Austrian Airlines C-class JFK-VIE Oct 2002
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
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Posts: 6,116
Austrian Airlines C-class JFK-VIE Oct 2002
Oct 19, 2002
OS 86 JFK-VIE
A340-300 "America"
sched dep 2220
sched arr 1240+1
(Actual: departure 40 min late. On-time arrival.)
Arrived at 8.10pm at the Howard Beach subway station on the A train from Manhattan and took the circuit on the yellow and blue bus to Terminal 7 to change my United-issued ticket. Although I had called two days prior to prep United for my reticketing needs, I was still detained for 1/2 an hour because United had not prepared the pricing information. This was an award trip. Fortunately there was no line as all United flights had already departed and the sole supervisor present was very helpful, courteous, and apologetic for the airline's lapse. I took the interterminal transfer bus over to Terminal 1, and checked in with Lufthansa for my Austrian Airlines flight. There was no line at check-in; I asked for the bulkhead 1A seat, which is usually reserved for a bassinet, and the agent had to take a couple of minutes to ask her supervisor if she could release it to me.
As a note for those unaware: Austrian Airlines has a two-class service. Business class is sold as "Grand Class."
I went over to the landside LH lounge, and was directed over to the Business Class side rather than the Senator side. A selection of plastic-wrapped sandwiches was available, as was a selection of alcohol and soft drinks. Comfortable, but generic lounge. I had some orange juice and then chatted with a friend on the phone for a bit. Cleared security effortlessly at about 2200h. Boarding was inexplicably delayed until 2230h, but when it did take place, was quite quick because of the low load. There was no sign of any secondary screening.
Austrian/Lufthansa Ground services: 4/5.
I had an empty seat next to me on the aircraft. The crew was friendly and was comfortable speaking with me in English and German. My coat was taken, and a predeparture drink and reading material were offered. On the ground, a lot of noise was coming from the cargo hold so I assumed they were loading cargo. Pushback was delayed until 2300h, a full 40 minutes late, but we would make up a lot of time during the flight and arrive on time.
Taxi to the runway was quick when we finally did get underway. We took off to the southwest, looped eastward and then crossed Long Island and Connecticut, aiming for the eastward crossing. Our path would take us across New England, the Canadian Maritimes, Scotland, Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic and into Austria.
Dinner was served extremely efficiently from back of the cabin to the front. (Orders, however, were taken left aisle first, front-to-back.) I assume dinner was served quickly to allow passengers to get as much sleep as they wanted.
Dinner
Amuse Bouche
Salmon Tartar
Hors d'oeuvre
Prosciutto with green asparagus and parmesan
Soup
Cream of pumpkin with roasted pumpkin seeds
Main Course
Beefsteak with baked potato and seasonal vegetables; or
Deep fried chickenbreast with parsley potatoes and cucumber salad; or
Grilled red snapper with risotto milanese
Cheese
Dessert
Vanilla parfait with fresh berries; or
Profiteroles with warm chocolate sauce
Coffee or Tea
A six course meal! I had heard that the food was good, but I was quite underwhelmed by the plainness of the menu: simple black on white menu sheet, no named chefs. However, the amuse bouche was delecious and I appreciated the thought. Even LH F has eliminated the amuse bouche course. To begin, I had Prosecco extra dry, Case Bianche, Martino Zanetti. Bubbly and subtle. All wines were Austrian (except a champagne and a Californian Merlot), but as is my practice, I'll only list those that accompanied my meal.
The prosciutto was quite unremarkable. But a soup course is quite unusual, and the pumpkin soup was perfect for the season. All courses were served from a cart, and plated on the cart; the soup was served from an artful tureen. To accompany these appetizers, I had a white wine, Weinbau Holzmann, Gruener Veltliner Kabinett 2001. A pinot blanc was also available. A second helping of soup was offered by an alert flight attendant and I accepted.
The snapper was absolutely delicious - tender, hot and flavorful. To accompany was Weingut Meridian Merlot 1997 which was light and unremarkable. Two Austrian reds were also available.
The cheese and profiteroles, separately served, ended the meal well. I was very impressed that Austrian carried a dessert wine: Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvee 2000, which was nicely sweet and paired the desserts very well.
Dinner was absolutely excellent and service matched: 5/5.
The seat was quite comfortable: the leg rest comes all the way up 90 degrees, and the recline is quite comfortable; Austrian Airlines advertises a 60-inch pitch but less recline than UA's C+ product. I would rate the seat to be as comfortable as UA's C+. Be advised, however, that left and right bulkhead seats are very close to the bulkhead. If you are much taller than 5'6", you will NOT like these seats. I am also not sure whether the legrest comes out far enough to provide full support for very tall people. As with widebody airbuses, window seats are next to a wall that curves in significantly, causing a more claustrophobic feel than on the 777 or the 747 main deck. There were no center bins in C class, to create a more spacious feeling. There was no problem finding overhead storage, however.
Cabin ambience was comfortable. Red curtains and other reds dominated the cabin. Seats were green. I felt like an elf flying Air Santa.
Seat and cabin comfort, for business class: 5/5.
Entertainment was the let down of the flight. There was nothing I wanted to watch. Video was not on-demand. There was supposed to be an onboard camera but it did not work (or was not switched on) until landing. The screens are very large: maybe 9 or 10 inches. The in-seat controls are of the SQ type, but the games suck (no Nintendo-style action games) and the Chess program was very easily beaten.
I went to sleep very quickly, and had about 2h of sleep. I awoke 2h into my sleep feeling very warm. I rang for an FA and one showed up immediately from the forward galley. I asked for water with ice and it was brought quickly. That cooled me down. I fiddled awhile with the entertainment selections then went back for another 2h of sleep after sticking the do not disturb sticker on the headrest of the seat next to me.
I was awoken by the clattering of carts an hour before landing. I went to freshen up. The lavs are nothing to rave about, and I had a feeling they were smaller than LH's F lavs in their A340s.
Breakfast was brought to me quickly when I returned to my seat:
Breakfast
Fresh fruit platter
Home-made yoghurt with fresh berries and granola
Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and tomatoes
Assorted rolls, croissants and danish pastry
Coffee or Tea
Breakfast was simple and was served on a tray. Scrambled eggs came separately. All courses were good enough for me to leave the meal rating on this flight at 5/5.
I took a walk back to Y. Y was about 2/3 full. Some people were able to stretch out across the four center seats and have a very nice sleep. C was mostly full - perhaps 5 empty seats.
Arrival was timely. Since deboarding was from door 2, I was behind some of the other C passengers. Passport control for non-EU citizens had only two officers, which slowed things down some. But since I had checked no baggage, I was out of the terminal is a jiffy.
JFK Ground: 4/5
Meals: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Seat comfort: 5/5
Entertainment: 1/5
Total: 20/25
After a wonderful week in Vienna and Budapest (seeing the Lippizaner horses, enjoying Austrian cuisine, cruising down the Danube, going to the opera, having lots of goulash and game) I returned to NYC.
Return, including a report on the LH DUS-EWR all-business wet-leased PrivatAir BBJ, is posted here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003210.html
{ed. for spelling and organization}
[This message has been edited by Buster CT1K (edited 12-14-2002).]
OS 86 JFK-VIE
A340-300 "America"
sched dep 2220
sched arr 1240+1
(Actual: departure 40 min late. On-time arrival.)
Arrived at 8.10pm at the Howard Beach subway station on the A train from Manhattan and took the circuit on the yellow and blue bus to Terminal 7 to change my United-issued ticket. Although I had called two days prior to prep United for my reticketing needs, I was still detained for 1/2 an hour because United had not prepared the pricing information. This was an award trip. Fortunately there was no line as all United flights had already departed and the sole supervisor present was very helpful, courteous, and apologetic for the airline's lapse. I took the interterminal transfer bus over to Terminal 1, and checked in with Lufthansa for my Austrian Airlines flight. There was no line at check-in; I asked for the bulkhead 1A seat, which is usually reserved for a bassinet, and the agent had to take a couple of minutes to ask her supervisor if she could release it to me.
As a note for those unaware: Austrian Airlines has a two-class service. Business class is sold as "Grand Class."
I went over to the landside LH lounge, and was directed over to the Business Class side rather than the Senator side. A selection of plastic-wrapped sandwiches was available, as was a selection of alcohol and soft drinks. Comfortable, but generic lounge. I had some orange juice and then chatted with a friend on the phone for a bit. Cleared security effortlessly at about 2200h. Boarding was inexplicably delayed until 2230h, but when it did take place, was quite quick because of the low load. There was no sign of any secondary screening.
Austrian/Lufthansa Ground services: 4/5.
I had an empty seat next to me on the aircraft. The crew was friendly and was comfortable speaking with me in English and German. My coat was taken, and a predeparture drink and reading material were offered. On the ground, a lot of noise was coming from the cargo hold so I assumed they were loading cargo. Pushback was delayed until 2300h, a full 40 minutes late, but we would make up a lot of time during the flight and arrive on time.
Taxi to the runway was quick when we finally did get underway. We took off to the southwest, looped eastward and then crossed Long Island and Connecticut, aiming for the eastward crossing. Our path would take us across New England, the Canadian Maritimes, Scotland, Holland, Germany, the Czech Republic and into Austria.
Dinner was served extremely efficiently from back of the cabin to the front. (Orders, however, were taken left aisle first, front-to-back.) I assume dinner was served quickly to allow passengers to get as much sleep as they wanted.
Dinner
Amuse Bouche
Salmon Tartar
Hors d'oeuvre
Prosciutto with green asparagus and parmesan
Soup
Cream of pumpkin with roasted pumpkin seeds
Main Course
Beefsteak with baked potato and seasonal vegetables; or
Deep fried chickenbreast with parsley potatoes and cucumber salad; or
Grilled red snapper with risotto milanese
Cheese
Dessert
Vanilla parfait with fresh berries; or
Profiteroles with warm chocolate sauce
Coffee or Tea
A six course meal! I had heard that the food was good, but I was quite underwhelmed by the plainness of the menu: simple black on white menu sheet, no named chefs. However, the amuse bouche was delecious and I appreciated the thought. Even LH F has eliminated the amuse bouche course. To begin, I had Prosecco extra dry, Case Bianche, Martino Zanetti. Bubbly and subtle. All wines were Austrian (except a champagne and a Californian Merlot), but as is my practice, I'll only list those that accompanied my meal.
The prosciutto was quite unremarkable. But a soup course is quite unusual, and the pumpkin soup was perfect for the season. All courses were served from a cart, and plated on the cart; the soup was served from an artful tureen. To accompany these appetizers, I had a white wine, Weinbau Holzmann, Gruener Veltliner Kabinett 2001. A pinot blanc was also available. A second helping of soup was offered by an alert flight attendant and I accepted.
The snapper was absolutely delicious - tender, hot and flavorful. To accompany was Weingut Meridian Merlot 1997 which was light and unremarkable. Two Austrian reds were also available.
The cheese and profiteroles, separately served, ended the meal well. I was very impressed that Austrian carried a dessert wine: Kracher Beerenauslese Cuvee 2000, which was nicely sweet and paired the desserts very well.
Dinner was absolutely excellent and service matched: 5/5.
The seat was quite comfortable: the leg rest comes all the way up 90 degrees, and the recline is quite comfortable; Austrian Airlines advertises a 60-inch pitch but less recline than UA's C+ product. I would rate the seat to be as comfortable as UA's C+. Be advised, however, that left and right bulkhead seats are very close to the bulkhead. If you are much taller than 5'6", you will NOT like these seats. I am also not sure whether the legrest comes out far enough to provide full support for very tall people. As with widebody airbuses, window seats are next to a wall that curves in significantly, causing a more claustrophobic feel than on the 777 or the 747 main deck. There were no center bins in C class, to create a more spacious feeling. There was no problem finding overhead storage, however.
Cabin ambience was comfortable. Red curtains and other reds dominated the cabin. Seats were green. I felt like an elf flying Air Santa.
Seat and cabin comfort, for business class: 5/5.
Entertainment was the let down of the flight. There was nothing I wanted to watch. Video was not on-demand. There was supposed to be an onboard camera but it did not work (or was not switched on) until landing. The screens are very large: maybe 9 or 10 inches. The in-seat controls are of the SQ type, but the games suck (no Nintendo-style action games) and the Chess program was very easily beaten.
I went to sleep very quickly, and had about 2h of sleep. I awoke 2h into my sleep feeling very warm. I rang for an FA and one showed up immediately from the forward galley. I asked for water with ice and it was brought quickly. That cooled me down. I fiddled awhile with the entertainment selections then went back for another 2h of sleep after sticking the do not disturb sticker on the headrest of the seat next to me.
I was awoken by the clattering of carts an hour before landing. I went to freshen up. The lavs are nothing to rave about, and I had a feeling they were smaller than LH's F lavs in their A340s.
Breakfast was brought to me quickly when I returned to my seat:
Breakfast
Fresh fruit platter
Home-made yoghurt with fresh berries and granola
Scrambled eggs with cottage cheese and tomatoes
Assorted rolls, croissants and danish pastry
Coffee or Tea
Breakfast was simple and was served on a tray. Scrambled eggs came separately. All courses were good enough for me to leave the meal rating on this flight at 5/5.
I took a walk back to Y. Y was about 2/3 full. Some people were able to stretch out across the four center seats and have a very nice sleep. C was mostly full - perhaps 5 empty seats.
Arrival was timely. Since deboarding was from door 2, I was behind some of the other C passengers. Passport control for non-EU citizens had only two officers, which slowed things down some. But since I had checked no baggage, I was out of the terminal is a jiffy.
JFK Ground: 4/5
Meals: 5/5
Service: 5/5
Seat comfort: 5/5
Entertainment: 1/5
Total: 20/25
After a wonderful week in Vienna and Budapest (seeing the Lippizaner horses, enjoying Austrian cuisine, cruising down the Danube, going to the opera, having lots of goulash and game) I returned to NYC.
Return, including a report on the LH DUS-EWR all-business wet-leased PrivatAir BBJ, is posted here:
http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/Forum81/HTML/003210.html
{ed. for spelling and organization}
[This message has been edited by Buster CT1K (edited 12-14-2002).]
#2
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: New York
Posts: 7,296
Thank you very much for a wonderful report!
Not too many airlines are serving a soup course in J, even in F (it is getting rare). BD also has a soup course, but OS has always publicized this soup course. The amuse bouche is a nice course. Food is a major strength for OS.
Just curious, if OS has an amenity kit available...
Thanks for this wonderfrul report! Also the LH BBJ service... that service may become history soon, as LH will use its own A340s on this route beginning January 03 (still a rumor... but we will see).
Thanks,
Carfield
Not too many airlines are serving a soup course in J, even in F (it is getting rare). BD also has a soup course, but OS has always publicized this soup course. The amuse bouche is a nice course. Food is a major strength for OS.
Just curious, if OS has an amenity kit available...
Thanks for this wonderfrul report! Also the LH BBJ service... that service may become history soon, as LH will use its own A340s on this route beginning January 03 (still a rumor... but we will see).
Thanks,
Carfield
#3
Join Date: Feb 2002
Location: Agoura Hills, CA USA
Posts: 2,659
Excellent report. My family and I LOVE vienna. We were there for the New Years celebration of 2002. It was great seeing people dancing in the streets while a large video projector showed people in dancing in a ballroom to Strauss Waltzes. Great city
#4
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Excellent report! I always enjoy it when a lot of attention is focused on the food; and, apparently, on OS one can't avoid it! I'm looking forward to a Grand Class trip to Europe someday. What is that, 80,000 UA miles for a *A award?
#5
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by JohnnyP:
Excellent report! I always enjoy it when a lot of attention is focused on the food; and, apparently, on OS one can't avoid it! I'm looking forward to a Grand Class trip to Europe someday. What is that, 80,000 UA miles for a *A award?</font>
Excellent report! I always enjoy it when a lot of attention is focused on the food; and, apparently, on OS one can't avoid it! I'm looking forward to a Grand Class trip to Europe someday. What is that, 80,000 UA miles for a *A award?</font>
On the amenity kit: very basic. Socks, toothbrush, moisturizer, eyeshades, "do not disturb" and "wake for meal" signs, earplugs. Came in a flat silver box with zip: not as useful as LH's C amenity bag.
#6
Join Date: Dec 2001
Posts: 3,181
Thank you Buster for your report. I am not surprised about the soup. Very popular in austria to have a soup course and in my opinion they have the best soups.
I thought OS left JFK at around 6pm? In the summer years ago they had a 6 and 10 pm flight.
If I am correct catering on Lauda is different than OS though they are part of the same Group.
I looked at their schedule in December and saw something strange. VNA to JFK on a Lauda 767 and JFK to VNA on an OS Airbus 330.
Maybe it was just a temporary thing.
I thought OS left JFK at around 6pm? In the summer years ago they had a 6 and 10 pm flight.
If I am correct catering on Lauda is different than OS though they are part of the same Group.
I looked at their schedule in December and saw something strange. VNA to JFK on a Lauda 767 and JFK to VNA on an OS Airbus 330.
Maybe it was just a temporary thing.
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2001
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<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Bretteee:
I thought OS left JFK at around 6pm? In the summer years ago they had a 6 and 10 pm flight.
</font>
I thought OS left JFK at around 6pm? In the summer years ago they had a 6 and 10 pm flight.
</font>
#9
Join Date: Mar 2001
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Posts: 3,205
<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by Buster CT1K:
Cabin ambience was comfortable. Red curtains and other reds dominated the cabin. Seats were green. I felt like an elf flying Air Santa. </font>
Cabin ambience was comfortable. Red curtains and other reds dominated the cabin. Seats were green. I felt like an elf flying Air Santa. </font>
Excellent report. I'm looking forward to your next trips ...
#10
Join Date: Mar 2001
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I spent last week in Vienna, and although it was a tad cold, I enjoy every minute of it, including spending 3 hrs watching an opera at the vienna opera house for 2 Euros (standing, I may add)
I flew VIE-FRA on Austrian, and was quite impressed with their service, although my bags came off from a different belt at FRA.
Btw, does any know if you fly a LH codeshare on an OS flight, do you still earn the 500-miles minimum on UA, or the actual flight miles?
I flew VIE-FRA on Austrian, and was quite impressed with their service, although my bags came off from a different belt at FRA.
Btw, does any know if you fly a LH codeshare on an OS flight, do you still earn the 500-miles minimum on UA, or the actual flight miles?
#12
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Thanks for a fine report and the menu transcripts. I'd love to fly these airlines someday!