Vienna Airport

Very congested airport both air and land side - it feels like it has outgrown itself - lots of shops (including at least two sex shops - what is that about?) and a confusing layout makes it worse and there is almost nowhere to sit either in the lounge or at the gates (which are beyond security). Every time I have been through here I have been bussed to/from the aircraft but lots of work in evidence so maybe things will change. The CAT train to town is great but dumps you in a building site at the moment with a very convoluted trek to get to the subway train connection.

VIE has quite a hopeless lack of seating except in all the restaurants and after you've passed security control which I'm sure is quite deliberate to encourage people stay in the restaurants and cafes. You won't easily find a way to provide feedback to the airport either if you want to have a whinge / give positive feedback. As others have said there is a security control at each gate so allow plenty of time to wait in the security queue for your flight. Most likely you'll be bussed to the terminal. On the plus side the airport is clean has several nice shops and a couple of good cafes in the non-shengen transit area. But I only transit through this airport for the great wiener schnizel.

I arrived on transit in the Schengen area and needed a farmacy. I was surprised to hear that the pharmacy was outside the security area and that it was already closed at 7.00 pm! My onward flight was at 11.20 pm to BKK so I had to change to Terminal C (Non Schengen). As there were nearly no other flights after 8.00 pm nearly all shops were closed very boaring. I strongly can recommend all passengers to stay in the Schengen area till one hour before their flight from Terminal C. Also the Star Alliance business lounge in the Main Terminal has a lot more to offer than the lounge in C.

It is compact and one doesn't have to walk a long way to get anywhere. Wifi shops and smoking lounge was more than I needed the immigration and customs was a breeze. I took the train for the city just outside the terminal for dirt cheap (I think 1.75 Euro). Departed from Vienna for Toronto - the check in was a breeze. The only drawback is that one has to go through security check to get into the gate departure lounge and there aren't many seats. The modules are a bit small. Otherwise I prefer to fly in and out of Vienna for Eastern Europe and beyond.

Arrived in VIE from SYD via LHR on BA. Found it a very sterile airport passport control and bag pick up was efficient. Was annoyed that upon taxiing to the terminal many of the gates were empty our flight was parked on an outer bay and we were bussed back to the terminal. We were in an A330. Train to city was good. Staff were not that helpful.

VIE to HEL on Finnair. Check in was limited to two desks around the corner from main check in desks. Airport is small cramped and surprisingly outdated. I am surprised it scores highly in a sub-regional context. Security is excessively zealous - even rings have to be removed for the scanner. Cost of food and beverages is outrageous more than 4 euros for a coffee! Slated for improvement after the extensions are complete hopefully.

I flew out of JFK into Vienna and had a connecting flight into Montenegro. The airport staff was friendly and helpful. I was flying with my grandfather and when we got off the aircraft they waited for him with a wheel chair. The staff member helping my grandfather brought us to the waiting lounge until it was time to go to our connecting flight and he came back for us when it was time to go to the gate. Our stop over was 5 hours. The lounges and restaurant were not so bad. Service was very good at the lounges and the staff was friendly. Vienna is a very easy airport to get around I recommend it to those who don't enjoy hassling through a big airport when having a connecting flight such as Frankfurt or LHR.

I agree with Byron Scott's comment about chaos at the "A" gates. The worst part is that most of the long-haul flights depart at the same time (11:00am-12:00pm) so the entire terminal is a zoo. There is nowhere to sit not even room on the floor. The lines for the washroom are huge the cafe and restaurant are filled to capacity.

Recently transited Vienna while flying Austrian business class ORD to NCE and return. The flights to and from the US left from a gate with a jetway however the flights to and from Nice required bus rides. For bus rides it went pretty fast although on the return (flight from Nice was delayed) it was a long ride. The worst thing was the chaotic departure from the A-gates for flights to the US. You go through security right at the gate and after you go through security there is not enough space for all the passengers for a full wide-body plane to sit. It's really crowded and chaotic. There was also a confusing counter near the gates which said "US Document Check." I didn't think we had to stand in this line but there was no way to be sure. Fortunately a very helpful airport staffer saw us (I was traveling with my elderly uncle who uses a cane) and looked at our boarding pass and said we didn't need our documents checked (Austrain needs to clarify who needs to stop here on the sign). We then went to the really long security line and our helpful friend said my uncle was in a wheelchair we could go to the front of the line. So he grabbed a nearby wheelchair got us right to the security machines then got us right up to the jetway. Many thanks to this most helpful person. Until the new terminal opens I think wide-body flights leaving Vienna will be chaotic especially at times when lots of flights are leaving at the same time.

I found Vienna airport crowded and a bit chaotic. Signage is not well done or clear. The rail link from downtown Vienna is convenient but be aware that both the express train and local train only run every 30 minutes. But both arrive right in the lower level of the airport which is very well designed. Because of a very early flight to Amsterdam we stayed at the NH Hotel directly across the street from Terminal 1 which is an overpriced albeit very convenient dump.