A recent trip to Salzburg was the occasion for my first flight with Austrian Airlines, Austria’s national airline founded in the second half of the 1950s and today a member of Lufthansa Group.
It is also a Star Alliance partner along with companies such as Swiss, Lufthansa, United, Turkish Airlines, Air Canada and Thai. The related program for frequent flyers is called Miles & More.
Flying with Austrian Airlines: what you need to know
The main hub is located at Vienna Schwechat International Airport, from where connecting flights also operated with partner airlines arrive/depart.
This review includes the most important aspects of my trip, from the booking until the flight, also including the AIRail service which I took advantage of to reach Salzburg from Vienna.
The trip dates back to October 2023, so it is possible that some things have changed in the meantime, which is why I recommend to have a look at Austrian Airlines’s official website.
Fare types
These are the classic ones, Economy and Business, while Premium Economy is added on long-haul flights. Then, some further subdivisions must be considered.
The cheapest fare is Economy Light, which allows you to take only one carry-on bag (I discuss this in detail later). Other classes progressively include a number of extra services such as seat reservation, checked baggage (maximum total size of 158 cm and weight limit of 23 kg or 32 kg in Business), and change or cancellation of reservation.
Worth highlighting is Economy Green, introduced by Austrian Airlines to reduce CO2 emissions thus making flying more sustainable. In fact, from 2022 at Vienna Airport, company’s aircraft are refueled with Sustainable Alternative Fuels (SAF), which in their own life cycle reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 80% compared to traditional kerosene.
Business fares offer more services and amenities at obviously higher costs: fast track at airport checkpoints, priority boarding, meals and beverages, more luggage to be loaded (both carry-on and checked), lounge access, and so on.
Hand luggage
This is probably the most discussed topic since it affects almost all travelers.
One carry-on baggage (two for Business passengers) weighing a total of 8 kg and with a maximum size of 55x40x23 cm. together with one personal item with a maximum size of 40x30x10 cm. is allowed on board. The hand luggage should be placed in the overhead compartment while the personal item should be stored under the seat in front of you.
Families with children under 2 years of age may also bring a cradle, an approved car seat or a fully collapsible baby carriage weighing a maximum of 10 kg until before boarding. They will then be returned immediately after landing.
Check-in
As with other airlines, it can be done online at home. With Austrian, however, it is usually available from 47 hours before departure to/from Vienna. With other carriers it is generally reduced to the last 24 hours.
One can also check in online via the Austrian Airlines app and decide whether to print boarding passes in PDF format or save them as a mobil boarding pass.
Check-in at the airport is also allowed. Then, those traveling with the CAT – City Airport Train from Vienna to the airport can use the City check-in at the Wien Mitte railway station.
Boarding
It is done by groups, from 1 to 5.
The first two are for business travelers or those who have purchased priority, number 3 is for Miles&More frequent flyers, numbers 4 and 5 are for the other passengers.
Useful contacts for assistance
You can contact Austrian Airlines:
- through its Facebook page;
- by calling +43 1701481000 (English/German language);
- via the Austria Chat Assistance available on “Help” section of the website.
My experience flying from Milan
Austrian Airlines operates several daily connections between Milan Malpensa T1 and Vienna flying Embraer 195, a two-seat row aircraft where the middle seat is therefore missing.
The airline’s livery is easily recognizable because, in addition to the Austrian lettering on the side, the tail is painted in the red-white-red colors of the flag.
Boarding in Milan was quick as I was part of Group 3. In Vienna it seemed more chaotic because, despite the presence of the electronic turnstiles at the gate, the staff did not check if the order of the groups was respected…
The flight has a short duration, less than 90 minutes, so there is very little to report. The cabin crew basically has just enough time to serve meals and drinks to customers in Business and go through the rest of the cabin with the snack menù. By the way, all passengers in Economy received a complimentary glass of water and a chocolate biscuit.
On the outward journey, I landed in Vienna about 15 minutes late due to congested traffic at takeoff from Italy; on the return journey, however, I landed at the Malpensa gate almost 20 minutes early.
Austrian Airlines: the AIRail service between Vienna and Salzburg
About 300 km separate Vienna and Salzburg, a distance too short to be covered by air. For this reason there is AIRail, an integrated ticket that allows you to arrive by RailJet trains to some Austrian cities leaving from the train station at Vienna Airport (Flughafen Wien).
The way this offer works is very simple. It is basically like having two connecting flights, one of which, however, corresponds to a train route that has been assigned an Austrian Airlines operating number.
When you check-in online you get two boarding passes, one for the flight and the other one for the rail connection.
In the event of delays due to Austrian Airlines or ÖBB (Austrian train operator) that result in missing your flight or train, you automatically get a rebooking free of charge so that you can complete your trip. In addition, the class of travel is the same on all routes, i.e., if you travel with Austrian in business class then you will be eligible for ÕBB’s First.
Other services included:
- WiFi in the train;
- voucher to use in the dining car (in my case of €3, enough just for a bottle of water);
- obtaining Miles & More points for train routes as well.
As for the travel time from the airport:
- Linz, 1h 40min;
- Salzburg, 2h 50min;
- Graz, 3h 2min;
- Innsbruck, 5h.
The convenience of this service comes from the fact that the train station is located inside the airport and is only a few minutes’ walk from the arrivals area at Terminal 3. Not surprisingly, it is precisely rail connections that are the easiest and quickest way to reach the center of Vienna as well. More information are available here for this topic.
Besides that, the AIRail combined ticket provides significant savings over individual routes.
For example, the cost of the Milan Malpensa-Vienna flight and train to Salzburg is around €70 while the fare for the train ticket alone (if purchased under date) is around €50. Then considering both the round trip and the return, the price difference is even more relevant.
The only inconvenience I had, both on the outward and return journeys, concerned the reservation of a seat on the train. Specified that those who travel with AIRail service have their seats guaranteed, these were indicated with wrong numbers on the boarding passes. Anyway, the train conductor told me that this is actually a recurring “error” and that in any case I could safely sit in one of the unreserved seats in the second-class carriages.
I also report the possibility of the train being “divided” at some point during the journey. It happened to me on the way back at Vienna Central Station (Hauptbanhof), where one section remained on the platform while the other continued up to the airport.
More information and all the benefits of AIRail can be found on the dedicated page of the Austrian Airlines website (Booking>Partners>Arrivals and Departures>AIRail train and air section).
