Austrian Airlines

Flew Astana (Kazakhstan) - Vienna a 5+ hr flight. Freezing cold draft around the feet for the whole flight no entertainment other than cartoons etc not even on the overhead TV screens food wasn't bad but certainly not worthy of the star ratings given. Seat was reasonably comfortable. Main gripe - a long cold boring flight on the wrong aircraft type for this length of trip.

CPH-VIE-TLV v.v. 1-6 Feb. Outbound: Uneventful smooth transfer in VIE. Homebound flights delayed due to WX at VIE (snow). A321 TLV-VIE seats non-reclinable as row in front of emergency exit however the neighbouring free seats made up for it. Hot meals on VIE-TLV-VIE legs were simple menus of good standard hardly seen in economy class of comparable carriers anymore! Staff always efficient and polite.

VIE to JFK twice in less than a month. First was from TLV the second from IEV. The airport is extremely outdated in it's international wing which is cramped and small. Business lounge is hard to find and small as well in the international terminal. The second time around I decided to get my passport stamped and checkout C terminal used for inter Europe and domestic flights. It was much better but still small. The lounge in C is better but still tricky. The plane was a dated 777 with odd colors. Staff on the first trip was ok but my second time around they were extremely nice and attentive. The meals were fine and AVOD good as well. Flew economy both ways. I was impressed.

BEG-VIE-LHR. First leg uneventful. Nice new A320 adequate catering and service for one hour flight. Ground services in VIE were something different. Following 10 min delay due to “surprise” of plane landing early I made a swift move to the gate at the opposite side of the airport only to be met by queue in standstill. There were three OS staff evidently dealing with some queries dozens of people with their boarding tickets in hand and two separate OS members of staff checking visas at very slow pace. This was the most shambolic boarding I have witnessed. There were no announcements about cause for the delay no apology and 45 mins later we boarded the plane via shuttle bus. The staff on B738 were obviously annoyed about the delay which influenced their very swift and somewhat rude service only to be kept on hold for 40 mins in holding pattern above London.

CDG-VIE-IST return in economy. CDG-VIE delayed due to poor weather. Would have missed connection VIE-IST but that flight was also delayed due to weather. My luggage didn't make it to IST unfortunately but it was delivered the next morning. Ground staff at IST helpful. Check-in process easy at all airports. Cabin crew were efficient and friendly. Onboard catering very good. New seats were quite comfortable and legroom surprisingly good. Overall a great product that offers very good value for money. I would not hesitate to fly with Austrian again on intra-European flights.

VIE-BKK on 777-200. Strange interior colours seats are outdated and do not work properly anymore recline did not work when table was out monitors must be pulled out of seat and have very poor quality. Seating 2x3x2 is not contemporary - avoid middle seat since you can go nowhere when both neighbours are asleep. Seat does not fully recline and provides limited comfort. Austrian provides linen and a warm blanket. Food excellent great choice of wines and very good service. Avoid rows 6 and 7 in this plane since they are behind galley and next to economy only separated by a thin wall.

I routinely commute between Vienna and New York. I fly both business class and economy and believe the service is very good. Economy meals are perfectly good. But generally not meritorious of relatively high praise as the meals in business are. The crews are professional and courteous. My only issue with the service is when by bad luck of the draw I get a seat with impaired leg room as a result of those metal entertainment boxes on the floor. Those are only barely tolerable when the seat next to me is empty but horrible during a full flight.

Toronto-Vienna and Prague-Vienna-Toronto. Departing flight was okay except for the archaic entertainment (movies on TV's hanging off the ceiling) which continued through the night. On the return flight the standard screens on the back of the seat were in place but the plane was smaller and extremely uncomfortable. I'm fairly tall (5'11") and there was no room for my legs so they stuck out into the aisle. A flight attendant came barrelling down the aisle and she smashed into my knee. The other flight attendants were quite friendly. The food was barely edible for both flights but the drink service was often. If you have a little extra money to spend I wouldn't recommend taking Austrian Airlines as I was highly disappointed.

AMS-VIE. Had an extremely cheap ticket so wasn't expecting much. Flight was 90% full in Economy and 50% in Business. Boarding at AMS was quick and from the rear towards the front co-ordinated therefor boarded as one of the last ones. Still able to take some newspapers (local Austrian and English ones) for the flight onboard. Service was up to standards with food and beverage needs for a 1.5 hr flight. Arrived early in VIE after a late push back in AMS! Good service seats could be a bit more comfortable but no need to complain.

ZRH-VIE-SOF-VIE first and last leg on A320 VIE-SOF onboard 737. All planes featured the new seats which are quite comfortable for these short-haul flights offering sufficient legroom. We took off in SOF with more than 30min delay the crew provided timely and updated information on connecting flights. Staff onboard and at airports were friendly and helpful. Food service was good between VIE-SOF and a somewhat uninspired sandwich on the last leg. All in all a good experience.