Austrian Launches “Dubai Deal” Test Flights, Admits They’ll Be Unpleasant

Lufthansa Group subsidiary Austrian Airlines is launching flights to Dubai, but the airline is doing it in an unconventional way…

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:

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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?