Voyager0927

Greetings to all! For your reading pleasure, here is a report from the trip to Athens I took during my school’s winter break. As it will be two more years before I earn the degree that will allow me to afford business class, this report details my experiences in the back of the bus. The report is intentionally lengthy and detailed, since I endeavor to present my complete experience as an aid to those planning the same or a similar itinerary who would like to know what to expect. Read and enjoy! (All times are local. All opinions expressed are strictly those of the author.)

BOS-JFK
jetBlue Airways 1007 / 12 January 2006
Embraer 190 / N179JB “Come Fly With Blue”
Dep. 1158 (Sched: 1155)
Arr. 1304 (Sched: 1305)
Economy Class / Seat 1A

I was originally booked on B6 1009, which was scheduled to depart BOS at 1320. Since I was paranoid about at delay that would cause me to miss my connection, I had a friend take me to the airport and arrived at 1020. I had printed out BP’s using the online check-in function the night before for my original flight. I took those BP’s to the ticket counter and asked the CSR whether I could switch to the earlier flight. Without answering my question, he typed away for what seemed like an eternity, then asked me if I wanted a window or aisle seat. I promptly replied window, and he proceeded to check my bags and issue a new BP, on the B6 cash register paper, for the 1155 flight. He also returned my online BP.

I then proceeded to TSA, which had a negligible wait. After I passed through the WTMD, the screener (excuse me, officer) asked to see my BP. I told him that I sent it through the x-ray, and he gave me grief, to which I replied that they usually have someone at the front of the line yelling that they need to see it and the rules change from airport to airport. I fished it out of the bin, flashed my online BP just long enough so they could see there was no SSSS, and they sent me on my way.

I arrived in the gate area, which was rather empty, well in advance of departure. Boarding began 20-25 minutes before the scheduled departure. The GA announced that the plane we were on unfortunately did not have an operational DirecTV service and apologized for the inconvenience. Boarding was conducted in groups of five rows, back to front. The cabin was bright and brand-new. Seating was in a 2-2 configuration. B6’s claim that the plane seemed more like a mainline jet than a regional jet was correct, though overhead space was somewhat limited, and certain overstuffed rollaboards had to be checked.

Sitting in 1A, I was able to observe the preflight preparations in the cockpit and the galley. Seat 1B was empty and the bulkhead was in front of me, so I appreciated the ability to spread out. Of the 100 seats available, 84 were filled. Two crew members from other airlines (AA and NA) came onboard and introduced themselves to the FA’s and cockpit crew. The two FA’s played the safety instructions on an audio tape over the PA so they could both demonstrate. We pushed back shortly after scheduled, then taxied to r/w 22R where we were #1 for takeoff, with a wheels-up time of 1208. Foam arrester pads had been installed at the end of the runway, which I didn’t recall seeing before, so I imagine they were in response to the WN incident at MDW.

Once airborne, the FA’s announced that there would be an abbreviated service, with Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, or water to drink and Doritos Munchies, blue Terra Chips, and chocolate chip cookies to eat. In reality, if pax asked for something else to drink, the FA would fetch it from the galley. I asked if I could have both the Terra Chips and a cookie, which the FA gave to me though she made it like she was doing me a favor. I couldn’t tell whether she was joking or serious.

On our routing, we flew over Cape Cod, then south of the RI and CT coast, over the very southern edge of Long Island. The right side of the airplane was the more interesting side for sightseeing, but alas, I was on the left. We began our descent at 1235 and vectored north then east then south, for a landing on r/w 22L. As part of the cabin clean-up I observed the FA dump a bag of ice down the lav, then poured hot water down the drain. The captain apologized for the non-operational TV’s and encouraged pax to fly B6 again nonetheless, promising the TV’s would be fixed by then.

We had a long taxi around the construction site behind Terminal 5 and parked at Gate 15. Since B6 does not interline, I had to claim my bag and recheck it with OS. Our bags were at carousel #1 and arrived without unreasonable delay. The baggage claim area was jammed with people waiting for bags from other flights, as well as a whole slew of drivers carrying cards with people’s names on them. B6’s baggage claim is in serious need of renovation, as it comes across as old, dirty, dark, and cramped.

Having an hour to kill before the ticket counter opened for my next flight, I took a joyride on the AirTrain, first visiting Jamaica Station (but staying within the fare control area, so as to avoid paying the ridiculous $5 fare) then traveling back to Federal Circle, where I switched to a Howard Beach train, then rode back to Federal Circle. We had a scare as our train overshot the platform by several feet, then remained stalled for a few minutes. Just as another approached and looked like it would crash into us, our train started moving again. I disembarked at Terminal 1.

JFK-VIE
Austrian Airlines 88 (United Airlines 9468) / 12 January 2006
Boeing 767-300 / OE-LAW “China”
Dep. 1832 (Sched: 1825)
Arr. 0901 (Sched: 0900)
Economy Class / Seat 29G

Determined to make the most of my privileges as a 1P on UA and a Star Alliance Gold cardholder, I was the first and only person in the line for C pax. I arrived at precisely 1425, four hours before the scheduled departure, to find the CSR’s still logging onto their computers and loading their printers. As the C desk had trouble loading baggage labels, the few Y pax in line were actually served before I was called to the desk. Once there, the CSR had some trouble with my electronic ticket and had to call ticketing to resolve it. She asked if I had my itinerary printout, which I did. She also asked if I had changed the date on my ticket, which I hadn’t. Finally, she was able to issue my BP’s. I discreetly pointed to the box of “priority” baggage labels behind the counter to ensure she properly tagged my bags.

The security line at that time was short, with three WTMD’s operating, plus the SSSS line, which had a puffer machine. JFK is the first US airport I have visited in the past year that did not recommend all footwear be put through the x-ray. So, I kept mine on, even though the agent thought they’d set off the WTMD. I half-expected to be pulled for secondary, but I wasn’t.

My next mission was to find the LH *A lounge. I walked through the airside three times, looking for the lounge, or at least an OS or LH employee to direct me. Finally, I found an airport employee who told me that unlike the other lounges, the LH lounge was landside. So, I left the secured area and finally located where I needed to go.

The LH lounge was divided into Business and Senator portions. I was directed to the Business Lounge, and when I tried to enter the Senator Lounge brandishing my *AG card, they explained that the Senator side was only for full-fare F pax, since the F lounge at JFK was extremely small. The Business Lounge had a self-service bar with beer, wine, and liquor, as well as non-alcoholic beverages, along with packaged snacks (cookies, nuts, crackers). There was also a full selection of (largely German) magazines and newspapers. During the two and a half hours I remained in the lounge, I managed to sample quite a few of the alcoholic beverages in stock, which contributed to a headache that persisted for most of my flight. By the late afternoon, the attendant brought out a basket of sandwiches on rolls (turkey, cheese, and smoked salmon). While no longer hungry, I grabbed a couple for later.

At 1720, I departed the lounge and headed for TSA once again. By this time, the lines had grown considerably, and it took me 10-12 minutes to get through. The line managers (non-TSA) were quite short with foreign pax who do not understand our inane system and do not speak much English. As an American, I felt bad for them. Again, I had no problem with my shoes going through the WTMD.

At the gate, boarding took place by rows. If there was a special announcement for C and *AG, I did not hear it. The pax just tended to clump around the gate. A variety of newspapers were available on a cart in the jetbridge. Two GA’s were collecting BP’s. Once aboard the plane, I settled into my seat which had a red pillow and a sky blue blanket sitting on it. The cabin showed its age, with the old-style overhead bins. There was no mid-cabin bulkhead or lavatory in Y, though there was a row missing halfway down the cabin. The seats were a lime green, with headrest covers in red, white, or yellow. There were no adjustable headrests. I was thrilled to see PTV’s installed at the seats, since OS’s website gave contradictory information as to the actual entertainment system on 767’s. The cabin was very hot and stuffy as we boarded.

To my delight, the seat next to me remained empty. I did not know if I just got lucky or if my status made a difference. I estimated the load factor at 90%. The flying time was announced as 7:15. We pushed back and taxied to 13R, where we were #7 for takeoff, mostly after transatlantic flights. We lifted off at 1905 and the seatbelt sign was shut off while were still climbing.

No pre-meal drinks were served. Instead, meal service began immediately. Our selection, in my own words, was as follows:

Chicken with yellow curry sauce, rice, and zucchini
Garden salad with shrimp, parmesan cheese, cherry tomatoes, croutons
Warm rolls with butter
Chocolate apple cake
Water, salt, pepper, sugar, creamer, and a refreshing towel

A pasta choice was also available. A basket of rolls was passed around by the FA after every few rows had their dinners. The drink cart passed through as meals were served, and I requested an Austrian white wine. The chicken was a tad rubbery, the salad less than fresh, and the cake a bit dry. However, the curry sauce was flavorful but not overpowering, the rice was amazing, the salad had shrimp, and the meal was served on triangular and trapezoidal china. On the basis of creativity and presentation, I rate the meal 7/10. Coffee and tea were served after dinner.

Each seat had a set of headphones that hook over your ears in the pocket. You had to attach the foam pads to the headphones yourself. The PTV’s had a selection of movies on a continuous loop, as well as a selection of games and audio tracks. Certain functionalities, including the onboard cameras, were not available. The FA’s performed several drink runs throughout the night, and at one point, handed out chocolates.

Two hours before landing, breakfast was served, consisting of the following:

Cold cut and cheese platter with ham, turkey, salami, brie, muenster, and pepper boursin
Strawberry-banana yogurt
Blueberry muffin
Orange juice
Rolls with butter and marmalade

The meal tasted great, and I was very impressed by how ample the food was. I rate it another 7/10. Plenty of coffee and tea was offered with the meal. Overall, I was very impressed by the service on the flight.

We descended to the north of the Austrian Alps. Our headphones were collected on descent. We touched down on runway 16 at 0852, in a heavy fog which limited visibility to 1/4 mile and ceilings to under 200 feet. The pax gave the pilot a round of applause on touchdown, though credit must also go to the ILS for a healthy assist. We taxied to the C Concourse, and while we parked near a gate, we disembarked via stairs into a bus. The bus took us to the international arrivals hall, where the exiting and Schengen transfer pax would clear passport control, while the non-Schengen transfer pax would board another bus for the A Concourse. However, it wasn’t clearly denoted who was supposed to go where, so numerous connecting pax were turned back from passport control and had to squeeze back through other pax in the metal corral. Overall, the wait was 7-8 minutes, after which time I passed through the green channel in the transfer customs hall (which was unmanned, as was the red channel), and then upstairs into the VIE shopping mall.

VIE-ATH
Austrian arrows 801 (Operated by Tyrolean Air) / 13 January 2006
Fokker 100 / OE-LVA “Riga”
Dep. 1035 (Sched: 1025, delayed until 1045)
Arr. 1348 (Sched: 1345, delayed until 1405)
Economy Class / Seat 8F

I made my way to the OS Senator Lounge in the C Concourse. Checking in at the desk, the attendant noticed that the ground staff at JFK had neglected to properly apply my MP number to that segment of the flight, presumably because the JFK-VIE flight was technically booked on the UA codeshare. She asked if I wanted the MP number applied, which I certainly did. In the half hour or so I had in the lounge, I did my best hobbit impression and had “second breakfast,” which was mini-omelettes with broccoli and cheese, and bacon strips. The lounge also had a full self-service bar setup, along with pastries and various nuts and snack mixes. Still water was conspicuously absent. I managed to drink a glass of Bailey’s on the rocks, largely because I could. I also swiped a tube of lip balm from the washroom.

After an all-too-short stay in the lounge, I went to the gate. Arriving about 45 minutes before departure, the GA took my BP. Security screening in the A and C concourses at VIE is done at the gate, so I passed through the WTMD into the departure lounge. Approximately 30 minutes before the scheduled boarding time, the GA announced that boarding would be delayed by 20 minutes. No reason was given. When they did call for boarding, it was a general boarding, without any segregation by class of service, elite level, or row.

The plane was an ex-AA Fokker 100 in 2-3 configuration. The first seven rows had blue headrest covers, with the E seats labeled “This seat reserved for your comfort.” The rest of the seats had headrest covers in various other colors. I was in row 8, which I found out was the first row of Y. When I booked on orbitz.com last month, I was assigned that seat, but I didn’t actually expect it to hold through for the entire flight. I did wish that the first row in the section meant there would be an actual bulkhead, but no such luck. Seats 8D and 8E were also occupied, though the overall load factor was about 70-80%. Not realizing that rows 1-7 were C, several pax tried to move up but were evicted by the FA. The FA’s were wearing the maroon vests of Tyrolean Air. Newspapers were available on a cart in the galley as we boarded. Safety announcements were played from an audiotape in German and English, then a separate audiotape of the announcements in Greek was played.

We pushed back ten minutes late and taxied quite briskly to r/w 29, where we were #2 for takeoff behind another OS F100, with a wheels up time of 1045. The flight offered “bistro service,” which is a fancy European term for buy on board. Menus were in each seat pocket, describing a variety of beverages and sandwiches that could be purchased for up to €5. Pax could request water, or coffee or tea, for no charge. I received a 200ml bottle of water, with no cup or ice. Later in the flight, the FA passed around a basket of Mozartcube chocolates. With no curtain, I observed that the pax in C received free food and drinks. With no difference in the seats except for a blocked middle, I wonder how much extra the C seats went for. I certainly wouldn’t have paid more than US$10 extra to sit up there, since I could have bought the same food they were getting for free.

I napped during much of the flight, until we touched down on r/w 3L at 1341. We had a quick taxi and parked promptly. As we docked at the very end of the ATH terminal, we proceeded down an escalator and had a long walk to the centrally-located baggage claim. Bags came out without much delay. As all the bags were delivered in the same load, my priority tags didn’t matter. As my friend was scheduled to fly in on KLM half an hour later, I camped out in the baggage claim area and met up with him when his flight arrived. Once we collected our bags, we proceeded through the green channel, which again was unmanned, as was the red channel. (I don’t quite know what to make of the lackadaisical European attitude toward customs, seeing as how European customs lines I have been through are unmanned more often than not.)

ATH-VIE
Austrian arrows 820 (Operated by Tyrolean Air) / 18 January 2006
Fokker 100 / OE-LVI “Prague”
Dep. 1501 (Sched: 1455)
Arr. 1636 (Sched: 1625)
Economy Class / Seat 6F

My friend and I arrived at ATH via metro just after 1300. The OS desks were all the way at the left side of the departures hall. Only one desk (the C desk) had a customer, so I entered the C line and was called over to a vacant Y desk. The CSR checked my bags and issued BP’s all the way through to JFK. I was also given a written invitation pass to the LH lounge. The CSR checked off “Frequent Traveller” under type of status, as opposed to “Senator,” or “Business.” To enter the duty-free shopping area of the concourse, you had to show a BP.

After a quick shopping run, I took my friend to the LH lounge. I asked the attendant if I could take him in with me. She initially said it was fine, then asked if he was flying OS with me. When he said he was on KL, she said it was fine nonetheless, because I had a gold card. The lounge was divided into Business and Senator sections, and when I inquired which one I could use, she said either was fine. Obviously, I chose the Senator portion, which was quite small, and could comfortably seat only about a dozen people. In addition to the usual bar, the lounge had nuts and pre-made sandwiches. My friend and I were like kids in a candy store. In the 45 minutes or so we were there, I had at least four drinks.

After tiring of the lounge, my friend and I split up, as there were different security stations for different gates, though it appeared that the doors connecting the different airside sections were open. There was no wait to speak of, and the security agent spoke to each pax individually, reminding them to take their computers out and empty their pockets. At Gate B7, which appeared to be a fully convertible multi-use gate and not dedicated to OS, boarding commenced 25 minutes prior to departure. Again, everyone was able to board at the same time, but this time, we had to show a passport to the GA with our BP.

The cabin was similar to the VIE-ATH flight, though C class on this flight was Rows 1-5 only. Again, I was in the first row of Y, though the middle seat was unoccupied this time around. Jazzy elevator music was playing on the PA during boarding, as it had been on all OS flights during this trip. We pushed back, but had a 12 minute ground hold on the apron, which the captain eventually explained was due to VIE ATC, though he expected an on-time arrival nonetheless. He announced a f/t of 2:25. We taxied to r/w 21L and were #1 for takeoff, holding on the runway for one minute with wheels up at 1514.

Again, bistro service was offered, though this time, pax not purchasing food were offered either coffee or tea, and if they refused, were only then offered water. Trash from the service was collected, and then, another basket of chocolates was passed around. This time, there were various flavors of chocolate squares to choose from, such as hazelnut, marzipan, and milk chocolate.

We descended through a low cloud layer and touched down on r/w 34 at 1630. We taxied all the way past the terminal, and to my dismay, parked at a remote stand. A bus picked us up and delivered us to the Schengen entrance to the terminal. With no bags to collect here, I proceeded straight through baggage claim and the blue channel, on my way to spend the evening in Vienna. Ignoring the signs for the heavily-hyped new City Airport Train, I took the S-Bahn into town, saving €6 for an extra 15 minutes of my time.

VIE-JFK
Austrian Airlines 87 / 19 January 2006
Boeing 767-300 / OE-LAE “Malaysia”
Dep. 1144 (Sched: 1130)
Arr. 1530 (Sched: 1515)
Economy Class / Seat 26A

Back at the airport at 0930 courtesy of the S-Bahn, I followed the signs to OS in Terminal 1 before remembering that the terminal designations at VIE are only for check in, and all pax enter the gate concourses at the same area. So I skipped past all the check-in lines and showed my BP to enter the shopping area. My flight had not yet posted on the monitors, though I knew that virtually all transatlantics departed from the A concourse. I proceeded through passport control, which had two desks open for non-EU citizens and no wait to speak of for either one.

Once inside the concourse, I found my way to the OS Senator lounge. While this lounge was laid out differently than the C Concourse lounge, the offerings were the same. I had “second breakfast” once again, along with a hastily mixed mimosa. I departed the lounge at 1020 or so, making a quick stop in the duty-free shop before proceeding to the gate. A whole bunch of intercontinental flights were leaving at around the same that morning, to destinations like JFK, YYZ, KUL, DEL, and TLV. Since pax had to go through security to enter the departure lounges, huge queues had developed, stretching across the lobby of the A Concourse. For the OS flights leaving to JFK and YYZ, which were at adjacent gates, there was a podium where a security agent would inspect your passport and BP, and perhaps question you if there were some suspicions, though I did not observe any such questioning. Fortunately, there was a separate podium for C/*AG pax, which enabled me to bypass the lengthy queue. Once my documents were examined, a GA tore my BP, and directed me through security screening. After the WTMD, an agent gave all pax a quick cursory patdown. This patdown was the only additional procedure for USA-bound flights. A curtained-off area was available for personal searches, though I did not observe this area employed.

The departure lounge area was exclusively for my JFK-bound flight and was separated from other lounges by glass walls. The lounge area seemed insufficient to hold the several hundred pax that could fit on a full widebody. Each departure lounge had its own staircase down to a washroom. When boarding was called, the GA announced that C and *AG pax could board at any time, but since the first group represented virtually all the Y cabin, this privilege was moot.

Again, newspapers were available on the jetbridge, and an FA met pax at the door to direct them to their seats. This aircraft differed from the one on the initial OS leg as it had a mid-cabin bulkhead and lav, expanded overhead bins, adjustable winged headrests, and fold-down footrests. Once again, my adjacent seat was empty, though since the load factor on this flight was barely 50-60%, many empty seats were sprinkled through the cabin. Some pax even had the three CDE seats in the middle all to themselves.

The YYZ flight next to us pushed back first, then held in position as we pushed. The safety video was shown in German and English. We taxied to r/w 29. The captain gave a warning that takeoff was expected in 1-2 minutes, and we took off at 1156. Unlike the JFK-VIE leg, there was a cocktail run before the lunch service. I ordered a screwdriver, and had to explain to the FA what it was. She gave me a bag of snack mix with the drink. Soon, thereafter lunch was served:

Chicken breast in rosemary white wine sauce with mashed potatoes and roasted zucchini
Green salad with carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and oil and balsamic vinegar dressing
Warm rolls with butter
Chocolate pudding with whipped cream
Water, salt, pepper, sugar, creamer, and a refreshing towel

The other choice was pasta bolognese. Various rolls were passed around in a basket. I chose a slice of multi-grain bread. The drink cart followed, and once again I ordered white wine. The rolls passed through a second time, enabling me to grab a multi-grain breadstick that was warm to the touch. The chicken was moist and savory, the potatoes flavorful, and the pudding rich and sublime. Overall, it was one of the best Y meals I have ever had, and I rate it 8/10. After the lunch, coffee and tea were served, followed by another run of the drink cart as trays were collected. I asked the FA if there was any liqueur or something sweet, and he said he could get me Bailey’s, which was exactly the answer I was hoping for. It was not loaded on the drink cart, so he had to fetch it after the lunch trays were collected. Hitting the booze trifecta of pre-, during-, and post-meal drinks was worth the wait.

Again, on this flight, PTV’s were available with movies, music, and games. The onboard cameras were not operational on this flight either. I managed to grab about four hours of sleep during the flight that was announced at 9:45. A U.S. Customs form was on the adjacent tray table when I awoke.

Two hours and change prior to landing, the FA’s started the “light meal” service. There was hot towel service before the trays were distributed. At the start of the flight, they announced it as dinner, though given the time of service and the quantity, I take issue with that description:

Cold plate with smoked salmon, German potato salad, arugula, and tomatoes, with oil and balsamic vinegar dressing
Warm rolls with butter
Mixed berry gelatin with whipped cream

Again, I requested white wine with my meal. When the FA passed the bread basket around a second time, I took another roll, and she asked if that was all. Expressing surprise that I could have more, she said I could have all I wanted. Three rolls were enough. The meal was quite satisfactory, especially for second service, though I was not blown away the way I was with the lunch. I rate it 7/10.

We routed over PWM, BOS, and PVD into JFK. As much as I would have liked to arrive at my final destination more quickly, I was unable to parachute out over BOS. On descent, the FA’s collected the headphones and insisted that all window shades be pulled up. The captain turned on the nose cam and the wheel cam during approach, and though I waited the entire trip to see these functionalities at work, I found that they didn’t show me anything I couldn’t see out the window until we were on final approach. We landed on r/w 22L at 1520, held short for two DL planes, then taxied to Gate 4 at T1. The jetbridge adjusts up and down, to discharge arriving pax directly into a passageway leading to FIS.

The FIS area was essentially empty as we arrived. I was sent to the desk all the way at the left side of the hall. The pax at the adjacent desk had arrived without identification and was trying to pass himself off as a government employee. The CBP agent wasn’t buying his story. As the pax in front of me was having a lengthy conversation with the agent, I was afraid that I was sent to a special line for intensive examination. However, I was stamped through without issue. The carousel started up just as I walked over to it, and thanks to my priority tag (and perhaps the fact that my bag sat at VIE overnight), it was one of the first half-dozen out. I then walked over to the customs area and sought out the most friendly-looking agent, seeing as I had exceeded the alcohol allowance and was carrying a few de-labeled cigars of “mysterious” origin. He looked at my form, asked what kind of food I was carrying, made a joke about my last name which is somewhat similar to a brand of condiment, and sent me on my way. I was on the curb literally 12 minutes after the “fasten seatbelt” sign was turned off, which is a personal record for me on an international flight.

JFK-BOS
jetBlue Airways 1014 / 19 January 2006
Embraer 190 / N183JB “Azul Brasilero”
Dep. 1838 (Sched: 1750, delayed until 1820)
Arr. 2018 (Sched: 1920, delayed until 1950)
Economy Class / Seat 23A

Leaving T1, I got on the Airtrain to T6. Knowing there was an earlier B6 flight to BOS that I hoped to get on, I moved as quickly as possible. I checked in at the self-service kiosk, then took my bag up to the kiosk baggage check desk. I asked the agent if he could put me on the earlier flight, which was leaving 35 minutes hence, but he said he couldn’t do it, and I would have to go over to the customer service line, which was 7-8 pax deep. After five minutes of waiting in that line, during which the earlier BOS flight was called for boarding and nobody moved, I gave up and returned to the baggage drop. The attendant reminded me that lighters and matches were prohibited from checked baggage. Next, I went to the TSA checkpoint on the left side of the hall, which I correctly suspected would have a shorter line than the right-hand checkpoint. I was through in two minutes, again with no shoe carnival.

The BOS flight I was on remained listed as on-time while many of the other flights were delayed. However, it did not appear on the B6 live flight map. Eventually, it posted as a :30 delay, which did not surprise me, knowing how tightly B6 schedules its a/c and the delays at BOS and JFK that crop up by the end of each day. The GA explained that it was an a/c availability issue. However, B6 was very slow to turn the plane around once it did arrive (WN puts them to shame), though some of that delay was caused by a severely handicapped pax who could not disembark until her motorized wheelchair was brought up from the cargo hold.

Once on board, the cabin was in 2-2 configuration and was very bright and sparklingly brand new. The flight was virtually completely full. The FA’s asked pax to hold onto their winter coats and not place them in the overheads until everyone had a chance to store their bags. The captain apologized for the delay, and said that with a :34 minute f/t and optimal r/w configurations, we could make up much of the lost time. However, those hopes were quickly dashed when we found out that there were ~20 a/c in line for takeoff before us. The captain allowed pax to use cell phones while we waited on the tarmac and said he would give us a five minute warning before takeoff so we could shut them off. It took us over half an hour from getting in line to takeoff. Fortunately, the DirecTV and XM Radio were working, though I couldn’t find anything I enjoyed on the radio and very few artists I had even heard of. We taxied parallel to r/w 13L and took off from 22R at 1932.

During the flight, we had the same service as on the way down, expect that the only snack options this time were cookies and the Terra Chips. The FA carried a tray with mini-bottles of water as he took orders. If you wanted something other than water, he would note it on a pad and fetch it from the galley afterward. He passed through with the snack pouch after drinks were served. Our cruising altitude was 17,000ft and we began our initial descent over GON, which seemed very early, considering that the service was still going on.

We approached over Boston Harbor and Deer Island, touching down on r/w 27 and taxiing to Gate 29. The few bags that were checked arrived at the carousel less than five minutes after I made my way down there, and I was on my way about an hour behind schedule.

My overall impressions:
For $40 o/w between BOS and JFK, I can’t legitimately complain about B6’s short-haul service, except to note that the chronic late-afternoon delays are frustrating. The cabins are very nice and the crew very pleasant. As I stated before, the E190’s feel more like a mainline jet than an RJ. Live cable TV may be the single greatest inflight amenity ever created. B6 proves that low fares don’t necessarily mean no frills.

As far as OS, I was thrilled by their transatlantic service. All aspects, from check-in to meals to entertainment to FA attention, were wonderful. OS beats any USA-based carrier hands down. I also preferred it to LH. VIE is much easier to deal with than FRA. The only drawback was the buy-on-board service for the intra-EU leg, though access to the Senator Lounge and its food eased the blow. Next time I’m looking for a *A flight transatlantic, OS will warrant serious consideration, despite of the need to catch it out of JFK.

silver springer

My husband and I took advantage of an inexpensice OS weekend package from IAD-VIE and had a great time. As it was several years ago, your report helped to refresh my memory of what flying in coach was like on OS. I remembered I liked the entertainment system but couldnt remember seat pitch/leg room vis-a vis--UA economy plus. What do you think?

Voyager0927

The pitch was certainly smaller than UA E+. It was much more in line with standard economy. However, having an empty seat next to me on both transatlantic legs helped to alleviate any feelings of being squeezed in too tightly.

Bretteee

Good to know they offer decent meals on transatlantic service. So many airlines do not.

However I found the meals on OS on European hops not so great. Anyway I think now they charge for food on small hops.

sadiqhassan

Agreed ^

Thanks for the report

Cheers

okko

Thank you for taking the time to write the report! ^

FYI, it's not an attitude - within the EU, there's this thing called "Customs Union" (among other things that are meant to facilitate intra-EU travel).

Voyager0927

True, and while I understand the "open borders" relationship between the EU countries, I can oftentimes enter the EU from the USA or another country without so much as seeing a customs officer, even if I did have something to declare. It's just a far cry from the USA where every pax (or family) must fill out a customs declaration regardless of nationality or whether they're importing anything into the country.

Mats

I am convinced that Austrian offers the best transatlantic economy class of any major airline. Your trip report once again confirms this. Air France "Tempo" is also very good, but Austrian has the edge.

I hope that they continue to provide the same quality service in the future.

Thank you for your trip report.