Austrian review - by Gary Belan
17 November 2006

KUL/SYD in economy. Flight was pretty full but we scored 3 seats for the two of us. Service was ok - just. I had requested Vegan meals but was handed a standard breakfast. I told the flight attendant that I had ordered a Vegan meal. Her response "You're not on the list." I told her the vegan request was noted on my boarding pass. She disappeared and came back with a lacto-vegetarian meal (I am allergic to dairy products.) She tried to tell me it was the same thing. She really was not interested and I could tell she thought I was the problem. I asked to see the Purser. She was apologetic and went out of her way to find some breakfast (from Business) that I could eat. Amazingly when lunch was served I got my Vegan meal! (I guess I was back on 'the list'.)

Austrian review - by Gino Uguccioni
2 November 2006

Syd-Vie and return Vie-Syd in September Business Class, and have to say that we rated both sectors among the best flights we have taken. Service was friendly, attentive and impeccable, cabins clean, the new business class seats a dream and recline to an angled lie-flat bed. Food was amazing. Business class comes with an onboard chef, who actually does something - ask how we wanted our steaks cooked. Then for breakfast he comes to ask how we would like eggs cooked. Wines, desserts, food presentation and the whole package was beyond our expectations and in our opinion exceeded the Singapore Airlines experience. Extremely impressed.

Austrian review - by Petteri Yrjölä
5 October 2006

SYD - VIE vie Kuala Lumpur in Y class, Star Gold. First time in Austrian long-haul and I was expecting much more than was delivered. Ground service in SYD was okay. Lounge (NZ) excellent. I noticed that this plane was a old Lauda Air B777 with 3-4-3 configuration and especially my "excellent exit-row seat" was so narrow plus table in armside. I am 5-8 (170 cm) and normal weight, and even I was having problem to sit down. Service was there, however it was consistent. And to make things worse, as aperitif or else, no cold drinks. Food was somehow okay. Worst part of the trip was this seating, as exit row seats are next to galley and restrooms, so I had the pleasure to be pushed by crew and other passengers trying to get by this narrow (must be only 40 cm) point. Kuala Lumpur stop was said to be 20-30 mins, and passengers were asked only to go out of plane and turn back through an extra security check to gate seats with no toilet visit or so. Of course there was a huge mess, so we had plenty of time to do toilet visits and the whole stop was closer to 1 hour. Whole trip was about 20 hours and I have never had so horrible experience. Fortunately the Senator lounge had shower and proper service.

Austrian review - by Mike Preston
2 October 2006

BKK - VIE Business Class. A thoroughly enjoyable experience although I feel that the check in staff at the newly opened Suvarnabhumi Airport in BKK should have pointed out that it is a very long walk from the lounge to the gate, and also given a more adequate map as that the signposting of the lounges at the airport is useless. So much better than their Star Alliance partner, Lufthansa. Cabin crew with warm smiles, properly presented food and a wide choice for all courses, more comfortable seats with a decent recline somehow managing to seem more spacious, and comfortable duvet and big pillow. IFE with a greater choice and better sound and picture quality. Crew were attentive and available, and seemed cheerful. Two minor criticisms. Very high duty free prices. One item I bought on board for €20 would have cost €15.60 at VIE airport and €13.00 in a shop in VIE. No announcements, not even recorded, in Thai. A little disrespectful on a route where a large proportion of the passengers could be expected to be Thai.

Austrian review - by D Flint
22 September 2006

LHR-VIE-DEL and back again and found Austrian to offer just about the worst service I've ever experienced while travelling. The flight from LHR was delayed and we were reassured that all the connecting flights in VIE would be held back. Of course, they weren't, and the assistance was appalling. We were offered totally unrealistic routings or delays of unspecified length for a direct flight. In the end, the best they would offer us was a wait of almost twenty hours, a flight to BKK, another extended wait and then onwards to DEL with Thai. Apart from this, the IFE was dreadful and the food shockingly bad for an intercontinental flight (breakfast of one small slice of cold pre-packaged and refrigerated schwarzbrot and an even smaller tub of cream cheese? After a lengthy flight?) The drinks service was a little stingy and the flight hopelessly overbooked. On the return leg, the flight was delayed, without explanation, and the service similarly bad. I would avoid flying with Austrian again even if they were offering fares half that of their nearest competitor.

Austrian review - by Walter Van Dam
16 September 2006

LHR-VIE-SYD return in economy. Flight to Vienna was ok if you compare it to Ryanair or EasyJet. Transfer to our Sydney flight was chaotic with people being directed all over the place and joining the wrong queue. The 777 aircraft was clean and bright. Boarding ok except we were given the wrong seats at check in. Luckily we were allocated a row of three seats with the centre seat left vacant for the whole flight. Cabin staff excellent and service was good. Food also very good, probably the best we have had on our frequent flights. A word about seating. The rear economy cabin has a seat configuration of 3-4-3, which means very narrow seats whereas the front economy cabin is configured with 3-3-3 with wider more comfortable seats. Avoid the rear cabin if possible. The return flight was much the same with good food and flight attendant and good food. In flight entertainment was quite good with a reasonable selection of films. Would I fly Austrian again? Yes if the fares remain reasonably cheap.

Austrian review - by Paul Evans
6 September 2006

VIE - FRA in economy on a Fokker 70 operated by Austrian Arrows which was quite comfortable although the seats had seen better days. FAs were very good and obviously enjoyed their jobs which made for a pleasant flight. Usual drinks and snacks served with refills if wanted. Departed and arrived bang on time which was welcome as I had a tight connection to catch. The aircraft used was a new experience for me and I found the approach to landing at FRA was a bit uncomfortable as the aircraft seemed to pitch and roll a lot even though the weather conditions were not that bad. Prefer LH but more than acceptable for a short haul trip.

Austrian review - by I Cateiren
26 August 2006

OTP-VIE-ARN, economy. Both flights operated by Austrian Arrows, with Fokker 100 planes. The cabin was very quite clean, but showed it's age (some reading lights did not work, some seats were quite worn out). Seating was quite uncomfortable, with very little leg room. Flight attendants quite helpful and attentive, even with the flight almost fully booked. Both flights being very short (1h:10 and 1h:45), no food was served, however, tea, coffee and water was given free of charge, alongside a small snack (a choice between a chocolate muffin and a bar of chocolate) - quite normal for European flights these day. All in all, everything was quite OK. Transfer in Vienna went without a glitch.

Austrian review - by Stephen Carter
23 August 2006

LHR-VIE-DNK Economy. I have travelled this route many times in the last year and I only use Austrian because the flight schedule suits me. In preference I would always use Lufthansa for service and efficiency. Vienna airport is an absolute nightmare with long delays at what seem to be random security and passport checks. Even the slightest delay in arriving seems to mean that it is a race to get to the departure gate for the connection. I find the cost of the flight to be above average for the distance travelled although that is probably because DNK is a low volume destination. The one thing I do object to is the fact that food and refreshments have to be purchased even though the cost of the flight is high. The menu offered is also very limited and hasn't been changed since I started to use this airline. I am due to travel to DNK again this week and this time I have chosen Lufthansa via Frankfurt and Kiev, with Ukrainian International Airlines for the domestic leg. As I will be staying longer on this visit the schedule wasn't so critical, and even though I have to change twice on the journey I have not chosen to fly Austrian via Vienna. I really feel I get low cost airline service without the benefit of a low cost fare.

Austrian review - by André Leblanc
30 July 2006

GOT-VIE-CDG Business class. GOT-VIE operated by Austrian Arrows (former Tyrolean). Despite a small aircraft (Challenger) and very little legroom even in business class, the service was quite fair. Very well presented food, very tasty and copious, but no welcome drink. Staff was quite professionnal. In Vienna the lounge was quite hard to find and to reach, but it was really pleasant with a lot of fine food and beverages. The only thing is that they were only two or three computers for the whole lounge! Impossible for me to use one of them. Otherwise Vienna airport is a nightmare. No or almost not working air conditioning, long queue to pass through the gate (they do the security check at the gate, and since the flight to Paris was full, I had to stand more than 30 minutes in a very warm airport...) More than that, we had to wait ten minutes in the gangway to the aircraft in an even warmer space than in the airport! Again the staff for this flight operated by Austrian (with an A320) was quite OK, but a little bit cold and unfriendly. Food was fine, but no choice in the menu offered for a two hours flight, and again, no welcome drink.

Austrian review - by Daniel Goris
18 July 2006

AMS-VIE-MEL and back SYD-VIE-AMS in Business. Checkin at AMS was slow (30 mins waiting in business line. AMS-VIE operated by Tyrolean and quite ok. Very nice staff, good reading material. Food ok. Too bad the flight was 1.5 hours delayed so I had 50 minutes to get to the connecting flight gate. VIE was a total nightmare! Huge lines for passport control and after running through that (thank you other passengers who let me go first) an unpleasant attendant told me to wait in another line to get some kind of registration required for Oz. The airplane was an old 767, okay but not more than that. Later I saw that 2 weeks after our flight the new business class would be avail on this flight - too bad. Again very nice staff, friendly and helpful. Food absolutely fantastic, better than most other business class products. Amenities nice, lots of blankets and pillows. SYD-VIE-AMS: lounge at SYD ok but nothing special. Flight back in a 777, a bit better but still sort of old. Once again very friendly and helpful staff. The 3-seaters in the middle are less comfortable. For some reason the seat numbers of me and my companion were not in the reservation so we almost sat apart for 20 hours. The stop at KL is just stressful - running out and in again. Smoking lounge about 5 km walking from the gate. Once again lots of very good food, freshly prepared and very nice. Tyrolean operated VIE-AMS completed the trip after a stay in the lounge at VIE which is absolutely nothing. Altogether nothing to complain about. Big respect to Austrian crew for being friendly from start to end, too bad flights are through VIE which is one of the most terrible airports I have ever seen!

Austrian review - by Tim Foran
11 July 2006

TLV-VIE-YYZ Business Class. A320 from Tel Aviv to Vienna was nothing special - three seats across, just as they do in economy. Here the food and service was nothing special. Vienna to Toronto, via Airbus 330 was a different matter. The aircraft was pristine, seats large and comfortable. Austrian provided pillows and blankets as well as a very nice hygiene kit. The food was seven courses, and very good. The wines were a few rungs above the pedestrian class served on other airlines. I finished with an excellent cognac. The only thing not up to those standards was the entertainment system. Despite a new console, the fare consisted of mediocre movies and TV shows, and musical programming that every airline procures for their flights. Something a bit more sophisticated here would keep pace with the rest of the ambiance on the flight. Otherwise, a suitable way to spend nine and one half hours aboard an aircraft.

Austrian review - by Andrea Bettinelli
21 June 2006

I was recently forced to travel on the route VIE-JFK due to a rerouting. I was excited to fly with Austrian at first, as reviews about this airline are usually quite good. When I boarded the plane, I discovered that the flight was operated by Lauda Air, a subsidiary of Austrian. The aircraft was an aged 767 that was really showing his age. The cabin ambience was so old and run down, really outdated for the type of aircrafts that are around now on intercontinental flights. The business class was just awful with truly uncomfortable seats that could just recline a little. The seats were narrow and the foot rest just raised by few inches. On my seat stood a dirty pillow with long hair from the previous female passenger, I guess. It was a truly negative experience and I would suggest anyone travelling on that route not to take Austrian and/or the Lauda Air operated flights.

Austrian review - by Stuart Boate
18 June 2006

Heathrow to Baku via Vienna, Late in late out but that is probably more LHR than Austrian fault a reasonable flight but I object to paying for a packet sandwich when they are free on Lufthansa and other quality airlines. Vienna to Baku OK interesting to see more business class seats than economy ! Food and service efficient and that is about all that can be said. Return Baku to Vienna. Aircraft full, My pre-booked aisle seat had mysteriously gone and on a Fokker-70 I got 17E last row middle seat, no recline, no IFE, once the seat in front was reclined (0400 take off) I had 20 cm space between my chest and the seat back in front of me so even reading a book was almost impossible and trying to eat, well I am sure you can imagine. If it was not on of only about 3 carriers into Baku I would say never again.

Austrian review - by Masaki Oda
18 June 2006

LHR-VIE-BKK Economy class. The first leg was awful. A cramped F-100 (operated by Tyrolean). Hardly any space both in front and beside you. Water was provided but snacks were sold. While this is quite common in European flights nowadays, the main problem was that they did not accept any starling coins (incl 1 and 2GBP), even though it was a London flight. Transfer at VIE was smooth but all except one shop was closed at 21:00, two hours before VIE-BKK flight was due to leave. The second leg on A340-300. Clean but quite aged. Had more reasonable legroom but no personal IFE. However, music selections, especially classics were excellent. A fairly good in flight meal and very friendly flight attendants. I would say it is better than, say, LH or KL, but still need more work in order to reach the standards of many Asian airlines.

Austrian review - by J Ludewig
1 June 2006

VIE-FRA. Their handling of carry-on is a joke, at least in Vienna. 8kg maximum is very customer unfriendly. Lufthansa had a way more casual approach on my flight FRA-VIE. A bit outdated attitude, if you ask me. Flight with AUA itself was okay - at least free water/coffee. Better than Iberia, but far from Lufthansa standard.

Austrian review - by Steven Mathers
29 May 2006

LHR-VIE-BKK return economy class. My first experience of Austrian and I was impressed - the feeder flights to/from London were very busy and on a par with most European [except for the purchase-only food]. As a Star alliance Gold member I was allocated exit seat almost automatically - on the long haul leg to and from Bangkok I had 2 seats at the side allocated to me and was able to spread a little sideways. Flight attendants are efficient if a little humourless - the lounges in Vienna are absurdly spartan but there is a fair selection of food and some seats to recline in.

Austrian review - by Michel Hess
18 May 2006

Austrian is still the best airline for travels to and from the South Caucasus capitals Yerevan, Tbilisi, Baku. However, flights are frequently crammed and on many occasions the incoming flight was so significantly delayed that I lost connections in Vienna. For Baku I would recommend Lufthansa, schedule permitting. Much better seats and comfort. Unfortunately, neither Lufthansa nor Austrian offer satisfactory service to Central Asia, there I recommend Turkish which flies to all capitals, including Dushanbe since the beginning of 2006.

Austrian review - by Lori Jamison
13 May 2006

Just returned from Vienna via Austrian Airlines (economy class, Toronto to Vienna) and I have to say I have rarely traveled in such cramped conditions, even domestically, much less on an 8+ hour flight. Fortunately, we were able to get seats in a bulkhead (exit) row on the return. Service was fine, food merely okay. I certainly would not choose Austrian Air again. BTW, one bonus - if you take the CAT (City Airport Transit) from downtown Vienna, you can check in on Austrian at the CAT station and they will transport your luggage to the airport.

Austrian review - by Cuong Nguyen
13 May 2006

YYZ-VIE-YYZ in Business Class. Generally very impressed with the service from check-in to boarding and in the air (except for a little chaotic leaving Vienna). Both flights were on A330-200. Departure and arrival on time. Staff were attentive and helpful. Lunch and dinner were excellent and prepared in front of the passengers. Seats are OK. I was told that OS is replacing them with new seats in 2006-2007. Nice amenity kit and I like the thick blanket. Also flew several intra-European services with Austrian (VIE-AMS, BRU-VIE, VIE-PRN) in both Business and Economy. Nothing to complain.

Austrian review - by Michael Kasberg
6 May 2006

Hamburg-Vienna in Y-class. Seating was cramped in a Fokker 70. The crew was friendly, but "service" nearly didn't exist. It was like a low cost airline. You had to pay for nearly everything: A can of beer for 3 Euro, a can of coke 2,50 Euro etc. Only (thin) coffee, tea and pure water were free of charge. The return (code share) flight was with Lufthansa. Seating was okay, and they served a snack, coke, juices, coffee etc. and sparkling wine - free of charge!

Austrian review - by A Sigalus
6 May 2006

Vienna to Milano was a short and easy flight on Austrian. My girlfriend had an oversized painting that could not fit, so without even asking for help one of the flight attendant offered to place in a safe place. Served a tasty sandwich on such a short flight and plenty of leg room. Will definitely fly again. Milano to Vienna was on a smaller plane by Tyrolean where there wasn't much legroom. Overall satisfied.

Austrian review - by Graham Elliott
7 April 2006

LHR-VIE-KLIA return business class. Check-in for both long-haul parts not good. In spite of pre-booking seats this was ignored & we were initially given separated seats both ways. By exchanging with a helpful passenger we sat each side of the aisle on the outward journey and after creating a fuss in KLIA were changed to adjacent seats for the return. Seats on Boeing 777 were too hard. On the plus side the price was very competitive, the service in the air very good and the food the best we've ever experienced. Would fly again for the food.

Austrian review - by Ivan Ilieff
7 April 2006

JFK-VIE-JFK in Economy. Overall great experience in newly refurbished economy class cabins. Flight crew very efficient, food and drinks were plentiful. It helps if one speaks German, but by far better personal service than Lufthansa. Being the cheapest option from the U.S. to Central/Eastern Europe, AUA provides an excellent service. The only thing that spoils the entire experience is the Vienna airport, which is completely chaotic when it comes to boarding transatlantic flights. It is being expanded, and the operating room should double by next year, hopefully that negative side of flying Austrian will fade as well. Awesome idea of having a camera on the nose and the belly of the airplane.

Austrian review - by Andrey Gerasenkov
7 April 2006

JFK-VIE-KBP-VIE-JFK in economy. Very good service on both transatlantic flights. FA's were constantly offering drinks. The food was definitely above average. Legroom and seat width were just ok. The VIE-KBP leg was serviced by Lauda Air and the KBP-VIE by Tyrolean. Food and drinks available for purchase, legroom about the same - just ok. Overall satisfaction - above average.

Austrian review - by Dirk Damrau
30 March 2006

Return LHR-VIE-BKK in Business Class. Third time in two years based on pricing and comfort. The LHR-VIE segments are typical Eurobusiness, although better in catering and seat comfort than BA. The long-haul segments have "old-fashioned" business class seats (not lay-flat), but comfortable. Excellent lounges (Senator and Business) in VIE, including free wireless internet. Business catering is generally excellent, in the same category as Iberia or Air France. Service and attentiveness is above the norm.

Austrian review - by David Crew
27 March 2006

LHR-VIE-MEL, Economy 0630 departure from LHR delayed, after a very unorganised check in, therefore connection time in VIE reduced, asked flight attendant about our situation and did not offer (or care) any assistance. Arrived in VIE to chaos and where bussed to the terminal to fend for ourself with 10 mins to catch our connecting flight. VIE-MEL via SIN on 777 inflight service is the worst I have experienced. Had finally fallen (in cramped 3-4-3) asleep in aisle seat and was hit in the head somehow with a bread basket and not even acknowledged by attendent. Meals just ok. Return on 767, late arrival of aircraft therefore delayed departure inflight service was no different, upon arrival in VIE or flight to LHR was waiting for us, as we where late again and after a 18 hour flight, trying to find a crack to squeeze your hand luggage in the overhead bins was a joy I could do without. Overall a bad experience and will not fly Austrian again.

Austrian review - by Robert Lynam
25 March 2006

LHR-VIE-SYD business class. Decided to overnight in VIE as dislike the early start from LHR and wanted a relaxing start to our holiday. Great decision which took a lot of the stress out of a long trip. Austrian don't have lie flat seats yet (summer 06) but offer very comfortable cradle seats and OK IFE (not VOD). What sets them apart and impressed me the most was the on board chef and fantastic meal service. No sign of individual trays - they set your table with condiments and cutlery from a trolley and all food is served onto fresh crockery (not the same dish is was heated in !). Without a doubt the best food I've ever had in the air and very attentive FA's too. Picked OS for their excellent one way fare to SYD to retain gold with bmi and got an unexpected highlight to the start of the holiday. Well done Austrian and I will certainly be on board again with you again.

Austrian review - by Dominik Bresnjak
13 March 2006

Although being an Austrian citizen, I am not very proud about our flag carrier. Their business class product is good, but Economy isn't it at all. Staff can be very rude and unpolite (as on Vienna airport), and in addition, you have to pay extremely high prices for all kinds of catering on all European routes. This wouldn't be the problem if their ticket prices were low, but they really aren't. They also use some types of airplanes which are already old, worn out and uncomfortable (Dash, Canadair, Fokker). Austrian might be rather a good choise when travelling business, but in Economy you do better by choosing an other carrier. All in all 4/10!

Austrian review - by David Cairns
13 March 2006

LHR-VIE-ESB in Business. LHR-VIE OK but in-flight service is poor. Tasteless hot breakfast with cold coffee. Connection at VIE was, as usual, good but business lounge hard to find (access only by a small elevator hidden round a corner) and the lounge was as crowded as the public areas. VIE-ESB in a Fokker 70 was awful. Business class seats are identical to Economy seats and very cramped (both width and pitch) which was decidedly unpleasant. Hot lunch served 15 minutes after take off and the crew made a point of ignoring Business class passengers for the next two hours. It's the easiest way of getting from London to Ankara but Austrian provide a lousy service.

Austrian review - by Max Taylor
13 March 2006

LHR - SYD in economy. The first leg LHR to VIE was poor. 06.30 departure from Heathrow was a pain. Long queues at the check in and delayed departure (typical for T2). The breakfast was not included in the price and flight attendants hardly spoke any English. Transfer at Vienna was quite alright but the terminal was very small and the queues are even worse than at LHR. VIE to SYD via KUL was pleasant experience. The plane was clean and the seat was reasonably spacious (try to avoid the second compartment in economy the seats there are 3-4-3 which is really tight). The food was excellent (4 meals served) and drinks were plentiful. FAs were friendly and helpful. The choice of films wasn’t the best I have seen, so make sure you have a book to read. Another good thing is that you arrive at Sydney at 3pm so the queues to immigration aren’t as bad as on early morning arrivals. On the return leg the check in was nice and easy despite the difficulty of finding the checking desk in the far end of the terminal. The plane was clean the FAs were nice and professional. The choice of films was slightly better and the food was brilliant. The seats do your back in a bit, but the pillow and blanket they provide is nice and comfy. Overall I reckon it was a pleasant experience and good value for money, they deserved 7/10. I would recommend Austrian for long haul flights if you appreciate the quality of the food and don’t mind bad entertainment. The short haul flights however aren’t so good.

Austrian review - by Daniel Weil
5 March 2006

MEL-SIN-VIE return. B777-200 is modern, clean and nice. The IFE on Austrian is one of the best I've experienced with a large seat-back screen - although poor choice of movies on the way to VIE. The crew were not so friendly MEL to SIN. However the crew was changed in Singapore and there was a big improvement. Great legroom on all the flights even though they were all full to capacity. Much better choice of movies on the return flight.

Austrian review - by Ernest Wessman
5 March 2006

Stockholm-Vienna-Sydney. Flight from Stockholm (Austrian Arrows Fokker 100 - operated by Tyrolean). Now have just returned with Austrian's Boeing 777 from Sydney to Vienna. On the first leg Sydney-KL, the food was terrible. Second leg KL-Vienna, food was much better. The cleanliness of the cabin was so so, and presentation of the choice of meals lacked in both fantasy and information. Austrian is not my favourite in the air, and especially not on the ground.

Austrian review - by Hugh O'Brian
5 March 2006

Great service, food. Flew business CPH-VIE-BKK two weeks ago and was very happy with it. It was the cheapest European business class I could find. Even though the seats are not lie flat versions they are comfortable. Good Austrian wines to boot. I should add that the short haul CPH-VIE legs were also excellent. Best biz service I have seen in Europe.

Austrian review - by Richard Chapman
5 March 2006

SYD-KUL and return. 340 one way and 777 the other (I think). Disorganised on ground and cramped inconvenient gate at SYD. Changed in the air though, good service and not too uncomfortable despite the loud colour scheme of green, yellow and red. Food was good, although English translations of some of it not quite right. Very few Malaysians on board, only Central Europeans and a few Aussies. For bargain fare I would fly with them again, although didn't like the 6am start at KUL. Loved the Almdudler, can only get this in Australia at $3 a can but was drinking them down.

Austrian review - by Peter Hann
14 February 2006

Vienna to London Heathrow vv. Due to a lucky upgrade the outbound sector was in business class. Excellent service with hot breakfast service - quite plentiful and very tasty, coffee was refilled several times and other drinks were also available. Return flight in economy was nearly as good. As the ticket was quite cheap I didn't mind their "Bistro Service". Selection of snacks is by far better than any other airlines' and prices are OK. Tea, coffee, mineral water are not charged and before landing a "Mozart"-chocolate is offered. Crew was great on both legs - very friendly and helpful throughout the flight.

Austrian review - by Brett Lerner
14 February 2006

IAD-VIE and VIE-TLV economy. Boarding at IAD was smooth and efficient. A variety of complimentary newspapers at the gate. Extremely well staffed on this A40. 2-4-2 configuration. Plane did not have individual entertainment units, but ran movies throughout the flight. Complimentary drinks and two meal services. Staff was friendly and attentive. VIE to TLV is a relatively short flight (3.5 hours) so I was surprised that Austrian served a full meal and complimentary drinks. Easily made a 40 minute connection at Vienna.

Austrian review - by S Bakker
6 February 2006

MEL-SIN. The was above what I expected. 777-200 comes in funky, be it not really matching, bright colors, and certainly makes for a fresh and spacious feel. The unusually greedy 3-4-3 configuration wasn't a problem - seats are narrow, but some smart tricks like putting the IFE controller in the front seat instead of armrest helped alleviate that. Forward leg space OK, and seemed better than the 31" I read somewhere. Larger than standard in-seat LCD screens in economy, above average pleasant service, and quite good food. The fare was unbeatable.

Austrian review - by Didier Dubois
15 January 2006

Frequently using Austrian/Tyrolean economy on VIE-ZRH or VIE-BSL. Months after the takeover of SWISS by LH, they still don't manage to provide you with an e-ticket if you book via SWISS or to credit your SWISS miles automatically. Prices are outrageous if you don't book very early. This is especially true for the Basel connection where there is no competition! Ridiculous prices for bistro service, only water and tea/coffee are free. In smaller aircraft, one person has to handle all the cabin service and often serves the last passengers when the flight is in mid-descent. The Canadair Regional Jets are small, but at least you can leave and pick up your luggage directly at the plane. The only big plus is the decent collection of quality newspapers offered.

Austrian review - by D Liappis
13 January 2006

Flying Austrian during Dec 2005 I noticed that it has succumbed to the no services policy of the majority of the Star Alliance airlines. The ticket price is average or even a bit higher than the competition. From HEL to VIE they are using a Canadair regional jet - this thing never attaches to a terminal directly so you always arrive there by bus and wait for the people to climb the small ladder, one after the other, while the snow and cold is hurling around you. This plane is so small that you can barely walk the corridor if you're tall and sitting by the window could also mean problems with your head touching the ceiling. The bistro service should be avoided - there is almost no possibility for warm food. What the airlines do not necessarily understand nowadays is that to reach certain destinations in Europe you have to change the flight at a certain airport; if you're unlucky to have very little waiting time there you might be facing the possibility of having a 5 hour trip with only cold snacks offered at the price of 5eur per sandwich. If we were talking about Easyjet prices there would be no problem - but Austrian Airlines prices are far from that level.

Austrian review - by Yusaf Akbar
1 January 2006

VIE to IAD. As Star Alliance Gold Card holder, I got an upgrade to "Grand Class". I must say it lived up to expectations! Since OS do not have separate first and business class, this product is superb. Nice amenity kit including lotions and anti-stress ball(!). Seats on the A330-200 are OK. Seat pitch and comfort similar to old business class in Lufthansa. I understand that OS is replacing them with new seats in 2007. Inflight entertainment OK. Six course lunch was outstanding. Menu extensive and wine list excellent. Staff were great. For a 10 hour flight it was very comfortable. I understand that if you purchase a "C" class ticket, it can costs more than $5000 roundtrip. Good for me that I got a free upgrade!

Austrian review - by George Bielinski
20 December 2005

MEL/VIE/LHR, economy class. Check in at Melbourne airport was very fast and efficient. Fulfilled seat request, didn't mind overweight luggage (by 12kg x2). Economy seating on Boeing 767 was terrible: no leg room, no footrest, hardly any room to move, seats worn out, toilets filthy. Flight attendants very unfriendly. Food was quite good for economy class. The inflight entertainment choice was next to useless - no variety, only a few channels, didn't bother to watch during the 20hr flight. Catching a connecting flight in Vienna was easy. Flight to LHR was on Fokker F70: seats more comfortable than 767. Only received free bottle of water (have to pay for all meals and snacks - they looked quite stale and unappetising). Flight was cheap, but not worth the hassle. Next time will pay extra $50 to fly Malaysian Airlines: better food, comfortable seats, plenty of legroom, fantastic service and inflight entertainment, fast connection in KL, flies direct to LHR from KL.

Austrian review - by Karen Peake
13 December 2005

SYD/VIE/LHR. Flight was late departing Sydney, delayed in KL for 1.5 hours. Unable to fulfil seat request, economy seating no leg room, seat would not recline, now have bruises on my shins from the foot rest on the seat in front. Staff unfriendly had to ask again and again for water, they went 3 hours without serving drinks. Had to run through airport at Vienna to make connecting flight that was boarding no ground staff to help and point in the right direction. Flight to London no headphones for the inflight entertainment, had to pay for a snack?? And to end my journey my suitcase had missed the connection at Vienna and had to wait 1/2 hour to file a report it was then delivered to me 10 hours later. Although flight was very cheap, not worth the inconvenience and stress.

Austrian review - by Joshua Brien
8 December 2005

LHR-VIE Return, Economy. Both flights arrived 30 minutes late. Service poor and unfriendly. Outbound, surly check-in staff, even at the business class desk. Despite checking in 2 hours prior to departure, I was informed that the flight was overbooked and that consequently (a) my companion and I could not travel together, and (b) that I couldn't be assigned a seat until boarding. No apology or explanation given other than the stock response of "this happens all the time in the airline industry". Upon boarding, we found that our seats had also been double booked, which lead to a series of embarrassing and unhelpful exchanges with the cabin staff before we finally got allocated seats. The flight itself was uneventful, but again characterised by poor and unfriendly service. For example, the complementary water was handed out only 30 minutes before landing, which seems pointless on a two hour flight. Inbound, no problems at check-in, but during boarding was asked by staff whether we would like to "volunteer" to take a later flight because (surprise, surprise) the flight had been overbooked. Needless to say, we didn't take up the offer. Flight uneventful, and once again, no water distributed until near to landing. We didn't try the food, but I can report that the person sitting behind us complained that the sandwich that she purchased was mouldy. She was promptly given a replacement, but not a refund. In short, a terrible, hopelessly overpriced airline that I would recommend readers avoid if at all possible.

Austrian review - by Joseph Ashmead
8 December 2005

SYD-KUL-VIE. 777-200 was clean, and spacious. Staff were smart, attentive and the food and drinks were plentiful - as good as it gets in Y class. Best of all, this was the cheapest flight out of SYD!

Austrian review - by Tom Lowe
21 November 2005

It's true these guys are short changing us on food etc but hats off for making connections. I regularly catch the 9:30 from LHR to make my connection in Vienna to TSR. It's only 45 minutes and invariably they hold the TSR flight. They even get a mini bus to collect me from the London plane to take me directly to the Timisoara plane.

Austrian review - by Volodymyr Tounytsky
30 October 2005

Flew Austrian-Thai from Lviv, Ukraine to Manila via Bangkok. As of now only half of the itinerary has been charged to my miles-and-more account. Agree with some other posters here - they must be doing this on purpose to deprive participants of enjoying the privileges of higher status. Fly regularly with them because Lviv has limited connections - otherwise will have changed them for another carrier - the service is mediocre to say the least.

Austrian review - by Patrick Kabouw
24 October 2005

VIE-AMS-VIE Economy. I don’t like there new economy product: You have to pay for your food and get a bottle of water (200ml) and coffee or thee and a biscuit for free. This wouldn’t be the problem but LCC are flying the same route for cheaper prices. I agree with people about the staff at Vienna airport they overworked and don’t really care about you. I think Austrian should have a lower star rating looking at their European service - can’t comment on long haul routes.

Austrian review - by Karel Appel
9 October 2005

AMS via VIE to SOF with Austrian and Tyrolean. To be honest, not really impressed. When taxying at AMS the Austrian Airbus made an alarming knocking/banging sound, during flight no problems, but when landing again this sound, not something to feel comfortable about. Obviously the stewardesses heard the noise, I really wondered why they took off. After having landed, we were taken to the apt in a bus and when descending I saw a technician directly walking to one of the wheels, checked for a couple of seconds, before being called by some people that he should check the cargo bay door. No clue about his findings, since then the bus was gone already. The flight to SOF with a Tyrolean (operated by Austrian) Fokker 100 was delayed for more than an hour, due to the need of a tyre change. At first we were guided into a bus, stood there for 15 minutes, then were guided out of it and into a very small corridor, stood there again for 10 minutes, then back to the boarding room. All this without too much effort to inform us about the reason. Only when we were back at the boarding room they informed us about the tyre. At first I thought this tyre change was a small lie to cover up some other problem, but one tyre obviously was new (stickers still on it), so that again made me feel better a little about Tyrolean. No return flight, since I had to take my car back that was in Bulgaria, two days driving to Holland, but I enjoyed that more.

Austrian review - by Uta Meinhold
16 September 2005

We had a flight to KUL from VIE return with a party of four people. Unable to give us both couples seats sitting together - despite having made seat reservations when booked the flights. Service on the flight to KUL was nothing special - food was ok. Plane was a 777 with a 3-3-3 configuration in the front economy section so space was limited but ok. On the way back to VIE we got seats next to each other but the used 777 had 3-4-3 configuration in the whole economy section which was very tight- even worse than the former flight which was already painfull for our legs. Also the attitude from FA was not ok - only a few FA totally overloaded to take care of the fully booked eco cabin. The food was terrible without any taste and looked totally overcooked! We were happy that we bought some cookies to have some food. Overall a budget airline feel when flying with them. Next time when flying to Asia we will fly with MAS - we had very good experience.

Austrian review - by Miles Bailey
30 August 2005

LHR to LCA via Vienna on 28th July and returned on 18/8/05. The advertised refreshments on LHR- Vienna (and Vienna-LHR) proved to be a tepid cup of coffee and a biscuit which is not good enough on a scheduled flight from a non-budget airline, especially since it was a 6.30 am flight and I had to get up at 2.30 am to get to LHR. It would be better saying you get nothing and then you could plan to eat beforehand. The couple next to me had a "Bistro breakfast" for 5 Euros each which was a hard and unappetising looking croissant and roll. Their verdict was that it was as disgusting to eat as it looked. The in-flight menu says that "All our products are prepared by master chefs every day". From what I saw and the passengers I spoke to that claim is either untrue or some other procedural error is spoiling the master chefs' efforts. I didn't know they had a policy of not serving food on flights under 2.5 hrs and I think it's a bad policy! The rest of the flying experience was OK and on time - but I expect that and the one thing I do remember about the Austrian Airlines experience is the food - or lack of it.

Austrian review - by Kim Andreas V. Larsen
22 August 2005

OSL to SKG in Economy Class. The first segment was on a CRJ operated by Austrian Arrows, with two flight attendants that were very helpful, although not like a smile in the sky -it got better once you spoke in German. Bistro and Breakfast pack for €5 along with free water and coffee, at least it was by far better than SAS and what SWISS once offered. Flight to VIE was on time. On the second segment the aircraft used was a Fokker F100 again by Austrian Arrows and this was the warmest aircraft that I have ever boarded. I do understand that the subnormal temperature at VIE of 31c was quite high, but I do not get why on board the aircraft, even with the air conditioning system on it was that hot. Again Bistro service and as I was really hungry I bought myself the Tagesgericht for €9 that included some very soft potatoes, a small piece of turkey meat and some asparagus with a sauce, along with a Mozart box of very nice chocolates. Although overpriced as it could include in that price a soft drink, wine or a beer as the quantity of the food was not that much. At least it was very well presented. And the flight attendants on board this almost full aircraft, even in Business Class, was helpful although rather young and not that experienced, but they did their job quite fine. Again I believe that they are even friendlier when you speak in German with the crew. Would recommend Austrian, but their hub is a big disgrace with the worst toilets that I have ever encountered in a European airport (ok FRA is out of the game!), I can't understand why many people praise it that much.

Austrian review - by Kenneth Kucan
19 August 2005

We flew Austrian on July 29 from Bucharest to Dulles via Vienna. The flight from Bucharest to Vienna was fine, but it was a Romanian Airline plane. In Vienna we stood in line for one hour and fifteen minutes only to receive a boarding pass identical to the one we received in Bucharest. Waiting for takeoff, we heard the pilot explain our late departure on mishandling of baggage. Everyone on board blamed the mishandling of passengers. Nothing in my seat worked except the tray and the recliner. I could not access the movie, audio, or call the flight attendant. Anyone travelling alone would have been out of luck if he had a real emergency. One flight attendant did express some regret at my situation but no attempt to rectify it was made. In this instance, my wife had a damaged knee. Even though she was sitting on the aisle, she could not extend her leg to alleviate her pain because of a metal box under the seat in front of her. Since we arrived at Dulles quite late, by the time we collected our luggage and cleared customs we had absolutely no chance of making our connecting flights. Some passengers on our flight were going to have to wait until the next day to get a flight out of Dulles. I must admit we were flying economy, but I don't see that as justification for treating passengers no better than one might treat cattle. Given the opportunity for choice, I will not fly Austrian again.