I’ve been wanting to try Austrian Airlines Business Class for some time now. The airline has been on my radar as a lesser-known carrier of the Lufthansa Group, but after hearing such good things about the airline, it was time to take the plunge on a transatlantic flight I had to take from London to Chicago. While the airline doesn’t have a brand-new seat to get excited about, the onboard chef, coffees and food and drink have all had rave reviews. Could it be that there is enough in the soft product to redeem the shortcomings in a tired seat?
The Connecting Flight
Before I was able to take flight in the airline’s flagship 777 aircraft, I had to connect from Heathrow to Vienna on one of the airline’s brand-new A320neos. After arriving at the airport at the very early hours, there was zero queue and while no fast-track, check-in was fast and I was airside in a matter of minutes. As soon as the United lounge opened in the Satellite B terminal, I opted to take a quick hot breakfast and coffee before boarding the aircraft.
Austrian’s A320neo is impressive, albeit looking like the clone of any Lufthansa group plane, with the same sea of grey seats and sterile cabin approach. That said, the splashes of red make the carrier stand out, and the colour adds a pop of humour and fun, echoing the service style of the carrier.
As I settled in, it was impressive prior to take-off to experience a welcome drink in Business Class – which is made up of the standard 2 x 2 seating configuration with a blocked middle seat and USB and USB-C charging. Such service is pretty much unheard of in Europe with only Turkish Airlines coming to mind as a similar product offering.
After take-off, on a two-hour flight, it was a pleasure to enjoy a full hot breakfast including eggs, ham, tomatoes, warm pastries, and coffee, (albeit filter coffee), rather than the café-style offering on the long-haul flight later. I was even invited to try a glass of Schlumberger by the crew as it offered a taste of Austria, much like the Servus chocolates handed out just before landing.
On the Ground
Now one excellent benefit of traveling with Austrian is the amazing connection capability, as when we exited the aircraft we were able to enter the departure hall straight away, meaning you are able to make really tight connections through Vienna, although with a little bit of time between flights, we opted to head to the airline’s main lounge complex which featured a standard Business Class, Senator and First Class lounge offering.
Because of my Gold Status in Star Alliance, I was able to utilise the Senator Lounge, which is only fractionally smaller than the Business Class lounge, both of which are tiny to put it mildly. This is perhaps the weakest element of Austrian. Most Lufthansa Group lounges don’t excite me a lot, apart from perhaps Swiss, but Austrian’s really needs some TLC.
The lounge features a small range of seats, all of them virtually the same, with only a handful designed to be relaxing. The green and red colour scheme felt more kindergarten than premium, albeit a small sleep zone section with 4 day beds curtained off with complimentary pillows and blankets were a nice touch, as were the showers, even with just one of them working at the time.
There’s a selection of cold buffet options, as well as hot food which is served and presented by staff for you. There’s also a selection of drinks including a small bar and café area, but don’t look to spend more time here than you have to, as on my return flight, it got quite crowded. Austrian would make better use of the space by combining all three lounges into a more impressive overarching lounge and dropping the Senator and First Class sections – especially considering Austrian doesn’t even offer First Class.
The Cabin
On boarding the 777, I was impressed to see friendly, smiling crew who welcomed everyone took their jackets and helped them settle in. On first glance, the cabin is very low and open. These staggered Vantage seats from yesteryear certainly don’t offer any privacy.
The seats are arranged in a staggered forward-facing design which gives 80% of the passengers aisle access, albeit with some window pairs suffering from a neighbour who has to step over you. If you are traveling alone, do not go for rows 2,4 or 6 with seats A, C, H, and K, as you will have to get familiar with your neighbour traveller.
The best seats for solo travel are 1, 3, and 5, where there are ‘throne’ solo seats next to the windows, where you have maximum privacy and space.
The cabin bulkheads feature the old Austrian logo, and a faux-flock wallpaper design, which are so subtle, you’ll barely notice them, and sadly the 777s don’t have mood lighting, meaning everything feels a little utilitarian. The toilets follow the same concept, being clean and functional, but with nothing that exciting in them.
The Seat
Picking the centre pair is best for couples as it combines all-aisle access with maximum personal space. The seats alternate between being next to the aisle or slightly removed from it. The seats closer to the aisle have more footwell space, with those away from the aisle having a slightly more restricted footwell.
However, unlike the window pairs, these seat pairs each have a side table, meaning there is more space to keep your belongings or use as a side table for food and drinks as you work. The seat also features multiple controls including a basic IFE controller and a touch-pad seat control that allows passengers to control their seat position and firmness thanks to a somewhat temperamental seat cushion system.
Unlike my recent Delta flight, which featured (what appeared to be) the world’s smallest business class IFE screen, the Austrian seats feature large IFE screens maximising the amount of seat-back space available. The IFE itself is responsive and well equipped, paired with decent noise-canceling headphones, although they aren’t the best in the skies. However, the screen’s reflective nature makes it tricky to watch when light catches it at the wrong angle. If you are a movie buff, certainly wear dark colours to minimise the screen glare.
Sadly, there’s also very limited storage, consisting of a small side seat pocket, I literature pocket, and small under-screen expandable pocket. It’s certainly enough to keep most of your small items, but anything larger will most likely have to be stored for take-off and landing.
While the seat isn’t the widest, it’s certainly long. Meaning it’s certainly easy to get comfortable fully reclined when on your back, but if you are a bit of a mover when you sleep, certainly opt for the aisle seats as they give the most foot wiggle room, otherwise, it can be a little bit tight.
The Food and Drink
Where the seat lacks, Austrian’s food and service excel. For me, Austrian’s strongest point is in its approach to cuisine and service, and of the two, the service is the take-home for this flight. While other carriers embrace formal, well-rehearsed service design, Austrian takes a more liberal, relaxed approach that allows personalities to shine. Each of the crew we encountered genuinely seemed to love their job.
Even before take-off, we were served welcome drinks including champagne in Riedel glassware and nuts. After take-off, we were then given aperitifs as the tables were laid, along with an amuse-bouche roulade and bread. This was followed by the main meal service which resembled a restaurant affair. Instead of a tray-style affair, the tables were prepared with side plates, butter, and salt and pepper pots.
One thing however that I can’t stand is the triangular plate designs which are obviously meant to reflect the mountainous regions of Austria, but they are awkward for plating and taking up space on your table. Also, the fact that some plates have to be plated ‘point’ down completely negates the ‘mountainous’ vibe the airline was going for. More traditional plating would elevate the entire experience, maybe taking a leaf out of Oman Air’s book, which features a gold inlay artistic brush design on their First Class plates.
To begin, the starter trolley was sent down the aisle, with crew carefully plating each passenger’s meal, a choice between salads and salmon tartars, which meant everything was fully customisable. It was another opportunity for crew to fully engage with the cabin and build a rapport, which was welcomed by everyone in the cabin.
Following this a choice between a rich flavourful pasta dish, a rich yet simple Viennese veal, or the pineapple chicken with coconut rice which I went for, and it felt like I certainly picked the right dish.
The banquet then continued with a dessert trolley, including a delicious vanilla crème fraiche with raspberry. A range of coffees were then offered which included no less than 10 Viennese specialties, each one served certainly looked and tasted impressive.
Remarkably even though service was prompt, it was still going after the sweet course with a cheese plate, along with crushed black pepper, a beautiful dessert wine and what felt like my tenth piece of bread.
After service finished, I was fully carbed up, and as the cabin settled down for the main leg of the flight, I took the advantage to stretch my legs and saw this snack trolley set up at the front of the cabin including Austrian sweet and savoury snacks, Servus branded chocolate discs, and soft drinks.
I headed back to my seat, finished a movie, and then got a few hours’ sleep which – although restrictive – was comfortable enough to be uninterrupted. On waking approx. 2 hours before landing we were already well over Canada, and I was woken by another hot towel and a refreshing health shot which was delicious.
The second service was pretty substantial too, with either a fresh salad and apple strudel or the other dish which was rather peculiar, made even more strange by being plated on a triangular plate. A foot-long sausage might be a Viennese specialty but no matter how you dress it, it’s a giant sausage. Not something you really expect on a flight. But, partnered with yet more bread, it was actually really tasty and followed by a slice of apple strudel, I was in heaven. It’s truly lovely to see Austrian playing to its roots with its cuisine.
The Extras
As well as the food and the seat, there were a few additional amenities including an amenity kit which featured a faux-suede fabric. It’s certainly not lavish, and it’s unbranded, but it’s a lot nicer than the shoe bag I got on the return flight which must be part of the service design. However, in both kits the contents were pretty basic, with the usual suspects such as scratchy socks, moisturiser, eye mask and dental kit.
One thing was really evident, however, from a design perspective. There seemed to be little design consistency throughout the passenger experience, made evident by the pillow and blanket were lovely and firm and soft to the touch, but featured an edelweiss checked design. In comparison, the leather seat pockets featured ornate stag’s head crest designs, the amenity kits were plain, the bulkheads with flock designs and the lounges with basic brightly coloured seating.
In Conclusion
As the crew and chef came around with Servus chocolates wishing us well and thanking us for our custom. I was left feeling with mixed emotions. I feel the hard product lets down what is actually one of the friendliest, most professional airlines I’ve flown with within Europe in years. A little bit like my recent flight with LOT, I was ending my flight content and happy, something that’s usually brought about by wonderful service.
With an upgrade to their soft product, seats, lounges, and a little bit more design consistency throughout, there’s a lot of hope for the carrier. Austrian is the friendliest, warmest of all the Lufthansa group airlines, and it’s this USP that makes me want to fly with them again, especially when the brand new 787s join the airline’s fleet.
