⭐ Overall Score: 8 / 10
Pros
- Very good food
- Cozy bedding that led to a decent night’s sleep (for a plane)
- Local snacks and beverage selection
Cons
- No wifi
- Not the warmest service
- Did I mention no wifi
This Austrian Airlines business class flight from Montreal to Vienna offered a comfortable overnight experience with solid food, cozy bedding, and a well-designed—if slightly dated—seat. The standout was the catering, with thoughtfully prepared meals and a strong focus on Austrian flavors, though service felt more polished than warm. The lack of WiFi is a notable drawback, but overall it’s a good option for a transatlantic flight if connectivity isn’t a priority.
Booking
This flight was the second leg of a trip that would take me to Bosnia and Serbia. I booked the business trip on an Air Canada ticket via our corporate travel agent. The total business class airfare for the round trip was $6095 with this particular segment operated by Austrian Airways costing approximately $2130.
Airport Experience
I had a relatively short layover in Montreal after arriving from Dallas and clearing Canadian immigration. When I made it to the international terminal at YUL it was an absolute zoo. I had access to both the Air Canada Lounge and a Priority Pass restaurant/lounge looking concept, but both were at capacity with lines to get in which was a bit disappointing. This was especially true since YUL is a hub for Air Canada so one would hope the lounge would have sufficient capacity for customers.
As this was my first time flying international out of Montreal – and given I couldn’t get into the lounges – I decided to explore the terminal a bit before making my way to Gate 59. Besides being packed, the terminal was nice enough and there was still plenty of seating and power outlets which is always a plus. I’ve been in enough less well equipped airports where finding working and open power outlets is a competitive sport.
Boarding was slightly delayed as our gate was still occupied by a departing Swiss Air flight, but once that departed, the Austrian Airlines 767 was quickly brought to the gate already serviced and ready to board.
Aircraft & Cabin
I had selected seat 1A which is the bulkhead business class seat on the left side of the aircraft. While I don’t like bulkheads in economy or on domestic business class flights because of the lack of under seat storage, they generally provide some extra foot room in business class pods.
First class on the 767-300 has 24 seats in a 1-2-1 layout. All seats have direct aisle access. The single seats alternate with the odd number rows being closer to the window and the even number seats being closer to the aisle. My preference is to be closer to the window which lessens the chance of being bumped by aisle traffic and provides a slightly more secluded feel although these seats did not have any doors. The fully lie flat seats have 44 inches of pitch and are 20 inches wide.
While the plane had been cleaned, the job could have been a bit more thorough as I found some toilet paper (thank goodness seemingly clean) on my seat.
Seat
This was certainly not the most cutting edge business class seat, but it was comfortable and well appointed. There was a digital screen that controlled seat movement including three pre sets for “upright” (for takeoffs and landings), “relax” and “sleep.” The seat also had a massage option although I found it to be more annoying than soothing. You could also change the firmness of the seat cushion which was a nice feature.
There was a universal power outlet and USB A charging outlet to the side of the seat as well as a reading lamp.
I thought the Austrian Coat of Arms embossed on the small storage area to the side of the seat was a nice touch. I like when airlines incorporate aspects of their culture be it in colors, symbols or food and beverage into the experience.
In Flight Entertainment & Connectivity (or lack thereof)
There was a high definition screen at each seat. Austrian offers a selection of a couple hundred movies to choose from so there should be something for everyone although other airlines may have larger collections.
There was no working wifi on this flight as Austrian does not have wifi available on its older 767 aircraft. As this was an overnight flight, that wasn’t a huge deal for me, but would be a consideration on a daytime flight where I intended to get work done.
Amenities
When I arrived at my seat I found a pillow and warm blanket. While there was not a mattress pad – which I rarely use anyway – the bedding and especially pillow made for a cozy experience and I managed to get a several hours of sleep during the flight.
There was also an amenity kit which included the standard items. However I did appreciate the pattern on the bag was selected to reflect the work of a notable Austrian artist.
There was also a pair of noise cancelling headphones. I couldn’t find a brand on the headphones, but sound quality was good and I found them to be decently comfortable.
Food & Drink
After take off the crew came around with drinks and crispy pretzel bites. The pretzel bites were a unique take on the usual nuts that most airlines offer. While champagne was on offer, I selected the Austrian “Johann Strauss” sparkling wine to go with my pretzel bites. As I said I appreciate when airlines feature products from their own countries and I enjoyed that Austrian really emphasized this in their beverage offerings.
The meal started with a canape which was some sort of veggie wrap. It was the low point of the meal frankly. This was followed by a broccoli cream soup which was quite good. I don’t know why more airlines don’t serve soup as it reheats and presents well. There was then a selection of appetizers and I selected the Chicken Schnitzel which felt very Austrian. The schnitzel could have used more seasoning in my opinion, but the slightly grilled lemon served on the side provided a nice hit of acid.
For my main I chose the beef bourguignon with potato gratin, mushrooms and green beans. This was quite good and while the presentation wasn’t fancy, I appreciate that it did appear to be plated.
I was fairly stuffed at this point, so for dessert I just selected the cheese plate and a glass of an Austrian dessert wine – 2021 Burgenland “Exquisit” Trockenbeerenauslese (try saying that three times fast). Both hit the spot and paired nicely.
Breakfast was also served on this flight about ninety minutes out of Vienna. However, unusual for me, I slept right through it. I’ll give it credit to the cozy bedding.
Service
The service on this flight was very polished, but not necessarily the warmest. I did appreciate that they asked if I wanted to be awakened for breakfast and honored my request to let me sleep.
Arrival Experience
This was my first time flying through Vienna and I found it a bit confusing. I kept expecting to go through security or immigration to the Schengen zone of Europe (although I guess this wasn’t necessary since I was connecting to a flight out of the zone) and eventually just followed the signs directly to my gate without encountering either. That said, once I found the right signs to follow, it was relatively efficient to transfer (certainly better than my Montreal experience).