10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. All values of Membership Rewards are assigned based on the assumption, experience and opinions of the 10xTravel team and represent an estimate and not an actual value of points. Estimated value is not a fixed value and may not be the typical value enjoyed by card members.
Austrian Airlines is the national airline of Austria. Its main hub is in the country’s capital city of Vienna, which is a popular tourist destination due to its rich history, stunning architecture and world-famous operas. Austrian Airlines direct flights between Vienna and several North American destinations, (including New York, Washington D.C., Chicago and Montreal, making it an excellent choice for United States travelers who want to visit this beautiful city.
If you’re considering a long-haul flight to Europe, it may also be worth looking into flying in Austrian Airlines business class, which is far more comfortable and enjoyable than economy class. Of course, purchasing an Austrian Airlines business-class ticket using cash can be rather expensive. But by using points and miles through certain partner frequent flyer programs, you can experience Austrian Airlines business class for a very low out-of-pocket cost.
In this article, we’ll explore various Star Alliance partner programs through which you can book Austrian Airlines business-class award flights. We’ll also take a look at what you can expect when traveling in Austrian Airlines’ business class.
What to Expect In Austrian Airlines Business Class
While Austrian Airlines isn’t known for having an outstanding business-class product, you can still expect certain industry-standard business-class amenities, such as lie-flat seats, on long-haul flights. Many Austrian Airlines medium- and short-haul flights also offer business-class service. However, these flights don’t offer many of the premium amenities available on long-haul flights.
The following chart includes each aircraft type in the Austrian Airlines fleet, the number of business-class seats on each, the configuration of the business-class cabin and the types of flights each aircraft is used to for:
| Aircraft type | Number of business-class seats (depends on flight) | Business-class seat configuration | Flight type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 787-9 | 26 | 1-2-1 | Long-haul |
| Boeing 777-200ER | 38 | Alternating 1-2-1 and 2-2-2 | Long-haul |
| Boeing 767-300ER | 24 | 1-2-1 | Long-haul |
| Airbus A321-211 | 32 | 1-1-1-1 (or 2-2 with guaranteed open middle seat) | Medium- and short-haul |
| Airbus A321-111 | 32 | 1-1-1-1 (or 2-2 with guaranteed open middle seat) | Medium- and short-haul |
| Airbus A320-200 | 24 | 1-1-1-1 (or 3-3 with guaranteed open middle seat) | Medium- and short-haul |
| Airbus A320neo | 24 | 1-1-1-1 (or 3-3 with guaranteed open middle seat) | Medium- and short-haul |
| Embraer 195 | 8 | 1-1 (or 2-2 with guaranteed open adjacent seat) | Short-haul |
To clarify, on an Airbus A320, the business-class cabin features rows of three. However, the middle seat is always open, so you’ll never have anyone sitting next to you. The business-class cabin on an Embraer 195 features rows of two, with one seat always unoccupied.
Medium- and Short-Haul Flights
Although long-haul Austrian Airlines flights offer better amenities and comfort than medium- and short-haul trips,, you’ll still enjoy some premium amenities on the latter, including a baggage allowance of two hand luggage items (up to 8 kilograms each) and two checked bags (up to 32 kilograms each).
You’ll also enjoy preferential treatment at the airport, including priority check-in, baggage handling, security control and boarding. Plus, your Austrian Airlines business-class ticket allows you to access any Austrian Airlines lounge before your flight or during a layover. Since Austrian Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, you can also access Star Alliance partner airport lounges around the world. You can use the My10x Lounge Finder tool to find available lounges at a specific airport.
Business-class passengers on flights shorter than 50 minutes will receive complimentary hand-baked pastries. On flights between 50 and 80 minutes, you’ll have access to a cold menu, including options such as muesli, hand-sliced ham with fresh horseradish and a smoked salmon poke bowl. You’ll also receive your choice of a dessert, such as Sachertorte, panna cotta or apple strudel.
Business-class passengers on Austrian Airlines medium- and short-haul flights also receive complimentary beverages, including Viennese coffee, wine, beer, spirits, tea, juices and soft drinks.
The seats on medium- and short-haul trips don’t convert into lie-flat beds. They’re fairly similar to economy-class seats with slightly more legroom. Additionally, business-class passengers on these flights won’t receive amenity kits and often don’t have access to entertainment systems.
Long-Haul Flights
Regardless of the aircraft type, business-class passengers on long-haul Austrian Airlines flights will always have lie-flat seats that convert into a bed of nearly 2 meters (about 78 inches) in length. These seats also feature adjustable lighting and air cushion systems to ensure that you arrive at your destination feeling well-rested.
You’ll also receive noise-cancelling headphones, which are great for sleeping and can also be connected to your seatback 15-inch HD touchscreen entertainment system. This system gives you access to over 400 hours of video and audio entertainment.
Upon boarding your flight, you’ll receive an amenity kit designed by Austrian artists in cooperation with the Museum of Applied Arts. These kits contain a sleep mask, a toothbrush, toothpaste tablets, earplugs and socks. You’ll also receive an aperitif and a culinary greeting (amuse-bouche) when you first take your seat.
Although dining options on long-haul Austrian Airlines business-class flights typically vary by route, you’ll always receive at least one gourmet meal designed by Viennese catering company and restaurant group DO & CO. This meal consists of your choice of an appetizer, a soup, a main course and a dessert.
You may also receive a second meal and a complimentary all-natural energy drink. Below is an example of the business-class dining options on a long-haul redeye flight between Montreal (YUL) and Vienna (VIE).
You can also request a complimentary snack plate (called “Gabelbissen”) at any time during the flight, ensuring you’ll feel satisfied throughout your journey. Of course, you also receive full complimentary access to the beverage menu.
As with medium- and short-haul Austrian Airlines flights, business-class passengers on long-haul flights also receive a baggage allowance of two hand items and two checked bags, preferential treatment at the airport and complimentary airport lounge access.
Best Programs Through Which to Book Austrian Airlines Business-Class Flights
Austrian Airlines is a member of Star Alliance, along with most of the airlines owned by the Lufthansa Group. This means that you can book Austrian Airlines-operated award flights through certain Star Alliance partner frequent flyer programs. Since each of these frequent flyer programs prices award flights differently, you may be able to find the same Austrian-operated award flight for fewer miles through one program compared to another.
Likewise, some of these frequent flyer programs allow transfers from certain credit card rewards programs, while others don’t. For example, while Citi ThankYou points can be transferred to the Avianca Lifemiles program, they can’t be transferred to Air Canada Aeroplan. These differences can dictate which programs are relevant to you.
Let’s take a look at some of the best partner frequent flyer programs through which you can book Austrian Airlines award flights.
Avianca Lifemiles
If you’re looking to book an Austrian Airlines transatlantic award flight, you can often find affordable rates through the Avianca Lifemiles program. This program uses fixed award charts to price partner award flights, which means that you can often find outsized value (offering more than 1 cent per mile) on partner redemptions through Lifemiles.
For example, we found a round-trip Austrian Airlines business-class itinerary between Montreal (YUL) and Vienna (VIE) for 126,000 Avianca miles and about $108 in taxes and fees.
If you were to book the same flights on the same dates through the Austrian Airlines website using cash, it would cost you about $4,261.
When factoring in the taxes and fees you’d have to pay for the award flight, this redemption would give you a value of about 3.3 cents per point, which is very good.
It’s also fairly easy for most U.S. consumers to earn Avianca miles because the Lifemiles program is a 1:1 transfer partner of several major U.S. credit card rewards programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Brex, Capital One Rewards, Citi ThankYou Rewards and Wells Fargo Rewards.
However, it should be noted that Austrian Airlines business-class award availability is relatively scarce through Lifemiles. So, you may want to use third-party search tools, such as AwardTool or Seats.Aero, to identify award availability.
Air Canada Aeroplan
Another great program through which you can book Austrian Airlines business-class awards across the Atlantic is Air Canada Aeroplan. This program offers considerably more Austrian Airlines award availability than Avianca Lifemiles. While rates for transatlantic business-class awards tend to cost slightly more than through the Lifemiles program, Aeroplan also prices these awards according to fixed award charts, meaning you can find outsized value.
For instance, we found a round-trip Austrian Airlines business-class itinerary between Washington D.C. (IAD) and Vienna (VIE) for 140,000 Aeroplan points and about 211 Canadian dollars (approximately $150) in taxes and fees.
If you were to book the same flights through the Austrian Airlines website using cash, it would cost you about $7,888.
Accounting for the taxes and fees paid for the award flight, this redemption would give you about 5.5 cents per point, which is outstanding.
The Air Canada Aeroplan program is also a 1:1 transfer partner of several of the major U.S. credit card rewards programs, including American Express Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. So, it’s easy to earn Aeroplan points if you have a credit card from any of these issuers.
United Airlines MileagePlus
Another Star Alliance partner frequent flyer program through which you can consistently find Austrian Airlines transatlantic business-class award availability is United Airlines MileagePlus. While these types of awards tend to require more miles through MileagePlus than they do through either Lifemiles or Aeroplan, there seems to be much greater availability through MileagePlus.
While United MileagePlus uses a dynamic pricing model for partner award flights, including those operated by Austrian Airlines, you can still find certain awards at “Saver” rates that offer solid value per mile.
For example, we found a round-trip Austrian Airlines business-class itinerary between Montreal (YUL) and Vienna (VIE) for 160,000 miles plus about $111 in taxes and fees.
If you were to book this same flight through the Austrian Airlines website using cash, it would cost you about $4,206.
Considering the taxes and fees that you’d have to pay for the award flight, this redemption would give you about 2.6 cents per mile, which is good.
The only major U.S. credit card rewards programs that transfer at a 1:1 ratio to MileagePlus are Bilt Rewards and Chase Ultimate Rewards. However, many U.S. travelers use MileagePlus as their main frequent flyer program and may have saved up a balance of MileagePlus miles from flights. Signing up for a MileagePlus co-branded credit card may also be a good idea if you often fly with United Airlines and its partners.
The Bottom Line
Austrian Airlines, the flagship carrier of Austria, offers a decent long-haul business-class product with all the industry-standard conveniences, such as amenity kits, lie-flat beds, airport lounge access and gourmet in-flight meals. However, this airline’s business-class product doesn’t rank among the best in the world and lacks any real distinguishing features.
Nonetheless, if you’re interested in flying to Austria’s capital city of Vienna, traveling in Austrian Airlines business class is a comfortable way to do so. You can use points and miles through certain Star Alliance frequent flyer programs to book transatlantic Austrian Airlines business-class tickets at low out-of-pocket costs.
In general, the best programs to search for these types of awards are Avianca Lifemiles and Air Canada Aeroplan. Since both these programs determine Austrian Airlines business-class awards prices using fixed charts, you can often find outsized value with these redemptions. These programs also allow transfers from several major U.S. credit card rewards programs.
It’s also worth searching the United Airlines MileagePlus program. MileagePlus tends to charge more miles for these types of awards but often offers more Austrian Airlines transatlantic business-class availability.
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Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
10xTravel is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites, such as CreditCards.com. This site may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. This site does not include all financial companies or all available financial offers. Terms apply to American Express benefits and offers. Enrollment may be required for select American Express benefits and offers. Visit americanexpress.com to learn more. All values of Membership Rewards are assigned based on the assumption, experience and opinions of the 10xTravel team and represent an estimate and not an actual value of points. Estimated value is not a fixed value and may not be the typical value enjoyed by card members.
Editors Note: Opinions expressed here are author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, hotel, airline, or other entity. This content has not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of the entities included within the post.
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