Austrian is in the process of installing a new business class product throughout their longhaul fleet, a project that should be completed by April of 2013. This is pretty exciting since Austrian is known for having excellent catering, so with this new seat they should have a truly world class business class product. Originally the…
Continue reading: Delays in Austrian’s new business class mean delays in my US Airways award…
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
I'm flying (SBA-SFO-)JFK-VIE(-ATH-JTR) on OS for my honeymoon 7/22/13. Hopefully it'll all be in place by then. How's the old business class?
@ alan -- I would hope the installation would be complete by then fleet wide. The old business class angled flat seats, so isn't great, though many say the food makes up for it.
this Austrian.com tool will tell you when to expect new biz on any given flight: http://businessclass.austrian.com/de/
click the window on the right of the screen to scroll through 4 windows, the biz seat locator is the 4 window after you scrolled to the right.
Austrian only has a total of 10 767 and 777 so it really should not take them that long.
I've got a US award on hold that includes BKK-VIE C in early June, hope it's not too much a delay.
yes, the Africa trip on those carriers would be much more interesting. Please do that instead.
MS has a pretty solid hard product (especially their 777-300s). The soft product leaves much to be desired, though the crew is (usually) very friendly and tries hard (they're just not refined, despite their best efforts to be so). Also, it's a dry airline, but until recently your drink of choice was Diet Coke with lime, so you shouldn't mind. Although I did notice that you've gotten hooked on Champagne as of late... 😉
@lucky -- I've been looking at the same options, but i'm more keen on the 787 iad-add on ethopian. similarly, they keep switching around their 787 routes and i want to be sure i get it
I'm eyeing mid/late-March to fly OS, but that seems a bit dicey doesn't it?
Oh and btw is the Do&Co catering only ex VIE?
@ Kai -- A bit of risk, though I think you have a good shot. I do believe it's only out of Vienna.
Just rechecked my JFK-VIE flight on OS for Jan 11 and appears it has been switched to an old 767. The Austrian also now says that the flight will not have the new product. Huge bummer.
Any sense of what is driving the delays? I, too, have been stalking the marketing calendar they've put out and it now looks like the first flight ex-JFK with the new product is 3/20/13 (previously was 12/24ish...)
@ John -- Apparently it's a delay with the certification process of the new seats.