Index to Genius1 trip reports (http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/18223387-post30.html)
This report will be rather brief, and more photo-heavy than text-heavy. All the same, I hope it provides a little insight into Vienna and makes for an enjoyable read.
A quick break was in order, and Vienna fulfilled our criteria – somewhere cultured, with architectural interest and not too far from home. The flights and hotel (InterContinental) were booked together as a package with BA, as this reduced the price rather a lot. Due to last minute booking, the cheapest flight outbound was actually in Club Europe, with the return in Euro Traveller. BA wanted £2000 to upgrade the return by phone – needless to say that was swiftly declined!
We stayed at the Sofitel T5 the night before our flight, as even though we would be departing from T3, the Sofitel is only one short trip on the HEx. At the time of staying, I was A-Club Gold (alas I have since dropped to pleb level with this program), and this granted us a room upgrade from a Classic to a Luxury room with a rather swish bathroom.
The next morning, there was no queue at BA’s enclosed F check-in area in Zone G of T3, our one checked bag was tagged with the new oneworld priority tag and we whizzed through Fast Track security, with nobody in the queue at all – quite a spectacle in T3! I was pleased to note that the Fast Track exit into the duty free area was open, meaning we didn’t have to walk along through the security area.
Our first port of call was BA’s Galleries First lounge. I’m really not sure I like this lounge. The champagne bar is nice, but the rest feels distinctly Club lounge-like, with only a few of the comfy single armchairs that the T5 Galleries First lounge has. The rest of the seating is identical to the Club lounge next door, and really doesn’t provide the same levels of comfort as the T5 F lounge.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6026174982_c35da39d19.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6026174982/)
Champagne bar, BA Galleries First, T3
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Gold bar
Breakfast was taken in the First dining area, where a friendly waitress took our order from the menu. My full English was rather tasteless, whilst the bacon and scrambled eggs were both under-done.
After breakfast, we couldn’t find anywhere particularly comfy to sit, and so we headed to the Cathay Pacific lounge complex, and were directed into the almost empty F lounge. This lounge is much better appointed than BA’s F lounge, and had a decent selection of hot and cold breakfast items, along with the spectacular view of the runway that makes this lounge my preferred oneworld lounge in T3.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6077/6025623229_d464ba1434.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025623229/)
CX First Class lounge
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BA 747 with New First, viewed from the CX F lounge
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QF 747 viewed from the CX F lounge
I somehow lost track of time in the CX lounge, and so we had to run to the bussing gate (24C), before boarding the penultimate bus that was almost full when we arrived.
We were welcomed onboard by the friendly purser, and directed to our seats (2DF) in Club Europe on this almost brand new A320 (G-EUYI). This aircraft has BA’s new spacesaver seating throughout, meaning that the CE seats no longer convert into wider seats (although the forward 10 or so rows do have a 34” pitch, as opposed to 31”). Whilst these seats have come under much criticism due to their non-convertableness, I found them to be very comfortable and perfectly wide enough for the average person. Legroom seemed better than the old converter seating, and the armrests can be raised to provide extra width. Of course, in CE the middle seat is left unoccupied, and this is a significant advantage to CE over ET.
After takeoff and the seatbelt sign had been switched off, the usual Band 3A CE service commenced, with the purser providing excellent service throughout. Hot towels were offered, before the tray of full English breakfast, fruit and fresh OJ was presented, followed by an offer of breads and pastries. Hot drinks shortly made the rounds, and an eye was kept on the cabin throughout the flight.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6122/6026195070_16cd1ab46b.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6026195070/)
Club Europe Band 3A breakfast
In the final row of the three-row CE cabin, several young children were seated. For the most part, they were very well behaved, but on occasion they were a little loud. The purser had an excellent manner in politely asking the father to keep the noise level to a minimum. The purser also won brownie points for emphasizing that the forward washroom was for the ‘exclusive use of Club Europe passengers’.
The landing into VIE was extremely bumpy, to the point that most of the plane swore loudly (me included), and the cabin crew also looked visibly shocked. We bounced a couple of times (the first touch down being extremely hard) before rolling out safely and using almost the full length of the runway. The captain made an announcement as we approached the gate saying that ‘if you hadn’t noticed, we’ve arrived’…
Baggage sadly took an age to be delivered, and so the much-lauded ‘new’ oneworld priority tags appear to have very little effect.
We arrived at the InterContinental within about twenty minutes of exiting the airport thanks to an efficient taxi (around EUR35), and were promptly checked in by the exceptional reception staff. I enquired about Club lounge access, and opted to include this for EUR50 per night (great value, considering breakfast is included either in room, in lounge or in restaurant). There is free internet throughout the hotel for Ambassadors, although sadly there is no wifi in rooms.
Our upgraded room on the 6th floor was well appointed and had a lovely view over Stadtpark and the city. The bathroom was a little small (and didn’t have a walk-in shower), but other than that I couldn’t really fault the room. The Ambassador welcome fruit plate, chocolate gift and mineral water were waiting on arrival, and all were replenished daily.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6135/6026202516_8cd1abe1c9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6026202516/)
View from the room
Genius1
Aug 9, 11, 12:03 pm
The Club lounge on the top (12th) floor was nicely proportioned and featured a more than adequate selection for breakfast, afternoon tea and evening canapés. In fact, the evening ‘canapés’ turned out to be substantial enough to feed a small army. However, the ‘comfy’ seating area was far too small, and the dining chairs were uncomfortable and not particularly attractive. The service in the lounge did not seem to be up to the excellent standard set throughout the rest of the hotel, but there was no real cause for complaint. The super-fast wifi and high quality of catering made up for any service issues we experienced in the lounge.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6197/6025689875_5b5f853027.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025689875/)
Club lounge entrance
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Club lounge reception
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Reception, looking towards the exit
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Evening buffet, hot plate
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Evening buffet, dessert and tea area
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View from the lounge
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View from the lounge, on a sunnier day
Vienna is a truly beautiful city, and during our couple of days we explored pretty much the whole of the central area, including tours of the Spanish Riding School and Opera House. The city will now always hold a special memory for me, as I received a rather important phone call at the Belvedere Palace offering me a position on a graduate scheme that I had been eagerly anticipating for the past week! I’ve included a selection of my favourite photographs from Vienna here to set the scene.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6204/6025667525_1db432de4c.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025667525/)
Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Hofburg Palace
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View over the city from Upper Belvedere Palace
We opted for the hotel’s Mercedes limo transfer back to the airport for EUR50, which was a nice way to end our short break.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6083/6025693167_b2c3d00ce1.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025693167/)
Chauffeur transfer
We arrived at VIE’s T2 a couple of hours before departure, and checked in at the single Club Europe desk. The friendly agent offered an upgrade price of EUR135 per person upon enquiring, but this was politely turned down, as EUR270 is not particularly good value for a 2-hour flight. The agent kindly offered to block the middle seat in ET for us, confirming our seats as 4AC, the first row of ET. I had noted from online check-in that this aircraft would again have the spacesaver seating installed, as all three 4ABC seats were available for selection (4B would’ve been blocked at check-in if convertible seating had been installed).
The queue for passport control to enter the D Gates was rather long with no visible Fast Track lane, but the queue moved rather quickly in practice, and we were in the airport-operated AIR lounge within ten minutes.
The AIR lounge has recently been refurbished and had a nice view of the gate area/runway, with a decent selection of food items for a third-party lounge (and for a lounge that offers paid entry). For much of the time, we had the lounge to ourselves, and I took advantage of the airport’s free wifi to catch up on emails etc.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6125/6025693807_823b953cca.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025693807/)
AIR lounge
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View from the lounge – no doubt who rules the roost here!
Our boarding gate had changed to a bussing gate, and once through security we were confronted with a rather long boarding queue. I approached a free gate agent and enquired about priority boarding, and we were permitted to board onto the bus straight away. The same friendly check-in agent scanned our BPs and wished us a pleasant flight.
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Looking into the three-row Club Europe cabin
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Legroom in Row 4 of BA’s new batch of A320s with spacesaver seats
There is very little to say about the return sector (on the same aircraft as the outbound), other than that one snack/drinks run was offered, and nothing more. I opted for the delicious Fox’s biscuits rather than the nuts – I really must look into ordering some of these biscuits for home!
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6210/6025699831_dc4a7e96b5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025699831/)
Euro Traveller snacks and drinks
I spotted a fellow BA A320 zooming in the opposite direction a little way under us, but alas didn’t reach my camera in time. I did, however, manage to capture the dreaded FRA beast on camera, as I had on the outbound sector.
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6190/6026256192_9649e0966e.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6026256192/)
FRA
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6132/6025700989_195a12e448.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/41058731@N05/6025700989/)
FRA off G-EUYI’s wing
We landed on time and taxied to the remote stand area adjacent to T1 that BA use for their shorthaul T3 operation. The three passengers in CE got a bus all to themselves (in a trial that I hope BA will extend to all bussing ops at LHR), before we were allowed down the steps onto the first of the waiting ET busses.
One very long walk later, and we were through immigration (in the company of Professor Robert Winston who had just returned from New Zealand on Qantas), with bags delivered promptly in the refurbished reclaim hall.
Unfortunately we had just missed a HEx, as had a member of the Qantas cabin crew who I recognised from a flight to SIN a couple of years ago.
BA’s provided two more solid shorthaul segments. I enjoyed both CE and ET sectors equally, and really don’t have a problem with the spacesaver seating. For those travelling in ET, the seats are surely better than the previous generation.
That’s it for this relatively short report – comments and questions welcomed as always.
andset1191
Aug 9, 11, 12:31 pm
Thanks for the report, Genius1.
Comments as per the usual:
1. That new A320 looks really nice and shiny; most of my flying is through LGW these days and the 737s are decidedly shabby over there!
2. I was very interested in your comments about space saver seating. I guess with a 34" seat pitch, they ought to be pretty comfortable. Having said that, I'm a huge fan of the converters: I really like the headrest on the converters (except the B seat) and am not so keen on the headrest on the spacesavers.
3. It's great to hear of the premium bussing trial at T3, hopefully this is extended to T5 soon.
4. Having not been to T3, I think your comments on the lounge are interesting. Your breakfast in GF looks decidedly Holiday Inn like - I don't like the look of that scrambled egg, and the tomato looks like it was heated for hours!
5. I was interested to see your photos of the Sofitel T5, having never had enough money to stay there! (well when HI Sipson is only £40... being Scottish...) but it looks lovely. That exec lounge in the IC Vienna looks stunning too!
6. I love the Fox's biscuits in Traveller - yum! If you're reading, BA please keep them and the Spudmucker crisps :D
7. How cheap an upgrade price would you have taken out of Vienna, out of interest. A nice touch to block the middle seat too - I really think that BA should offer that as standard to golds/silvers in Economy (Euro Traveller at least).
Thanks for posting, real pleasure to read as always.
Warm regards,
andset1191
papabear
Aug 9, 11, 12:36 pm
Great trip report, pictures and commentary!
A few OT-ish questions.. What's the reason for the hostility towards FRA?
And what make/model of camera do you use? Pictures were exquisite.
747_not_777
Aug 9, 11, 12:41 pm
Interesting report - thank you. So, you'd recomend using the Cathay lounge over BA's T3 offering? Is it open all day long, and can - for the avoidance of any doubt - any BA Silver/Gold holder access the Cathay Busines/First lounge respectively - even when travelling on a purely BA sector?
PETER01
Aug 9, 11, 2:07 pm
Another excellent TR Genius1 ^^
The Sofitel looks fab and in fact the next time I go LH I think we will stay there the night before.
I never realised Vienna was such a beautiful place. Once again your photos are crystal clear and you certainly have the knack of capturing them in an almost professional kind of way. Brilliant. I really enjoy BA TR's so thanks for sharing and taking the time to post it.
Oh, and keep a photo of your shoes in all your future TR's. Its a part of your signature now. ;):D
Cheers
Pete
cornishsimon
Aug 9, 11, 2:28 pm
Interesting report - thank you. So, you'd recomend using the Cathay lounge over BA's T3 offering? Is it open all day long, and can - for the avoidance of any doubt - any BA Silver/Gold holder access the Cathay Busines/First lounge respectively - even when travelling on a purely BA sector?
No idea about opening times, but yes any OW shiney card holder can get into any OW lounge when flying OW
cs
Vaclav
Aug 9, 11, 2:55 pm
Lovely report about my favourite city. Thanks!
Mlle_Mustard
Aug 9, 11, 4:10 pm
Wonderful report and great photos (as always).
I lived in Vienna for a year, so it took me back. I also have stayed at the IC there, and remember the service being spectacular.
The train (not the overpriced CAT-- sort of the Viennese version of the Hex-- but the regular commuter train) is actually very convenient for accessing the IC from the airport as long as one doesn't have much luggage. But a Mercedes transfer has a bit more style of course!
TPJ
Aug 9, 11, 5:21 pm
Nice report...
ET catering for a 3A band flight doesn't really look impressive, though... (OK, I know I am spoiled by TG and OZ:))
matthandy
Aug 9, 11, 9:49 pm
Good stuff Genius1. You've managed to turn a short trip into an excellent report.
I'm glad to hear your thoughts on the BA T3 F lounge, I wasn't that impressed either. The CX lounge does look good and I should have taken a look when I was there last.
I admit that I still don't understand CE. You sat in ET with the same seats and the same leg room. The only difference is the food (and the TPs and miles). I really don't see the point. Your leg room photos raise an interesting question, have you brought new shoes? :D
Vienna looks great. I've been to Austria before, only briefly though. Vienna looks like a very clean city.
The lounge in VIE looks great actually, very impressive. Are there any other OW lounges at VIE?
element7
Aug 10, 11, 12:57 am
Love your report. So much easier to read if there are more pictures than text. A lot more visual that way
Genius1
Aug 10, 11, 11:37 am
Thanks for the comments everyone :)
I really like the headrest on the converters (except the B seat) and am not so keen on the headrest on the spacesavers.
How cheap an upgrade price would you have taken out of Vienna, out of interest.
I found the headrests on the spacesavers to be pretty much the same as the converters.
I think I would have upgraded for max £70 each (mainly for the tier points).
What's the reason for the hostility towards FRA?
And what make/model of camera do you use?
I just loathe FRA (the airport, not so much the actual city, although that is rather uninteresting). I've got lost there and received more poor service there than anywhere else.
My camera is a Canon PowerShot G12. The photos are uploaded to Flickr, and are not edited in any way. Have a look at my HKG report (link in signature) if you haven't already! Some great night shots in that report (even if I do say so myself :D).
So, you'd recomend using the Cathay lounge over BA's T3 offering? Is it open all day long, and can - for the avoidance of any doubt - any BA Silver/Gold holder access the Cathay Busines/First lounge respectively - even when travelling on a purely BA sector?
Yes, I would recommend the CX F lounge over the BA F lounge. I think the BA J lounge is marginally better than the CX J lounge. oneworld Emerald/Sapphire card holders can access any of the oneworld lounges applicable to their status. The AA F/J lounges are best avoided.
ET catering for a 3A band flight doesn't really look impressive, though... (OK, I know I am spoiled by TG and OZ:))
Band 3B and Band 4 flights have sandwiches in ET. All shorter flights just have a snack (sweet or savory). ET has breakfast rolls on all flights (and cooked breakfasts on Scottish flights).
Are there any other OW lounges at VIE?
No, BA used to use the JET lounge, but now use the new/refurbished AIR lounge (both airport-operated). There used to be an old-style BA Executive Club lounge, but that closed a couple of years ago.
Bretteee
Aug 11, 11, 3:06 am
LOL I also looooove these FOX biscuits. I bought a few boxes. However for some strange reason they tasted better on the plane.
On my last BA flights they just gave you whatever snack they wanted which annoyed me. I had to ask them to give me the biscuits.
HappytobeSilver
Aug 11, 11, 10:33 am
A good trip report, but I have to say that i find the CE seating on the new A320s very disappointing. I recently flew to IST on one and was diappointed that what I got was an economy style seat, no IFE, but a CE meal. The return leg was on a 767 on which I got one of the two wider middle seats and enjoyed some IFE, on what I accept is an aircraft that has seen better days. Definitley prefer CE on the 767 to the new A320 though.
EDDS
Aug 12, 11, 3:11 am
Thank you for sharing your experience. I havent flown with BA yet. Maybe next year =)
Genius1
Aug 14, 11, 1:19 pm
Thanks for the recent few comments :)
HIDDY
Aug 14, 11, 5:14 pm
Nice report Genius1.
One thing I miss about living in the UK is how easy it is to get away and visit another country for a couple of days without having to fly for hours and hours. I've always wanted to visit Vienna and your report has made me want to visit it even more.
Many congratulations on securing the new job. ^
Genius1
Aug 18, 11, 9:44 am
Many congratulations on securing the new job. ^
Thanks for your comments HIDDY. :)
Can we expect a trip report from you shortly?
HIDDY
Aug 18, 11, 8:19 pm
Thanks for your comments HIDDY. :)
Can we expect a trip report from you shortly?
You might....:)
tomashi
Aug 20, 11, 4:54 am
Nice report!
Glad that you enjoyed my home country!
-Tom
Nanook
Aug 20, 11, 1:28 pm
Great photos...thanks for posting so many. We were just there in April and it reminded me of the great time we had there. I must say, I really hate being bussed to the plane. Hated it more at Heathrow than at VIE.
Just sent husband off to GRZ...it's such an easy airport to fly in and out of.
den3aah
Nov 23, 11, 9:33 am
thanks for the report.
Im due to fly to FRA from LHR in club europe
WHat catering category would that fall into ?
My flight might be late afternoon/evening , and was wondering if its better to order a kosher special meal since I heard they are better ?
any input would be appreciated.
thanks in advance
Genius1
Dec 1, 11, 12:12 pm
Im due to fly to FRA from LHR in club europe
WHat catering category would that fall into ?
FRA is Band 2; http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/british-airways-executive-club/1130116-flight-catering-guide-discussion-reports.html
avm2806
Dec 3, 11, 12:55 pm
thanks for this great TR.
Bearface
Dec 3, 11, 1:45 pm
Great TR! I stayed at the IC Vienna some time ago when I was cabin crew and it was a lovely hotel. I remember the concierge calling me the 'English Princess!'
Genius1
Dec 29, 11, 11:55 am
thanks for this great TR.
Great TR! I stayed at the IC Vienna some time ago when I was cabin crew and it was a lovely hotel. I remember the concierge calling me the 'English Princess!'