Austrian Airlines is a full-service carrier that prioritises passenger experience and service quality. Yes, it’s part of Germany’s Lufthansa Group, but it operates as Austria’s national flag carrier from its Vienna Airport base. The airline’s focus on quality sets it apart from budget carriers flying similar European routes.
Types of tickets
Austrian Airlines offers three main fare categories: Economy, Premium Economy and Business. The system gets more nuanced for European flights, where Economy splits into Light, Basic, Basic Plus and Flex options.
Here’s what each includes:
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Light works for weekend trips with a cabin bag only
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Basic and Basic Plus add a free checked bag, with rebooking available for a fee
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Flex includes free rebooking and priority boarding
Green Fares (available mainly within Europe) reduce your flight-related CO2 emissions by 20%, with the remaining 80% offset. For intercontinental Green Fares, this shifts to a 10% reduction with 90% offset.
Note, not all of these fares are available on all Austrian Airlines flights, so check your specific route’s options when booking.
Baggage
My single favourite thing about booking with Austrian Airlines is its online baggage calculator. Type in your route, class of ticket and loyalty programme status, and you’ll see exactly what you can bring without incurring extra costs. There’s something reassuring about knowing at the booking stage rather than discovering limits at the airport.
Checked luggage should weigh no more than 23kg in Economy and Premium Economy (32kg in Business Class) and measure 158cm at most when you add height, width and length together. The airline’s clear about these limits, which I appreciate.
Cabin baggage should weigh no more than 8kg and measure a maximum of 55x40x23cm if you have an Economy or Premium Economy ticket. Business Class passengers are entitled to bring two pieces of cabin baggage, although each should be the same size and weight as those brought onboard by Economy or Premium Economy ticket holders. Occasionally this will be restricted to one piece depending on aircraft type or safety requirements.
All passengers can bring a single ‘personal item’ with them in addition to their cabin baggage. This could be a handbag, shopping bag or laptop bag.
For a fee (from €22 or 7,260 miles) travellers flying out of Vienna (and a number of other cities served by the airline) can have Austrian’s partner Airportr collect and check in their luggage.
Its routes mean that Austrian Airlines needs to factor in passengers with skis. The airline carries one item of skiing or snowboarding equipment per person free of charge, in addition to your free baggage allowance.
However, on European Economy Light fares and on routes to, from, or via the USA, Mexico, and Central America, ski equipment can only be transported as standard baggage without a surcharge provided it doesn’t exceed your ticket’s overall baggage allowance.
It’s worth noting that bulky sports equipment can no longer be transported through London Heathrow Airport due to infrastructure restrictions.
The check-in experience
Austrian Airlines offers several check-in options: online, airport check-in desks, or self-service kiosks where you can check bags and print boarding passes and luggage tags. The desk works well if you fly infrequently, but if the airport’s your second home, the kiosk option might save you valuable time.
If you’re flying from Vienna, there’s a third option worth knowing about. Austrian Airlines passengers with a ticket for Vienna’s City Airport Train (CAT) can check in and check bags at the CAT City Terminal at Wien Mitte Station, a 15-minute walk from the city centre (also easily reached by underground, tram, bus and local rail services).
What to expect onboard
Never a happy flyer, I found myself flying abroad regularly when I lived in Vienna, often through worse winter weather than I was used to. Austrian became my ‘home’ airline, and I genuinely found the sight of those red uniforms reassuring.
Food and drink
On short- and medium-haul Economy flights, food and drink are available to buy via Austrian Melangerie (if you’re aiming for a truly economy experience, order in advance and save 10%). Vegan options are available. On long-haul Economy flights, meals are included – typically two free menus – and you can check the menu for your flight before travelling.
Premium Economy passengers receive a complimentary welcome drink on boarding. On long-haul Business Class flights, passengers are greeted with an aperitif and a culinary amuse-bouche.
The loyalty programme: Miles & More
Austrian Airlines belongs to Miles & More, which to my mind is one of the best loyalty programmes out there. Once registered, you can start accruing points with flights taken with not only Austrian and Lufthansa, but 40 airline partners, among them United, ANA and Turkish Airlines.
Points can be redeemed on flights, hotel bookings, rental cars and at the Worldshop. Miles & More uses two types of earning: points and qualifying points. Here’s how it works.
Frequent Traveller
To gain the first level within the loyalty programme, Frequent Traveller, you’ll need to accrue at least 650 points and 325 qualifying points per calendar year.
Benefits at this level include use of the Business Class Lounge, even if you are flying Economy Class, free additional baggage on certain Austrian flights (in theory those with a three-digit flight number, although I recommend checking ahead of your journey), and use of the Business Class check-in.
Senator
The next level, Senator, requires a minimum of 2,000 points and 1,000 qualifying points in a calendar year. Benefits include a booking guarantee in the highest-quality booking classes up to 48 hours before departure and second-highest waiting list priority.
Senator card holders can use both the Senator and Star Alliance Gold Lounges, and can bring a travel companion. Their checked-in baggage takes priority and they are eligible for two upgrade vouchers.
HON Circle
The top tier of Miles & More, the HON Circle, requires 6,000 HON Circle points per calendar year. Its booking guarantee operates on fully booked flights up to 24 hours before departure, members are eligible for four upgrade eVouchers, and have access to First Class Lounges, HON Circle Lounges and even the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. One of the most attractive benefits, however, is a Senator card for your partner.
Destinations
Austrian Airlines is all about happy passengers and it does a really good job of explaining its destinations. I love the information the airline provides on the cities it serves, enabling you to easily make an informed decision on where to do.
Information on Geneva, for instance, includes local cuisine (from that 1970s stalwart Fondue, to Malakoff, a type of deep-fried cheese balls) and sightseeing recommendations like the Red Cross Museum and the iconic 140m Jet d’Eau fountain.
The airline operates a global route network of more than 120 destinations, with a particularly dense network across central and eastern Europe. The carrier also flies as far afield as Tokyo, Los Angeles and Male in the Maldives. When booking a flight on the airline’s website, it gives you the option of booking an Austrian Airlines flight or one served by a partner airline. Flexibility like this is invaluable.
Things to be aware of
A friend recently flew from Vienna to London with Austrian Airlines. The flight was delayed and while she was booked on a British Airways flight the following morning, Austrian did not arrange a hotel for the night, it took a colleague in the UK to do this.
This KAYAK-commissioned article is presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up to date. The opinions contained in the article are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others. Find more perspectives in our user reviews below.
