Austrian Airlines Passenger Reviews and Austrian Airlines Customer Trip Reports

Vienna - New York yesterday, on a completely full 767-300. 767's interior was very dated looking, with sky- blue bulkheads, pea-green carpets and bright turquoise seats. Pillows and headrests were red. All in all an odd design scheme, to say the least. Backseat video monitors were tiny, with extremely poor picture quality. IFE was not on-demand; all films played on a loop. The female cabin crew were polite, but distant. Smiles were hard to come by. On a 9.5 hr flight they managed a remarkable disappearing act for hours and hours on end. A few drink cartons were left on the counter - for passengers to help themselves - in the otherwise abandoned galley. Two meals served and they were both quite good. During both meals warm breads were offered, and re-offered. (Only) two 'water walks' were made during the long hours between the meal services In spite of the good catering, my transatlantic flight on Austrian felt a bit down-market. Certainly not up to the standards of sister companies Swiss and Lufthansa. The timing of the flight - not to mention the fact that it was non-stop - was convenient for me, but I wouldn't go out of my way to fly Austrian again.

C Class, FRA-VIE-BKK-VIE-FRA. Two extremes on the same long distance flights. FRA-VIE-FRA was standard short haul business class service. VIE-BKK and back was excellent in terms of food (on-board chef makes dining in the air somehow a special experience) and friendliness of crew and the downside was the ancient seat and extremely ancient inflight entertainment system. Both seats and IFE are rather late 90's style. Not a big choice, not on-demand plus blurry screens. Crew apologized and referred to the planned refurbishment coming up soon.

Business from Bangkok to Vienna (and on to London). Boarding quick with a priority line for Business. Pleasant welcome but crew seemed disorganised and seemed to wait for ages before a pre-take off sparkling wine. Chef came around with menus and then the crew took orders for dinner. This was the highlight of the flight as the seats are cramped for Business class and it was tricky to exit from a window seat when the aisle seat was occupied. Dinner started with canapés, but drinks served afterwards, the starter and soup were good and my beef was served medium rare, which was excellent and the accompanying red wine very palatable. Cheese and dessert accompanied by a dessert wine and a Baileys coffee from the Coffee menu rounded off a decent meal. The cabin was too hot, so I slept fitfully! Breakfast was for me a plate of eggs with crispy bacon and toast. Overall the flight was good and will be even better when the new Business class seats are introduced.

DUS-VIE-LCA and LCA-VIE-DUS holiday flight. DUS-VIE and VIE-DUS with partner airline Lufthansa so will write only about the VIE-LCA vv flights. Inbound very good with a nice 1.5hr layover in VIE. Transferring takes some time in VIE and the plane was a little bit delayed but arrived on time in LCA. The new seats are horrible but the interior was nice. The food is very good as we had a delicious and tasty pasta with as many drinks you like. Very nice cabin attendants and enough information from the pilot. Inflight entertainment was poor with only some commercials about Austrian destinations and the map where we currently are. On the return flight we we're the last to check in but assigned to the emergency exits which was very nice. The 40 minutes transfer time in VIE was a hassle, we had to go through security checks again on a within Europe/Schengen flight so that caused some stress although all the passengers on the flight to Düsseldorf we're transferring passengers.

CDG-VIE-CDG. Outbound got upgraded in Business. Airbus A321 - padding of the new seats is too thin, decent legroom, blocked middle seat. Got some newspapers but no welcome drink. After takeoff got a delicious hot meal: smoked salmon, tasty veal burger with potatoes gratin, strawberry mousse. Inbound in Economy - same seats as in Business. Very limited catering on this two-hour flight: quite small ham sandwich, drinks. On both flights cabin crew polite but not overly friendly - however pilots were very informative. Senator lounge in VIE fairly small and overcrowded - but good drink selection and delicious Do&Co food offer.

First time experience with Austrian Airlines. Two flights, two consecutive days. The first one was delayed 70 minutes, the second one - 150 minutes. These changed completely my business schedule. I would rather arrange my travel to a different day just to avoid Austrian Airlines.

MUC-VIE-ATH, Fokker 100/A320 mixed experience. Legroom Fokker ok, but terrible on the new A320. It seems that OS squeezed some more rows into this plane, fortunately the neighbour seat was empty so I could use also this room. Crews also quite different: not very smiling on MUC VIE but very attentive and proactive (2 drinks rounds) on VIE-ATH leg. Free Snacks very small (chicken curry sandwich VIE-ATH). Flights on time, baggage arrived very quickly at Athen airport.

SZG - LWO via VIE with Dash Q 800 and F70. All flights on time. Boarding in SZG is quick and they served water and coffee on this short, 30 min flight to Vienna. F 70 used to and from Lviv, also friendly service by cabin crew. What really bothered me was the terminal in Vienna. Its quite a hurry to change planes as you have to go through security again. I had a 45 min layover in Vienna and due to heavy traffic in the terminal I had to run to catch my next flight. I can recommend Austrian on European routes, but only in the air. On the ground its horrible!

Vienna-Prague. Efficient and very quick check-in and security procedures followed by a messy departure area with hardly anywhere to eat and drink. On time departure, friendly crew and a drink service offered on the 40 minute flight. Recommended airline, despite Vienna airport departure area being awful.

LUX-DME via VIE. LUX-VIE operated by LG. Lounge in VIE, crowded and food selection minimal. VIE-DME operated by Tyrolean, although the only way of noticing was by looking at the boarding pass. Nice and clean 737-800, cabin crew friendly, magazines were offered. Food was good, nice portions but not that much greater than regular C class food. It was nice to get warm bread buns however. Nice wines and in general nice service. DME-VIE, the Austrian lounge in DME is nice, not crowded at all and with nice views. Priority boarding access directly from the lounge to the gangway, very nice! Flight was operated by a professional crew who did everything they could to make us feel comfortable. Jackets were taken, like on long-haul C class trips. Food good and wine once again nice. Both flights were on time and I must say I was happy with OS on this trip. Would prefer them over LH on this route anytime.

NRT-VIE-ARN (Tokyo-Vienna-Stockholm) with an old 777 between Tokyo and Vienna. Seats were not that comfy, and looked like something from the 70s. The entertainment was horrible. The screens had the worst picture ever, and they had no on demand. You had to wait for the movie to start on a curtain channel. Food wasn't that good either. We tried two different meals, and both tasted pretty bad. Service was slow, had to wait 15 min to just get some water after I pushed the button 3 times. After 4 hours wait in Vienna, we boarded a Fokker to Stockholm. No entertainment and just a small sandwich were served. I will not fly with them again; there are so much better airlines out there.

I travelled with my girlfriend from St. Petersburg (LED) to Budapest (BUD) via Vienna (VIE). Flight in SPB was 2.5 hours late and we missed the connection for BUD. Finally we boarded the plane (an old Fokker 100). The catering was poor, we were given some kind of broccoli with sauce, no meat. In the last 20 minutes of the flight while we were preparing already for landing, one flight attendant was asking everybody if they missed any connections in Vienna but that's it, she wasn't giving any suggestions for any other flights available. I don't recommend Austrian especially for flights longer than 2 hours.

Flew AMS-VIE-AMS over the weekend (2 hrs each way). AMS-VIE was OK - though only a muffin. Return boarding delayed by half an hour at VIE. Take-off then also delayed by half an hour or so, due to a passenger getting off the plane again, meaning arriving an hour late in AMS. In flight staff officious. Only food option was a ham and cheese sandwich. Crew member told me "we don't have vegetarian food. You can pull the ham out of this sandwich, then it's vegetarian". Take your own food if you don't eat meat.

Toronto to Budapest with a plane change in Vienna. Vienna plane cancelled, placed on a bus for 3 hours with no toilet or food. Ground staff were not professional, constantly yelling at passengers. We had to collect our baggage and walk about 1 km to take a bus. No carts as we had to go outside the airport terminal to "find" this bus. Some of the older travellers were not helped with luggage. Ground staff at Budapest were not told anything about when the bus would arrive only that it was coming and would disembark the passengers in the Departure lanes! Huge confusion even in Budapest. Calling Austrian Airlines was useless as they knew even less. The 50 minute plane ride would have been fine instead we had to wait 2 hours to get on a Bus which took 3 hours! Perhaps if the ground staff were more understanding the trip would have been slightly better but they acted towards everyone as if they were doing us a favour! I felt very sorry for the much older travelers who had to take their own luggage.

LHR to VIE and back recently. Online check in and seat selection was good. A321 are clean, the leg room in economy not too bad for short haul. Complimentary sandwich and drink served. Crew smiling. I would use it for short haul flights.

CPH-VIE-SKP return. Boarding from CPH was disorganized and messy. Flight staff seemed stiff and uncomfortable, snack onboard was a muffin. At Vienna, the new airport is very big and everything doesn't seem to work smoothly yet. Flight to Skopje on an older Fokker 100 had friendlier staff however we were offered an apple or a biscuit. Flights went smoothly and on time and pilots are good. But this can not make up for a poor service. Austrian has had a degradation since the last time I flew with them and in the near future I will choose another airline for my East European flight.

VIE-YYZ on a B767-300ER: the check-in experience at the new Star Alliance terminal in Vienna is far from optimal, but the trip was OK. Even the older 767s have good seats with adjustable headrests. Personal IFE is not genuinely on-demand, but still provides some ten video channels, playing in a fixed loop, making it possible to catch several movies throughout the flight. There are even live feeds from two outside cameras and an air show channel. Food is good, with fresh Viennese rolls and great salads by DO&CO. Arrival to Toronto slightly ahead of schedule. BRU-VIE on A320 was a standard 1hr 25 trip. No entertainment, but the slim Recaro seats provide good legroom and a small sandwich plus beverages are provided free of charge. The only downside was the 70-minute delay without as much as a word of apology from the crew.

LHR-VIE and VIE-LHR: Both flights left 20-30 minutes late and arrived no later then 10 minutes of the published times. Outward plane a Boeing 737 and return an Airbus 320. The planes looked clean and well maintained. What lets the service down is attention to details and quality of human interactions. The drop down screens show a very old moving map and the safety cartoon. On the return flight the screen was just left down, but blank for 40 minutes before some old cartoons were shown. The cabin crew appear to do what is required of them but with no great zeal. Passengers offered a drink and a muffin on outward flight. On the return leg a turkey and cheese sandwich. When I asked for a vegetarian option I was told directly and with no apology that there was not any. Mints offered after we had landed as passengers were on the way out. Another problem is that it is a very long walk at Heathrow to and from the gate used by Austrian. There are various means that help people a long, but it can take up to 20 minutes. The new terminal in Vienna, had a similar problem, although not quite so bad, but still a lengthy walk to passport control and I found very badly signposted. Next time I will fly with one of the other airlines. Departure on the return leg at the gate from Vienna was a bit chaotic and could have been better organized.

Brussels-Vienna return, July 2012. Nice newish 319s, with plenty of room and easy-to-fasten seatbelts, even for amply proportioned pax like me! Coffee/tea, juice and sandwich served on the out flight, with the additional option of wine on the late afternoon return. For the return flight, it was possible to check in at the Vienna CAT Air Terminal in the city centre, saving me the need to carry luggage into the airport.

Washington DC to Chisinau via Vienna, Economy Class. Travelling with my wife and 1-year old son. The overall impression was average-good (7 out of 10). The plane was old and the seats looked worn out. Limited legroom. Limited overhead luggage space on the old Boeing 767-300. The in-flight entertainment was old, not an AVOD which is standard for many European carriers by now. The service was OK. FAs were helpful with the bassinet, frequent rounds of drink service and good food. I ordered a seafood meal and the salmon and shrimp was tasty. On the VIE-KIV was offered an apple as a snack. Good wine on-board, flights on time and no problems with luggage. I've been flying Austrian for many years now and to be honest I have witnessed a constant deterioration of the product. Austrian is still an OK company, but definitely not what it used to be.

LHR-VIE-TSE. New terminal at VIE excellent. Food good, staff friendly. VIE-TSE is a 5.5 hr overnight flight, on a cramped 737. Business class is just the standard economy seat, with a centre seat blocked. I got to Astana feeling battered having not slept. Of course I don't expect a full lie flat bed, but they should be having a good look at the new Turkish short haul business class seat, which is fit for purpose. Unfortunately I didn't have much option with my schedule, but I will try to avoid this in future. It was fine for LHR-VIE though, which is exactly the type of flight it was designed for! Book with caution and do your research on overnighters with Austrian!

One of the worst airlines I have flown. The planes are outdated. The food was below standard. Airline staff literally threw a cheese sandwich at me. Upon requesting if there was an alternative, I was informed "I have only this, If you don't like, you stay hungry". Totally unbecoming of a four star rated airline. The cleanliness of the planes was poor. Flight took off 30 mins late. Entertainment system on the flight was antiquated.

PAR-BKK-PAR flying via Vienna. I fully agree with all statements regarding Business Class of the Austrian airlines. The catering service of Do&Co is one of the best cuisine's I have ever had on an airplane in Business Class. However, the sleeper seats are really not comfortable and I do not understand Lufthansa investing money to these archaic seats. Entertainment system is outdated compared to other European airlines. I agree that fabulous dishes, soft and alcohol drinks and service compensate everything else. However, I know that the Economy class of the Austrian still needs a lot of improvements and low quality service in comparison with Lufthansa, Turkish, British and other European companies.

London Heathrow to Vienna Schwechat. Overall, this flight was fantastic and couldn't have been better. Organized boarding, to stop that mad rush and running to be first. The SMS check-in service was also great, very simple and easy, was able to choose my seat free of charge. Courteous, friendly staff, all English speaking. Tasty snacks and drinks served within first two minutes of seatbelt sign being turned off. The cabin of the A320 was newly fitted with the new Recaro seats, comfortable, stylish and modern. Hilarious in-flight video played via shared (but easily visible) screens on the overhead panels. Whole cabin brand new. New Star Alliance terminal at Vienna, clean very new. First time flying with Austrian, and my decision has been made to fly this frequent route every time from now on!

Bangkok-Vienna-Tokyo. Flew these two routes with Austrian Airlines. Total of about 20 hrs in the air. Staff are pretty good but it stops there. Entertainment system is old and outdated. Worst I've come across. Food average at best - small and not much variety. Decor old.

ZRH-VIE-CFU in Economy. I must say both flights with them were very nice. First flight a nice ham and cheese sandwich. 2nd flight a hot sandwich. Absolutely enough for a 1.50 hours flight. Drinks were offered two times on both flights. Crew very friendly, despite that they fly now under Tyrolean airways. The only negative point is, that the Internet check in did not work and after several phone calls with grumpy agents, I called OS here in Zurich and a nice lady explained to me that Swiss is the handling agent in Zurich and that I have to check in through the website of Swiss. How should I know this. The new terminal in Vienna is great. Except that the new smokers lounges were "Out of order". Strange in a new terminal.

MUC-VIE-NRT. I chose Austrian Airlines because the ticket price was lowest. The seat was too small for the long flight to Asia, it was difficult to relax. Food was terrible and quantity not enough. The number of moves was much less than other airlines. I will never use this airline even if prices are attractive.

This was our first trip with Austrian and except for the seats in Business class which we felt hard to get really comfortable in the total recline position the flight, food and service was excellent. The 5 course meal which you select from the menu and served by the onboard chef in his chef's hat and crew was as good as some of the better restaurants we have eaten in. Crew was very friendly and gave us excellent service. Definitely would fly with them again.

Flew MUC-VIE-WAW several times in C-Class during the last months. Austrian Airlines (OS and VO) by far have the best Intra-European inflight product within the LH group. DO&CO catering is outstanding and flight crews show a high level of hospitality. The new Austrian Star Alliance terminal in VIE is a huge improvement and extremely comfortable for quick and easy connections. New HON lounge is a very nice treat away from the masses of fellow SEN and FTL passengers. Together with ZRH and MUC it has become a great and very comfortable hub in LH group. I hope OS/VO will keep their service level as a benchmark for other LH group members in the future!

CDG-VIE-KLU, KLU-VIE-CDG. We missed both connections because of delays during first flight. They offered us a 75€ voucher for compensation despite EU recommendations and 6 hrs delay to KLU and a forced overnight stay in VIE on our way back. We even had to ask 3 times to have a bus ticket to go to the train station.

VIE-CDG-VIE. When I arrived at the airport, they told me at the boarding gate, that my ticket was cancelled a day before from a service agent. Interesting, as I checked in a day before using web check-in and they issued a boarding pass for business class which I hadn't booked. As a Frequent traveller I thought they just gave me an upgrade. Food service - a dry bread with the thinnest slice of cheese and ham, which they promote as the best catering by DO&CO. Poorest quality and no recommencing for DO&CO. Ground and Inflight-staff unfriendly. New seats (black and red) look poor and old after a few month in use. I would recommend to close down Austrian and Swiss should start a new hub in Vienna. Sorry. Never again with Austrian.

Flew LHR-VIE-DXB return business. Check in fast in LHR, no wait at security, although no fast track lane. Star Alliance Lounge breakfast as normal, busy with adequate refreshments. Flight boarded on time. Nice breakfast on board. Fast change in VIE, in new Terminal, up one floor, through security and onto plane to DXB. Planes are old yes, but clean and for 5 hrs flight all you need. Lots of staff very friendly. On-board food excellent, better than many restaurants. Seats are hard, but they are okay for the day flight. IFE very poor, one screen black and white only. Otherwise very good. All Austrian planes park on tarmac at DXB. separate bus for business passengers. Coming back night flight, 0150. Lounge at DXB small but good food and drink. On soon as on board, food offered or as I did sleep! Bed is okay, hard but put blanket under me was better. Front seats have more leg room, but for night flight take other seats, they have foot well to stop you sliding down! Used pillow as leg rest. Had good sleep. Nice breakfast. Used new lounge at VIE, great showers and refresh, then onto LHR. Flight good, excellent food again.

Flight: In last month. Flew Munich-Vienna-Bologna-Florence. The Fokker 100 plane was rather old, hence the seats were old. My preferred seat is the A seat in the last row. So naturally I choose this one when checking in. So it was my fault that I was sitting right next to the engine. The noise was incredible. I plugged my headphones in to die down the noise a little. Service was mediocre. Nothing special - regional airline standard, I guess. The connection in Vienna was strange, since we had to pass security again, though we had been cleaned in Munich. The waiting area for regional flights in Vienna is old and shabby. Not much to do. At least they had free internet - but it disconnected every 10 minutes or so. Wasn't too fond of that experience, but bet that the medium and long haul product is a lot better.

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