Hello from Washington, as I’m wrapping up my quick trip to Versailles, flying Austrian’s Boeing 787-9 business class, on the nine-hour flight from Vienna (VIE) to Washington (IAD).
I was excited about this flight. Austrian has long been my favorite Lufthansa Group airline in terms of business class soft product, despite the fact that Lufthansa Group kind of treats Austrian as if it’s second class within the group. Fortunately Austrian recently took delivery of some new (well, used) 787 Dreamliners, which represent a new era for the airline.
The Dreamliner marks a new era for the airline, as the carrier finally offers direct aisle access from all business class seats, plus Wi-Fi, on long haul flights. When you combine that with Austrian’s excellent food and drinks, plus friendly service, this is certainly an experience that I’d recommend. In this post I want to share some initial impressions, and then soon I’ll have a full review.
In this post:
Austrian’s 787 business class seats are good (and familiar)
So far Austrian has two Boeing 787-9s, and they’re both former Bamboo Airways jets. While Lufthansa and SWISS are taking delivery of brand new long haul planes, Austrian is reliant on second hand aircraft for its fleet renewal. That’s not all bad news, though.
Austrian’s 787s feature 26 reverse herringbone business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Looking front to back, the cabin is distinctly Austrian, while looking back to front, you couldn’t tell what airline the plane belongs to.
Specifically, Austrian has the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond product. While these seats aren’t cutting edge, they’re more than sufficient, and way better than you’ll find on most other Lufthansa Group aircraft. If you ask me, this is a much more competitive seat than Austrian’s old staggered business class.
It’s interesting how Austrian seems to be using an interim livery for these new 787s. They haven’t been painted in the full Austrian colors, but have instead been painted in an all-white livery, with the Austrian name written along the front of the plane, and the Austrian logo on the tail. I imagine that was done to get these planes into service as quickly as possible.
Fun fact — I flew Bamboo Airways’ 787 business class in 2023, on this exact aircraft (yes, the same registration code). Global aviation is pretty cool, eh?
Austrian’s business class catering is absolutely delicious!
Austrian is known for its incredible business class catering from DO & CO, along with its onboard chef. Austrian has definitely made some changes to its business class catering compared to pre-pandemic, in the sense that there’s no longer a cart rolled down the aisle, off of which your meal is directly plated.
Despite that, I found the food quality to still be excellent, and as tasty as ever. On this flight, lunch was served after takeoff, and that started with two appetizer choices. I chose the ricotta with grilled vegetables.
Next up was a soup course, and I selected the sweet potato coconut soup with coconut shavings, which was also satisfying.
There were three choices for the main course, and I selected the baked cod and shrimp with pea purée and crayfish sauce. Not only was this super tasty, but I also though the presentation was restaurant quality.
Then a dessert trolley was rolled down the aisle, and I chose the white chocolate mousse and cheese plate. I loved the service touches, like being offered cracked pepper.
Last but not least was the biggest highlight of any long haul Austrian business class flight, which was the specialty coffee menu. I ordered the traditional Wiener Eiskaffee, consisting of a double espresso with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Yum!
Then there was a pre-landing snack, with two options. I selected the mozzarella and tomato panini with potato chips, which was served with a profiterole. While it might not have looked amazing, it tasted very good.
So despite the catering changes compared to pre-pandemic, I still found the quality to be very good, among the best found on any European airline. I also love how Austrian so heavily features local wines — there were three white wines, three red wines, a dessert wine, and a sparkling wine, all from Austria (in addition to champagne and prosecco).
Austrian’s 787s finally have Wi-Fi (and okay entertainment)
Historically, Austrian hasn’t offered Wi-Fi on long haul flights, though that has changed with the 787. The Wi-Fi interface is similar to what you’ll find on Lufthansa. A pass for the entire flight cost €25, with no data caps. I found the speeds to be decent, so I thought that was a fair price. Free messaging was also available.
As you’d expect, Austrian offers seat back entertainment. The selection was average, but nothing amazing. There was a reasonable selection of movies, TV shows, games, and more. I wouldn’t rank this among the best systems in the world for entertainment, though personally I’m more of a Wi-Fi guy anyway.
Austrian’s business class crew was delightful
The entire crew working business class on this Austrian flight was just lovely. In particular, the purser was a real seasoned professional, and looked after each passenger.
But even beyond that, the chef, and the two other business class flight attendants, went above and beyond. They were detailed oriented, friendly, and constantly checked on passengers.
I do have to mention one quick story. There was an older American lady seated in front of me, and the second she boarded, she explained to the crew that she had been rebooked and that she usually flies United Polaris business class (obviously she was connecting from somewhere else and had irregular operations, because United doesn’t fly to Vienna).
I can’t even say the extent to which she was raving about the flight nonstop. She kept telling the crew how good the food tasted, and how friendly the service was. At the end of the flight, she even said “I don’t want to go back to United now.” It’s always nice to hear the experiences of others, so I think it’s safe to say that she enjoyed her flight.
Bottom line
I’ve always enjoyed my long haul flights in Austrian business class. The carrier’s new 787 Dreamliners take the experience to the next level, with direct aisle access and Wi-Fi. As always, Austrian’s business class catering is a treat, and I also had a really friendly crew.
It’s fascinating how Lufthansa Group makes Austrian so low priority in the airline group, yet the carrier manages to offer the all-around best experience, if you ask me. If you have the chance to fly Austrian’s 787 business class, I’d recommend it!
Unfortunately it’ll be some time before Austrian’s 787 fleet grows. The airline is expected to take over Lufthansa’s ex-Hainan 787s, once Lufthansa starts flying its new 787s. But that process is hugely delayed…
What do you make of Austrian’s 787 business class experience?
The founder of Do&Co Catering is a Turkish-Austrian businessman named Atilla Doğudan. It is funny but I feel that Do&Co does its best catering for OS and TK.
as the carrier finally offers direct aisle access from all business class seats
all the OS 767s and 777s offered direct aisle access you are confusing OS with LG
OS 81, one of my favorite Transatlantic flights. Kaffee Baileys, yum !
I find people like that only UA lady sad.
Maybe she’s a Non-Rev because she’s worked there for 30 years. No incentive to fly anyone else.
Maybe its because my expectations where too high from all the Ben articles about Austrian catering being so good...but I was really was let down on my two flights (YUL-VIE and VIE-ORD) a few years ago. I guess I should give them a try again. They regularly have some decent J fares.
No. You don’t have to. Different airlines work differently for different people. Some people also have childhood memories or other fond memories of a certain airline and those colour everything else in more positive colours. My experience with Austrian is similar to yours. I did not enjoy the food at all - mostly bland and desserts way way too sweet, but that’s also true of food in Vienna in general, so not surprising.
I...
No. You don’t have to. Different airlines work differently for different people. Some people also have childhood memories or other fond memories of a certain airline and those colour everything else in more positive colours. My experience with Austrian is similar to yours. I did not enjoy the food at all - mostly bland and desserts way way too sweet, but that’s also true of food in Vienna in general, so not surprising.
I look at the meal served to Ben, and nine if it comes across a spectacular or something that you couldn’t get on United or British or Qantas.
I took this same flight a couple of weeks ago, I agree it was lovely. I made different choices -- the vitello tonnato appetizer (one of the world's strangest combinations, but delicious) and pasta for lunch, and the salad prearrival. I also received a small amuse-bouche for lunch. Catering was excellent.
Crew was also lovely -- I've always had lovely crews on OS.
Looking forward to the paid review from Airelles and the other paid-for review from the other night.
I was in VIE the same time! But I was in the Schengen Lounge. It's my dream to meet with you at an airport one day. It was close
Austrian and Brussels airlines, the step children of the LH group, have the best business class catering and service. Brussels airlines has the best and widest beer selection I’ve seen on a plane.
The flip side is they both tend to have old planes with worn out and frequently malfunctioning business class seats.
As I pointed out before - flying this same aircraft and flight a few days before you. And, as a regular out of Vienna.
-Yes, the seats are a much needed improvement over the 767. But the interior really felt thrown together with the only Austrian touch being the head rest covers being red. I loved the old touches on the 767.
-Did you go from Terminal One as many of the U.S. flights...
As I pointed out before - flying this same aircraft and flight a few days before you. And, as a regular out of Vienna.
-Yes, the seats are a much needed improvement over the 767. But the interior really felt thrown together with the only Austrian touch being the head rest covers being red. I loved the old touches on the 767.
-Did you go from Terminal One as many of the U.S. flights are now as of late? D Gates? If so, I am sure you visited the dismal adjunct lounge there that is disappointing to say the least. (Although I found out later that you can use PP to access the Vienna Lounge which is wonderful...but must do before passport control....still that OS lounge is not acceptable for its highest yield flights)
-No moisturizer in an amenity bag? That puzzled me to no end as it's such a basic amenity and one that most everyone uses on a flight.
-Glad the Wifi worked for you. It did not work at all on my flight and they seemed to care less. Noting to me that there have been problems with it regularly.
-I have found the food on Austrian (and DO&CO catering in general) has gone down in quality the past year. It used to be the highlight but is just meh now. Good, yes, but not where it was.
I guess we have a tale of two flights....
@ Antwerp -- My flight left from gate G11, in Terminal 3, so I think we probably had a different departures experience. I can't speak to the food quality on Austrian going down in the past year, but the catering was better than my Austrian flight ex-ORD a couple of years back.
@Antwerp - but do you fly the other LH group airlines? Because this sounds nice compared to LH and LX...
Both carriers offer mediocre food, terribly dated seats, dated lounges, and I find the service to often be cold outside of First class.
I am not arguing at all the fact that OS is indeed better than LH who I also use often via MUC or FRA from VIE. The new 787 is a definite upgrade. Heck, even the old 767 is an upgrade from them. But there are odd things with the product that still could use improvement. Like the Terminal One departures (Ben was Lucky) for a lot of U.S. flights now on OS and the...
I am not arguing at all the fact that OS is indeed better than LH who I also use often via MUC or FRA from VIE. The new 787 is a definite upgrade. Heck, even the old 767 is an upgrade from them. But there are odd things with the product that still could use improvement. Like the Terminal One departures (Ben was Lucky) for a lot of U.S. flights now on OS and the dismal lounge there. The lack of an amenity kit with anything beyond lip balm. And wifi that, at least for me, didn't work and I was informed of it being a regular occurrence. I miss the Austrian touches with the interior of course but it's hardly a big thing.
I will add this as well given Ben's talk of Polaris. I personally find the cabins for Polaris and the seats more cozy and comfortable. Austrian does though exceed them in food and polished FA's. Yet, it's not leaps and bounds better. And UA is gradually getting better with catering. The FA's....I dunno if that will ever be fixed.
Hmmmm, I wonder if Austrian's food budget is also $27...
Love the detail about the woman who had only ever flown Polaris!
Hey @Ben,
FYI, the other OS 787 is in full livery and OE-LPL, the one you flew on, is all white with only the name and the OS chevron. Upon acquiring it, Austrian prioritized getting it into service quickly for crew training and operations, which is why it hasn’t received the full livery yet. It will be repainted eventually, but for now, it’s flying as is...
Not sure what exactly was better in this Austrian J than in Air France F.
E39, do you care to explain as the one who claimed so?
Or too busy "visualise yourself flying Qsuites or Lufthansa or JAL or something of that kind! ;)" with a name changing intellectual below?
Austrian has got red headrest covers
Between Austrian and Aegean, I’m torn between trying to pick my favourite non-Asian member of the Star Alliance. They’re both equally brilliant. A3 is exceptional as a regional carrier, and OS for its catering; together, they’re sublime.
By the way, only OE-LPL has a white tail, whereas OE-LPM has the full colours. These two are Austrian’s only 787s for the time being.
Too bad OS and SN are treated as stepchildren, while LH and LX get all the latest toys. Good thing then that AZ has all the latest cutting-edge Airbuses in existence: A220s, A330neos, A350s!
Can you pleaaaaaase stop reviewing food as “tasty”, it’s terrible writing as it doesn’t mean anything. You use this same word in almost every single review, so how can we compare from one airline to the next if it’s all just “tasty”? It would be more helpful if you could just be a little more creative.
Super-tasty?
@ flying_foxy -- I'm open to feedback, so I'm curious, what descriptive words could I use to describe food that would help to compare the quality between flights?
Appreciate the response Ben. Whilst I’m definitely not a writer, I think what could be helpful to differentiate between products (since we’re talking premium airlines) would be the overall quality of the food, rather than it being tasty or yummy as that’s subjective.
By quality I mean the actual produce, is it fresh etc? Is it sophisticated as far as airline food goes, or is it just heated up slop? Meat is often tough...
Appreciate the response Ben. Whilst I’m definitely not a writer, I think what could be helpful to differentiate between products (since we’re talking premium airlines) would be the overall quality of the food, rather than it being tasty or yummy as that’s subjective.
By quality I mean the actual produce, is it fresh etc? Is it sophisticated as far as airline food goes, or is it just heated up slop? Meat is often tough or dry in the air and just masked with sauce. Is a salad or vegetable dish fresh? Does it taste like actual food on the ground, or is it a standard airline meal?
I also think “restaurant quality” is extremely vague as there are restaurants of all different levels, so it doesn’t really compare to anything specific.
I get that it’s tricky, and also that you’re not a food blogger (thankfully!).. but in the era of most premium seats being very similar, the soft product is often the major differentiator.
To be fair, what's Ben supposed to say if he really has nothing to say other than he enjoyed the meal?
There's an expectation that when someone writes broadly about luxury that they're supposed to be knowledgeable and opinionated about all aspects of the experience. But what if that isn't true?
Ben is not the only "bling blogger" who (for instance) substitutes a Google search of wine prices for an actual, educated opinion...
To be fair, what's Ben supposed to say if he really has nothing to say other than he enjoyed the meal?
There's an expectation that when someone writes broadly about luxury that they're supposed to be knowledgeable and opinionated about all aspects of the experience. But what if that isn't true?
Ben is not the only "bling blogger" who (for instance) substitutes a Google search of wine prices for an actual, educated opinion about the wine. And I don't think I've ever read anything that indicates he has a particular interest in food, or any basis on which to opine about the quality of headphones.
Ben knows more about airplanes and their configurations than anyone but that doesn't make him an expert -- or even a person who takes an interest in -- food, wine, hair care products, interior design, or any other subject. I say, let him write about the stuff he's expert on and leave the stuff he's not.
No offense, but taste is so subjective, does it really matter ?
To paraphrase, "One man's slop/gruel is another man's delicacy!"
Austrian has a nonstop seasonal flight LAX to Vienna. It is by far the best way to travel to Vienna from the West coast, even with a connection in LAX.; I've flown SFO to LAX, giving myself plenty of time to connect. The LAX flight leaves around 3 PM so you avoid having that early morning jet-lagged connection thereby enabling you to enjoy the wonderful food and still have a restful night's sleep
We were supposed to fly VIE-ORD last month, but Austrian cancelled our direct flight for that day. We were really looking forward to it. Instead we had to rebook VIE-BRU-ORD w/ BRU-ORD on UA. We had such great service on our MUC-VIE flight and VIE-BRU. Was a shame we didn't get to try them long haul.
The butter on the side with the sandwich just seems off IMO, but that's just me.
Anywho, why can't airlines put this much effort into their presentation and serveware? They just jam everything into a casserole.
As James Martin says: "You can never have too much butter!"
@ Mike O. -- Hah, regarding the butter, bread was offered, which I rejected, given that my entire meal was carbs. However, the other option was a Viennese salad with turkey ham, so I suspect the bread and butter would be more appropriate with that.
That makes more sense with bread being offered; then again, bread on top of a sandwich as the main is off in itself!
And as someone who watches their cholesterol, I'd pass on the butter.
Perfect seat, food and service for an afternoon hop across the Atlantic. Bravo Austrian.
legitimately my favorite way to cross the atlantic now. everything felt so distinctly and charmingly (not a word, i know) AUSTRIAN, from the Strauss boarding music to the service to the food and drinks... i'm, like, a full on fanboy for austrian (ESPECIALLY compared to the rest of lufthansa group)
I have flown Austrian multiple times and the other thing that I like about them is that they are consistent. You can generally expect to have a good experience on board. That is what makes them my favourite European airline.
While it's too bad the appetizer buffet trolley seems to be discontinued, it's good to see that that quality of the food remains high (even though the size of the main portion seems a bit smaller than usual for business class).
And given how outdated the staggered seats were, it makes these reverse herringbone seats seem like a huge improvement, even if they aren't the most cutting edge RH seats out there.
Ben,
Nice to hear that Austrian still excels.
They might not need to wait too long for more 787s. Boeing has 19 birds already built awaiting LH to (I guess) get their seats certified and installed so delivery can be rendered. I assume certification is the 'cork in the bottle' which may get these birds 'flowing.'
No, go read Ben's other article about the LH seat debacle. First of all, I think they're at 21 or 22 built LH birds at this point. But they are struggling to get certain seats crash tested, and the LH boss said there is a possibility they can never be certified at all and they'll have to go completly back to the drawing board.
Thanks for this review. This is what flying in J should be about.
I hope I can catch this flight once, too.
Mildly petty but it bugs me so much how there is barely a handful of chips with the pre-landing meal. Would have preferred either no chips or a bag of chips emptied into a bowl.
Probably Spohr has ordered them to count the number of chips per plate... :(
Austrian is the only LH Group airilne I have time for mainly because the food has remained excellent!