Lufthansa Group subsidiary Austrian Airlines is launching flights to Dubai, but the airline is doing it in an unconventional way…
In this post:
Austrian plans Vienna to Dubai Airbus A320neo flights
Between December 2025 and March 2026, Austrian will operate 5x weekly flights between Vienna (VIE) and Dubai (DXB), with the following schedule:
OS89 Vienna to Dubai departing 6:50PM arriving 3:25AM (+1 day)
OS90 Dubai to Vienna departing 6:20AM arriving 9:25AM
The 2,626-mile flight is blocked at 5hr35min eastbound and 6hr20min westbound. Austrian will use an Airbus A320neo for the route, featuring 180 seats, spread across 30 rows, in a 3-3 configuration. This is the same type of aircraft that Austrian ordinarily flies on routes within Europe, so there’s no seat back entertainment, and no “real” business class. At least the plane has Wi-Fi, and power ports at most seats.
Austrian is marketing this service in an interesting way
There’s no denying that the passenger experience on this flight will leave a lot to be desired. Full service Lufthansa Group carriers generally operate long haul aircraft to Dubai, so seeing Austrian fly the A320neo there isn’t necessarily what you’d expect. That’s especially true when you consider that Austrian will be competing head-to-head against Emirates in this market.
However, I have to commend the airline for its transparency in how it’s positioning this new route, and acknowledging the level of service that will be offered.
The airline specifically describes this route as a “Dubai Deal,” intended to be attractive for price-conscious travelers. This is just an experiment, and the performance of the first season will determine whether the flight returns in subsequent years. The logic is that this plane would otherwise be grounded in winter (given that there’s less demand than in summer), so the airline might as well try something.
Roundtrip all-in fares on this route start at 314 EUR in economy and 699 EUR in business class (which would be the standard intra-Europe business class, with food, a blocked middle seat, etc.)
Here’s how the company describes the logic behind this experiment:
Lean aircraft, lean price: instead of long-haul jets, the route will be operated by the A320neo. While there will be no inflight entertainment, passengers can expect new options and features from December onwards to tailor the flight experience to their individual preferences. Austrian Airlines is focusing on smart extras and small onboard highlights to make the journey enjoyable, nonetheless. Added to the attractive price point during peak travel season is the airline’s award-winning service concept, including onboard catering through the Austrian Melangerie.
Here’s how Austrian CEO Annette Mann describes this:
“With our ‘Dubai Deal’ we want to make Dubai appealing for price-conscious travelers – whether for shopping, sightseeing, or just soaking up the sun. I’m certain that frequent flyers and mileage collectors will also seize this opportunity at year-end. This experiment demonstrates that with courage and a clear focus on essentials, we can explore new ways forward.”
“An aircraft in the air is always better than one on the ground – and at the same time, we want to offer our guests a compelling deal. We understand this route comes with strong and very comfortable competition. But by deploying aircraft that would otherwise be idle during winter, we can afford to take a bold step, try something new, and challenge the market.”
There’s of course an irony to Austrian just using a standard intra-Europe A320neo for this route, while Lufthansa Group low cost subsidiary Eurowings experiments with a real premium product on its Dubai flights this winter.
Bottom line
Austrian Airlines will be launching flights to Dubai this winter. This route is an experiment, as it’ll be operated by an A320neo that would otherwise be grounded. So the idea is to offer fares at a reasonable cost, while acknowledging the uncompetitive product.
It’s rare to see an airline be so transparent in how it positions a new route, so I commend Austrian. I’m shocked Lufthansa Group allowed it to be marketed this way, as I have to imagine that if Lufthansa were marketing this flight, it would be described a Skytrax 5-star service, with the aircraft type being due to customer feedback. 😉
What do you make of Austrian’s “Dubai Deal” flights?
And I thought DXB was a premium market with good yields rather than a leisure destination.
Wait, why can't it appeal to both?
Despite being mostly a desert hellhole, Dubai still commands an incredible reputation among many non-premium travelers, largely due to the online influencer crowd. There's tons of people who want to take a picture at the fountain or visit the mall without actually spending a ton on their vacation. Case in point: look at the myriad of LCCs currently serving DWC, SHJ and RKT from Europe.
Americans sometimes don't realise that the MENA region is the only realistic option for a long weekend or similar escapade during the miserable N. European winter. I'm a fan of Oman, but someone who wants to switch off and spend three days by the pool is probably better off going to the UAE.
I’m sure most of the traffic will be connecting traffic and people booking a business class ticket won’t realize what they’re up for until they step on the plane. I doubt these tickets will be cheaper than competitors.
I think it's the opposite. Getting a ticket for a premium economy price with lounge access, more luggage etc thrown in will be attractive to connecting pax. Those who are likely to suffer are any LH/LX C pax who fall victim to IROPS!
I doubt the price will be different. You’ll see the same prices for eg DXB-NYC on LH/LX/OS, but the product will differ.
Well, as a frequent traveller on this route, I do hope nobody in my company will come up with the idea to try this.... nothing beats EK A380..
If you're flying economy and own a tablet I imagine it's not that different.
Sounds just like every Avianca flight to North America or the south cone, but better because OS offers WiFi.
"That’s especially true when you consider that Austrian will be competing head-to-head against Emirates in this market."
But they aren't doing that... They believe there's a segment of travelers large enough to merit this flight that refuse to fly Wizzair but don't want to pay Emirates prices. I think they will be proven wrong.
But why would that segment be willing to fly OS? That's the major flaw in their thinking. They're offering Wizzair products at triple price.
Air Arabia fly SHJ - VIE with some success, so there must be a lower cost market between the two countries. I'm sure plenty of people will suffer the discomfort for the non stop instead of the extra time of transiting via Doha or Istanbul.
Interestingly Virgin Atlantic are sending their super high density A350s to DXB in the winter, so there are plenty of people from Europe seeking warm winter sun without business class fares
Of course there is a lower cost market on that route. That's not the problem. The problem is that the lower cost market is taken by airlines that are actually cheap, unlike OS. OS proposition isn't competitive neither on price, nor on quality.
@Samo €700 is less than what you'd normally pay for premium economy between Europe and the UAE. Eurobusiness is a decent compromise if you're not tall and you don't need to sleep.
It's an interesting idea. The flight time is no longer than the many narrowbodies flying coast to coast daily in the US. Is a bigger plane a better customer experience? Typically. But plenty of people are on A320's or 737's for 5-6 hours daily.
'
US coast to cost flights don't compete with Emirates and Wizzair. US airlines can afford subpar product due to lack of competition. That's not the case on VIE-DXB.
Flying to the Canaries (VIE-TFS 04h45m) is not much quicker than flying to DXB (VIE-DXB 05h05m).
While it initially sounds crazy to fly from VIE to DXB on an A320neo, it’s quite common to fly to the Canaries on an A320…and the planes are full during winter. Ryanair, Wizz, Tuifly, Easyjet, Jet2 also don’t have a business class and also no seatback entertainment.
So while this OS flight will not necessarily appeal to OMAAT readers, I am sure that there is a market.
Okay. Im comparing eastbound to westbound and A320neo to B777 here…but you get the point: it could work out.
I agree: it's all a question of perspective and market expectations. For the leisure travellers they're aiming after, most won't even think about checking the aircraft type... so why not do it.
The real question is: why would it appeal to flyers over Wizzair? Plus, there's Etihad for the 80% who aren't actually heading to the UAE.
Ryanair, Wizz, TUI, easyJet, and Jet2 are cheap. OS is not. Low-cost market does exist of course. But high-cost low-quality market doesn't.
The aircraft would not be grounded otherwise because “it’s winter”, but because of night-time restrictions in the EU.
There is a bunch of routes on which Western European airlines are running a rotation to AMM, CAI, TLV or similar, Admittedly, DXB is a bit longer, but still the aircraft only leaves in the evening and is back in the morning, so it’s a handy additional utilization.
There's plenty of EU airports with no night time restrictions (there aren't any "EU night time restrictions", just various local ones). It's just that people don't fancy arriving late at night. The Caucasus and Middle Eastern destinations can get away with it because they're low yield so most airlines basically only operate them when the fixed costs are basically zero (the plane would otherwise spend the night at base).
Agree. There are no EU restrictions. This was simplified for editorial purposes.
But no, airlines can get away with bad flight times in the middle of the night, when there’s no competition and people have tongue whatever is on offer.
TLV for example is traditionally a high yield market, compared to distance flown, fares are have been very high from Europe, much higher than to LCA, which is next door.
WK even...
Agree. There are no EU restrictions. This was simplified for editorial purposes.
But no, airlines can get away with bad flight times in the middle of the night, when there’s no competition and people have tongue whatever is on offer.
TLV for example is traditionally a high yield market, compared to distance flown, fares are have been very high from Europe, much higher than to LCA, which is next door.
WK even tried such an overnight rotation to one or two destinations in the Canaries.
It doesn’t have anything to do with yield, but with the demand and supply situation
This sort of concept is right up my street, but the westbound timing is horrendous. The departure is too early for getting any meaningful amount of sleep on the ground and the arrival is too late for catching many of the morning connections via VIE (e.g. OS713 to BUD, the SN flight to BRU). If the plane isn't going to be used for other sectors, why couldn't they push the departure back to some less inhumane time?
I'm based in Italy, I love Austrian and I fly to Dubai frequently for business. I hate to say it but I wouldn't take this flight. But honestly I don't think they're trying to attract business travellers like me whose companies pay for their travel.
If I was forced into economy from VIE to DXB I would actually choose this flight over EK...even if the same price. Quick boarding and deplaning and a more stealth approach makes this far better than fighting 400+ passengers on the A380 and the complications that come from it. I am betting this flight will do very well.
This stage length seems to work US west coast to Hawaii, with less inflight service than Austrian will offer. Good that OS is setting expectations realistically.
Smart move, especially considering that their European config allows them to add of subtract biz seats at will.
Wouldn't personally fly it if I could avoid it though..