G, aisle seats in the middle. It was nice to be seated together, but I did sort of want to try the solo throne seat as well as the option to look out the window on the daytime flight.
Legroom in seat 1G
storage space for reading materials and shoes between seats
In retrospect, the extra legroom at our bulkhead seats was appreciated, although similar to the flight on Brussels Air, it is a bit of an odd sensation putting your legs so deep into the cubby in front when in bed mode. The seats were comfortable for sitting as well, and my seat at 1G was spaced from the aisle, so I didn’t get bumped. My wife didn’t seem to have trouble in 1D, but the wide armrest on the aisle side of 1G was nice.
Lots of leg space in the bulkhead, with night lights…
even the seat belts are branded
For a bit more of a fanciful tour of the new cabin, see Austrian’s promotional commercial for their new Business Class product:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG-Ou0vUnok]
Austrian Airlines Business Class amenities
Waiting at our seat when we arrived were a pillow and blanket. There were also noise cancelling headphones and an amenity kit. Here is an excellent review of the Austrian Airlines amenity kit from Frequently Flying (RIP Darren).
The headphones provided were fine, but I opted to use my own. Various newspapers in both German and English were offered as well as magazines. An offer of pre-departure beverages was made as well. Water, champagne and orange juice were offered on a tray. With a 36 seat cabin, and people boarding, this was probably the only way to offer this service with any efficiency.
Magazines clearly not intended to be removed from aircraft
Pre-departure beverages
seat controls are intuitive on a touchpad on the armrest
Soon the chef came around offering menus for the main meals. Catering is done by DO & CO, which is based in Vienna, and also caters the Lufthansa First Class lounges in Frankfurt as well as a few other products. The menu was in German and English and is shown below:
Menu Vienna – Chicago
First ServiceAntipasti from our trolley
smoked trout / beetroot salad
Spanish Serrano ham / Manchengo
mediterranean eggplant / pepper
marinated prawns / canellini beans
Austrian sheep cheese / cherry tomatoes
deep fried chicken breast / sauce tartare__________
Creamy Red Lentil Soup ciabatta croûtons
__________
Please choose from our selection:
Minced Veal Patties creamy potato puree / buttered vegetables
or
Grilled Salmon creamy spinach / roesti potato / root vegetables / horse radish
or
Homemade ricotta crespelle tomato parmesan sauce
__________
Assorted cheese & exotic fruit from our trolley
(Video) Austrian Airlines Business Class Review - ORD-VIE - Boeing 777__________
Traditional milk & cream strudel warm vanilla sauce
and/or
Passionfruit sweet curd macchiato fresh mint
and/or
Chocolate Parfait
Freshly brewed Coffee or Tea
Digestives from our trolley
Wine
Champagne * Prosecco
Duval-Leroy Fleur de Champagne Brut
Le Borgate Prosecco, Veneto
White Wine
Grüner Veltliner Senftenberger Piri, 2011
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Weingut Petra UngerChardonnay Sinner, 2011
Weingut PrielerRed Wine
Heideboden Zweigelt Selection, 2011
Weingut Erich ScheiblhoferSt. Laurent, 2012
Weingut Paul AchsVaan Shiraz & Co, 2011
Salomon Estate, South AustraliaDessert Wine
Kracher Cuvée Beerenauslese
Weinlaubenhof Kracher, BurgenlandBar Drinks
Austrian Beer, non-alcoholic beer
Non-alcoholic
Sparkling or Still mineral water
Coca Cola classic, Coca Cola zero
Sprite, Almdudler
Schweppes Tonic Water, Schweppes Bitter Lemon
Orange juice, apple juice, tomato juice(Video) Austrian Business Class 767 Newark to ViennaSpirits
Campari, Stolichnaya Vodka, Gordon’s Dry Gin, Chivas Regal, Remy Martin V.S.O.P., Baileys Irish Cream, Reisetbauer apricot brandy, Fernet Branca, Portwein “Burmester”
Dear passenger,
It was lovely to have you as our guest today. We hope you felt comfortable here on board.Thank you and see you soon.
Let’s Eat
The service started with warm nuts and an offer of drinks as well as a selection from the bread basket. I opted for tomato juice. Maybe it was all the red in the cabin. There are red accents everywhere. The female flight attendants are in red from head to toe, red dress, or a red skirt with red vest/jacket, sometimes even a red shirt, red tights, and red shoes….a bit much.
Mixed nuts and bread with drink. Notice the triangular shaped plates used for all services.
utensil selection, plus a clip I used to attach napkin to shirt
My choices from the antepasti trolley, chicken and goat cheese
red lentil soup, which I thought was excellent
Salmon main course
the Grüner Veltliner paired well with the salmon main
The meal was quite tasty. Each portion was rather small, but in many ways, I prefer to eat this way. Like many meals on this trip, especially all of the tapas in Spain allowed for much more variety, as opposed to filling up on one large course. I might have gone light on the early part of the meal, but I doubled up on dessert, with both strudel and the passion fruit creme. Yum.
dessert
Austrian Airlines specialty coffee
As dessert was served, another menu was provided, the special coffee menu. I’m not much of a coffee drinker, but I didn’t want to pass up this opportunity. There are 10 different fancy coffees available. These seem to be made by the chef, so it takes some time to prepare. I opted for the Kaffee Baileys.
Kaffee Baileys
For someone who doesn’t drink coffee, the idea of sleeping after having a cup was kind of foolish. In any case, after the meal I reclined the seat, and watched some TV hoping to doze off eventually. The cabin was pretty warm, so I didn’t bother with the blanket. Once reclined, I realized how nice the legroom at the bulkhead is. Other than the sensation of squeezing into a somewhat tight tunnel, there was much more space there than other seats. I didn’t sleep for long, probably some combination of caffeine and this being a daytime flight.
500ml water bottles provided after the main meal service
The inflight entertainment is pretty good, the screen is large and clear. The selection of movies and shows is diverse and international, but there wasn’t a lot that interested me a lot. Here is a link to Austrian’s inflight magazine showing monthly IFE selections.
Sound of Music and Amadeus are available on IFE
Once we were about 90 minutes from arrival in Chicago, the pre-arrival service began. I didn’t sleep other than dozing off a few times, and I was ready to eat again. Here is the menu:
Second service
Please choose:
Viennese “Tafelspitz” carpaccio
boiled fillet of beef / apple horse radish / chive creamor
Onion Bacon Tartlet sour cream dip
Panna Cotta
Oven fresh Bread selection
Freshly brewed Coffee or Tea
This meal was a pretty a basic single tray business class meal, but after the multi-course main meal, this was plenty. I opted for the onion bacon tartlet. It was a nice meal to get me through the afternoon. At this point, it was evening on the time I was used to, but early afternoon in the US, so we needed to stay up for a while to get readjusted time-wise.
Austrian Airlines pre-arrival meal
Final thoughts
Overall, I was pretty impressed with the new Austrian Airline business class. The hard product is excellent. The flight attendants were nice, but they seemed a bit busy managing the full 36 seat cabin. This clearly is one of the better Star Alliance products for Trans-Atlantic business class. Their fleet is small, so there aren’t a lot of options to fly them long-haul, but if you can make it work, I would recommend flying them without hesitation, especially in Business Class.
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FAQs
Is Austrian air a good airline? ›
Austrian Airlines is a Austrian carrier. Frequent travelers give the airline an average rating of 7.3/10. This is above the general average . Over the last 12 months the rating has been trending downwards.
Is Austrian Airlines the same as Lufthansa? ›Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group
The Lufthansa Group is a global aviation company with a total of more than 550 subsidiaries and affiliated companies.
Austrian Star Alliance Terminal
The modern design of Terminal 3 in Vienna enables short and convenient transfer routes.
Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group and has a dense route network especially in central and eastern Europe. Austrian Airlines is Austria's biggest airline with a global route network of around 130 destinations and 360 flights per day.
What is the nicest airline in Europe? ›- Turkish Airlines.
- Air France.
- Swiss International Air Lines.
- British Airways.
- Lufthansa.
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
- Virgin Atlantic.
- Finnair.
Seat in the preferred seating zone
The preferred seating zone is located in the front part of Economy Class. On long-haul flights this area is behind our Premium Economy passengers and on short and medium-haul flights behind the Business Class passengers.
For long-haul First, Lufthansa is the superior airline because Austrian doesn't have First. For Premium Economy and Economy, the newer planes and better pitch of Lufthansa wins.
What terminal is Austrian Airlines at O Hare? ›Austrian Airlines uses Terminal 5 at O'Hare Airport. Some flights labeled as Austrian Airlines are codeshare flights operated by other Airlines.
Is Austrian airport big? ›Located in the capital city of Austria, the Vienna International Airport is one of the most important airports in the region. The airport is situated at a distance of 16 km from Austria and is also considered the largest airport in this European country.
Is one hour enough for a connecting flight in Vienna? ›Customs is always done at the final airport, in Vienna your bags will thus be automatically transfered to your connecting flight. One hour is definitely enough if your flight from the US arrives on time, waiting times at immigration aren't that long in Vienna.
How early should I get to the airport in Vienna? ›
You should make sure that you arrive at the airport in good time before your flight. We recommend; two hours for domestic flights and international flights of up to six hours.
Is Vienna airport very busy? ›Vienna International Airport (Flughafen Wien-Schwechat VIE IATA) is the busiest and biggest airport in Austria.
Does Austrian Airlines have lie flat seats? ›The wide-body aircraft offers lie-flat beds in Business Class and particularly comfortable seats in Premium Economy Class.
Where is the best area to stay in Vienna? ›The Innere Stadt and MuseumsQuartier are two of the best overall neighborhoods to stay in Vienna. They are also the best areas to stay in Vienna for first time visitors. ❶ Innere Stadt – Vienna's 1st District: The heart of historic Vienna, this is where you'll find some of the city's most popular tourist attractions.
Does United own Austrian Airlines? ›Austrian Airlines Group is wholly owned by Lufthansa.
What is Europe's Best airline 2022? ›FLYING to new records after the most significant crisis of aviation history and distinguishing itself from its competitors with a strong performance throughout the year, Turkish Airlines, the airline that flies to more countries than any other is named Best Airline in Europe by Skytrax on the prestigious 2022 World ...
What is the most comfortable airline to fly to Europe? ›J.D. Power's International Destination Satisfaction Survey found Turkish Airlines was rated as the best airline to fly between North American and Europe. Japan Airlines was tops among those flying between North America and Asia.
Is preferred seating worth it? ›Preferred seats don't receive any extra legroom, but they are in better locations of the Main Cabin that are closer to the front of the plane, allowing you to access your seat quicker when boarding and exit more quickly when getting off.
Is preferred seating more expensive? ›Preferred seating features seats with better locations than standard United economy flights. The seats are the same, but they tend to be closer to the front of the cabin. Costs for preferred seating vary depending on the flight, but these are the cheapest paid seat upgrades you can find on United flights.
Is the balcony a good seat? ›The balcony seats tend to be pretty high up, but they might be the best choice for the budget-conscious. However, you might be better off with front balcony seats than with rear mezzanine, especially at older theaters such as the Lyceum, the Belasco, and the Shubert.
Is Switzerland better than Austria? ›
Austria has the advantage of being a less ludicrously expensive destination, while Switzerland is culturally more diverse. Austria's architecture and cities are arguably more impressive once one is out of the mountains but Switzerland has taller mountains (although neither have the tallest).
Which country is better Austria or Germany? ›When it comes to whether Austrian or German culture is better, it depends on what you're looking for. If you want big cities and more professional opportunities, go to Germany. If you want a smaller country with interesting traditions, then Austria is the place to be.
Do I have to go through customs for a connecting flight in Vienna? ›You WILL go through immigration at Frankfurt as both Germany & Austria are both members of Schengen and you pass through immigration at your first entry point into Schengen. Germany to Austria is effectively a domestic flight so you won't go through immigration at Vienna through you will go through customs at Vienna.
How long does it take to walk between terminals at O Hare? ›Domestic Terminals 1, 2, and 3 are connected to each other and you can easily walk between them or take moving sidewalks and escalators. The walk from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 takes about 10 minutes, and from Terminal 1 to Terminal 3 can take up to 20 minutes if you're walking from farthest gate to farthest gate.
Can I check in at the airport with Austrian Airlines? ›Check in baggage
At Vienna Airport you can check in your bags yourself at the self-service baggage drop-off desks. Identify yourself at the machine, place your suitcase on the belt and print the baggage tag, which you should then attach to the suitcase.
Vienna Airport is Certified as a 4-Star Airport for facilities, terminal comfort and cleanliness, shopping, food & beverages, staff service, and security / immigration.
Is Vienna a small airport? ›It is the country's largest airport and serves as the hub for Austrian Airlines as well as a base for low-cost carriers Wizz Air and Ryanair.
Do Austrian Airlines weigh hand luggage? ›The weight and size of your hand luggage are checked at the airport and it will be checked in if necessary. Additional charges are incurred if you exceed your free baggage allowance.
How long of a layover do I need in Vienna? ›...
Layover in Vienna: Travel Time Budget.
| Airport (VIE) ↔ City Center | Time |
|---|---|
| Total Travel Time Budget (Not including City Exploration) | 1 Hour 27 min. - 1 Hour 57 min.** |
The TSA advises arriving at the airport two hours before your flight for domestic travel and three hours before for international travel. If you're traveling during peak times like early morning or evening, or during holidays and other events, please plan accordingly and allow for extra time.
Is 2 hours between connecting flights enough? ›
Two hours. Mayers recommends two hours as a standard buffer between flights to be safe. This gives you a cushion in case things go wrong during your journey. You'll definitely want at least a two-hour window if you've booked a “hacker fare,” as opposed to flying with the same airline your entire trip.
How long before flight can you check-in Austrian Airlines? ›For most Austrian Airlines scheduled flights, you can check in online from 47 hours before departure. You can find more information on our Online check-in page.
Does Vienna Airport have sleeping pods? ›Vienna Airport has installed rentable sleeping pods on Level 2 of Terminal 3 from Italian startup Zzzleepandgo. The 16 smart lounges provide a place for passengers to work, rest or stay overnight.
Does Vienna Airport have fast track security? ›FastTrack Security Control € 10.00
With this ticket you can use a special FastTrack lane at the security check. So you will be faster at the gate area and can enjoy your stay at Vienna Airport longer.
Research by PR firm Legacy Communications found London's Heathrow Airport to be the most stressful, after analysing more than 10,000 passenger reviews, thousands of tweets and flight data.
Is Austria a good airline? ›Austrian Airlines is a Austrian carrier. Frequent travelers give the airline an average rating of 7.3/10. This is above the general average . Over the last 12 months the rating has been trending downwards.
Does Vienna Airport have Covid testing? ›COVID-19 TESTING PROCEDURE AT VIENNA AIRPORT
The PCR test is quick and easy to perform: Registration and smear tests are performed directly in the Health Center (4th floor).
Cafes and bars like to offer table service so the correct etiquette is to take a seat (unless there is a sign asking you to wait to be seated) and wait for the waiter or waitress to come over. In fact, wandering up to the bar when you should wait for table service is actually considered rude behaviour.
Which side of the plane is better to sit on? ›If you're travelling east, choose the right side of the plane. If you're travelling west, go for the left side of the plane. That rule should help you out if you're travelling in the Northern Hemisphere, especially during the winter months.
Which rows are best in flight? ›Exit rows, aisle or window seats, and anywhere close to the front are typically considered the best seats on a plane.
What is Austria's most beautiful village? ›
Alpbach was voted the most beautiful village in the country in 1983, and named the most beautiful floral village in Europe in 1993. Despite the fact that it's fairly isolated up in the Alps, thousands of tourists come here every year to enjoy its charm.
Is Vienna luxurious? ›Vienna – A luxurious journey.
Vienna epitomizes pleasure, art, craftsmanship and high culture like no other city in the world.
| Route | Flight No. | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago (ORD) – Vienna (VIE) | OS 66 | 777-200 |
| Los Angeles (LAX) – Vienna (VIE) | OS 82 | 777-200 |
| Boston (BOS) – Vienna (VIE) {beginning on March 29, 2020} | OS 92 | 767-300 |
| New York City (JFK) – Vienna (VIE) | OS 88 | Mixed: Mostly 777-200 and sometimes 767-300 |
Most Satisfied Customers | Virgin Australia
Flying high, Virgin Australia has taken out top spot in Canstar Blue's 2022 Domestic Airlines ratings, scoring five stars across multiple categories, including overall satisfaction.
- Delta Air Lines.
- Southwest Airlines.
- United Airlines.
- American Airlines.
- Alaska Airlines.
- Hawaiian Airlines.
- JetBlue Airlines.
- Frontier Airlines.
The newly crowned Qatar Airways has won the top prize a total of seven times since the awards were introduced in 1999. The Qatari flag-carrier also scooped up eight more gongs on Friday, including Best Business Class, Best Business Class Seat and Best Business Class Lounge Dining.
Which is the No 1 airline in the world? ›Qatar Airways was named the No. 1 airline in the world again in 2022.
What is the most comfortable airline? ›| Seat dimensions | Seatback screens | Power outlets |
|---|---|---|
| Pitch: 32 to 34 inches Width: 17.8 to 18.4 inches | All flights | Power and USB outlets on most flights |
- Emirates.
- ANA All Nippon Airways.
- Qantas Airways.
- Japan Airlines.
- Turkish Airlines.
- Air France.
- Korean Air.
- Swiss International Air Lines.
- SkyWest Airlines. ...
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- Spirit Airlines. ...
- JetBlue Airways. ...
- Envoy Air. ...
- American Airlines. 2022 reliability rating: 14.24 (out of 50) ...
- Frontier Airlines. 2022 reliability rating: 13.18 (out of 50) ...
- Southwest Airlines. 2022 reliability rating: 7.84 (out of 50)
What is the best airline to fly in US? ›
- Southwest Airlines.
- JetBlue Airways.
- Delta Air Lines.
- Allegiant Air.
- Alaska Airlines.
- Air Canada.
- United Airlines.
- Spirit Airlines.
The importance of hygiene is rewarded as ANA All Nippon Airways wins top award as the World's Cleanest Airline, with Singapore Airlines taking second place and Japan Airlines in third position.
Which airline has the biggest seats? ›JetBlue Airways and Silver Airways: 18 inches
In straight measurements, JetBlue Airways takes the top spot for widest seats just as they do for average economy legroom among U.S. domestic airlines.
The best plane for turbulence: Boeing 787-9
This plane boasts on of the largest wing loading in commercial planes: 670 kg/m2. For comparison, the wings can take 60% per square meter than those of an Embraer ERJ-145.
A five-star airline is one that delivers the highest level of service and the best in-flight experience. One of the companies that rates airlines is the UK-based research company, Skytrax, which has been awarding individual airlines with between one and five stars.
What is the 2nd best airline? ›Singapore Airlines ranks second in World's Best Airlines 2022.
Which is the 5 star airline in the world? ›...
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