Review: SKY Lounge Vienna Airport (VIE)

After a lovely night at the Andaz Vienna, it was time to fly Austrian business class from Vienna to Rome. In addition to checking out the Austrian Senator Lounge (which I’ll review in the next installment), I also checked out the SKY Lounge Vienna, which is the contract and Priority Pass lounge in Terminal 3.

I’ve gotta say, for a Priority Pass lounge, this place impressed me, with a solid selection of food and drinks, and comfortable seating.

SKY Lounge Vienna location

The SKY Lounge Vienna Airport is located in Terminal 3, near the F gates. This is a Schengen lounge and it’s located before the passport control that leads to the non-Schengen area, meaning that all passengers departing Terminal 3 can visit this lounge.

Once you clear security at Vienna Airport, just follow the signage in the direction of lounges. You’ll need to go up a level, so you can either take the elevator or escalator.

At the top of the escalator you’ll see passport control (leading to the non-Schengen area), so at this point you’ll want to make a left turn, in the direction of lounges.

This will bring you down a long corridor that overlooks the landside portion of the terminal.

Once you turn the corner there, you’ll see the entrance to the Austrian Lounge straight ahead, and the entrance to the SKY Lounge to the right.

Just outside the lounge is one of those smoking containers. The signage suggests this is exclusively for those using the SKY Lounge, though I imagine there’s not much enforcement of that.

SKY Lounge Vienna hours

The SKY Lounge Vienna is open daily from 4:30AM until 11PM, so it’s the lounge at the airport with the longest hours. I visited the lounge right as it opened, and then after that checked out the Austrian Lounge, which “only” opens at 5:30AM.

SKY Lounge Vienna entry requirements

The SKY Lounge Vienna is the only contract lounge in Terminal 3, so there are a variety of ways to access it.

For one, the lounge is open to Priority Pass members, and that’s available through many premium credit cards. Priority Pass members can access the lounge for up to three hours. You can also purchase access to the lounge at the door, with the cost differing based on how long you stay.

On top of that, the SKY Lounge is used as a contract lounge for different airlines. Star Alliance premium passengers will have access to the Austrian Lounge, while passengers on most other airlines will be sent to this lounge. That includes airlines like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and more.

SKY Lounge Vienna seating & layout

The SKY Lounge Vienna is roughly 670 square meters (~7,200 square feet) and can accommodate around 175 guests. The main part of the lounge is one big room consisting of couches. As you can see, the decor is pretty consistent, with sets of couches arranged in rows, and curtains of sorts separating them to break up the space a bit.

There were a few different seating options along the sides of the lounge, ranging from semi-private seats, to chairs with ottomans.

In the very back of the lounge was an area with roughly a dozen tables, including some cafe-style tables and benches.

Near the main buffet of the lounge was a long bench with some dining tables and chairs across from the tables.

The lounge also had a business center near the entrance, with half a dozen desks featuring one to two seats each.

There was also an area with some reading materials, including magazines and newspapers.

All-in-all, I thought the lounge had pretty nice decor. For contract lounges, I tend to consider what a lounge would be like crowded, and I would have to imagine this would be one of the less-horrible lounges if busy. That’s because the lounge has plenty of large, individual seats, and they’re spaced out pretty well.

SKY Lounge Vienna food & drinks

The SKY Lounge’s main buffet was located inside the entrance to the lounge and to the right. For a contract lounge, I found the food selection to be quite good.

Around breakfast time, the selection consisted of several types of bread and pastries, whole fruit, cookies, snack mix, yogurt, cold cuts, cereal, scrambled eggs, cherry tomatoes, and hash browns.

As far as drinks go, there was an espresso machine that had one of the best machine-made cappuccinos I’ve had at an airport.

There was also a fridge with large bottles of soda.

Beyond that, even at 4:30AM there was a bar area where you could make your own alcoholic drinks, including liquor and a selection of wine.

There was a second buffet deeper into the lounge, but this didn’t have much food. Rather it mostly had soft drinks, another coffee machine, whole fruit, and some snack mix.

SKY Lounge Vienna bathrooms & showers

As far as the SKY Lounge Vienna’s bathroom situation goes, the bathrooms were in the back left of the lounge. The mens bathroom had a couple of urinals and two stalls.

There was also a shower, but it wasn’t available during my visit.

Bottom line

Admittedly my standards are pretty low for Priority Pass and contract lounges, but I found the SKY Lounge Vienna to be pretty solid. It featured comfortable seating, a good buffet, and decent coffee and drinks. I wouldn’t necessarily spend a lot more time here than you have to, but you also shouldn’t be disappointed.

What do you make of the SKY Lounge Vienna?