Review of Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna to Chicago in Business

Austrian Airlines is not an international powerhouse. In fact they only have 11 wide body jets. But if you are going to Europe, they can get you to Vienna and regionally fly you to your final destination. They even have some Asian routes from their base. Bottom line is they have an impressive premium product.
From my perspective, Austrian gets top grades in comfort, food service and entertainment. And that's the trifecta when spending 8 plus hours on a plane.
Austrian 767 Business Class Cabin:

Bottom line it's very nice. Being a 767, the cabin is on the small side for today’s standards. But the seats and color combinations are nicely done and of provide an attractive environment. Business class is 1x2x1 so all passengers have direct aisle access, solo passengers have their privacy and couples can sit together. It is also staggered allowing for more privacy from anyone across the aisle.

Their business class seat is the Thompson Vantage variety. This seat is very comfortable.

It has a massage function as well as two firmness settings for the bed when it's extended. I did notice a difference in the cushion between the firmer and softer settings.

The only negative is the compartment is somewhat small compared to a reverse herringbone layout or open space like Turkish and United. My feet got a little cramped in the footwell.

But it's private and the rows were slightly offset offering further intimacy. If you are a solo traveler and like the window, select an odd row seat where the large table is between you and the aisle. For even numbered rows the table is against the window. There wasn't a hook for your jacket, nor any storage space for a small carry on other than the footwell. There is a flap under the monitor that can hold an iPad. Just remember it's there! And there is a neat little mesh holder for a water bottle. All in all its a great seat.

This was a day flight and only 8 hours so I wasn’t ready for sleep. But I did try it out. It’s comfortable with the exception of the footwell is small and my feet got tangled a couple times. The compartment is on the smallish side, but again the plane is on the smallish side, so I’d like to see how this compartment is in their 777 aircraft. (Coming soon!) A pillow and blanket are provided but no mattress pad.
A standard fare amenity kit was placed in a pocket underneath the light.

Oh, and then there is the food.
The food was excellent and lived up to the hype I had read about. Multiple appetizers, soup and desserts are served from trolley carts allowing you a visual selection.
You have 3 choices for a main dish with one a vegetarian offering. There is also a selection of Austrian wines. The "on-board" chef doesn't really cook anything, but it's a fun thing both Austrian and Turkish Airlines do. They even wear a chef's hat! A second smaller salad service before landing was one of the best meals I had all trip.
Beverage menu. Local Austrian wines were featured on this flight.

Food Menu.

My selections:

DO&CO does the catering for Austrian and again they proved airline food can be delicious. For my tastes each one of these dishes was restaurant quality. I had the deep fried chicken. It was not greasy and was crisp, tender and flavorful. And I'm quite certain the FAA and European Aviation Safety Administration do not allow Austrian aircraft to have a deep fryer installed!
For dessert their speciality is traditional Viennese apple strudel. And they are rightfully proud of it so they've handed out the recipe. I might just give it a try and it was very good.

After your meal the Viennese Coffee Shop is open for business. Menus are passed out. Select from 11 Viennese coffee specialties. Various combinations of fresh or whipped cream, steamed or foamed milk, flavored liquors and ice creams make up your selections. You can't go wrong. Starbucks can only pretend.

Franziskaner

IFE:
Austrian has the best IFE system I’ve seen. I was in awe of the monitor. It had brilliant, vibrant colors. Watch the quick video below on how to make your selections with the hand held controller. You could also use the touchscreen as unlike Turkish Airlines, you are within arms reach of the monitor. Content was good and they even had some aviation enthusiasts' videos from Pilot’s Eye TV. The one I watched was a sightseeing flight made from Vienna to Barcelona flown by the head captain of their Airbus A320 division. There were a couple other videos from Pilots Eye as well.
(My poor photo does an injustice to the monitor!)

Austrian IFE controller

Wi-Fi:
Austrian does not have Wi-Fi installed on their aircraft
Crew:
This crew was really good as well. It seemed with each flight the crew got better. The purser on this flight introduced herself at departure and thanked me for flying with them on arrival.
Aircraft:
The 767 is an older aircraft but was in excellent condition. It was registration #OE-LAW, built in 1992 and original flown by Lauda Air. The aircraft had winglets installed in 2011.

Business Class Lounge in VIE Terminal 3 was nothing special. Small and not much in the way of food, although there was a huge buffet tray of scrambled eggs, as it was breakfast time. It just wasn’t a very comfortable lounge, but it had a nice view of the airfield. I wouldn't go out of my way to arrive early just to spend time in this lounge.

complete review on Rewardflying blog