FindAWay

Introduction and Index to Trip Report: Austria, Switzerland & Warsaw - Flying in J (OS, LX & LO 787) Riding Trains & Hiking!

Mrs. FindAWay and I enjoy hiking (we even spent several days of our honeymoon hiking in Argentine and Chilean Patagonia). However, before this trip, neither of us had been to Switzerland or hiked in the Alps. So, we decided to plan a trip to hike in the Swiss Alps during the week of U.S. Labor Day in September 2014 and book the trip before the United Airlines award chart devaluation took effect in February 2014. As part of our redemption for flights on Star Alliance carriers, I wanted to complete one of my goals for the year – flying long haul business class on both the 787 and the A380 (we flew in business on Thai’s A380 in March 2014). So, we booked our trip to return to Chicago from Warsaw on LOT Polish Airlines’ 787 Dreamliner. Since we planned to take about 11 days for the trip, we chose to travel through both Switzerland and Austria (as neither of us had previously visited Salzburg or spent any significant time in Vienna) before a quick exploration of Warsaw during an overnight (~21 hours) connection.

Links to FindAWay’s Photo-Filled Trip Reports:

• Australia & Fiji *PHOTOS* 29k Miles / 5 Carriers - WN Y, VA J, QF Y & J, FJ J, & KE J
• Palaces, Temples, Boats & Beaches! *A TPAC & TATL in J (TG A380 US BR & UA) & PG in Y
• Austria, Switzerland & Warsaw - Flying in J (OS, LX & LO 787) Riding Trains & Hiking!
• 5 Days in Bali; 4 QR J Flights; 3 Hours in Doha; 2 Bottles of Krug; 1 Hotel Opening!!

Photo Below: What Prompted this Trip – Views while Hiking in the Bernese Oberland Region of Switzerland


During our 11 day trip, we flew 3 flights (on 3 different carriers), rode on more than 20 trains, enjoyed several aerial cableways, spent 10 nights in 6 different hotels, and hiked the majority of 4 of the days of our trip. Unlike some of our previous award bookings, we routed our trip almost as directly as possible. Of course, I still selected an itinerary that provided us with lie-flat business class seats on both long haul flights. One of our checked bags was delayed by the carrier during our trip and it rained more days than it didn’t during our trip. Nonetheless, we thoroughly enjoyed the trip!

Index

1. Introduction and Index
2. Trip Overview and Summary
3. Chicago O’Hare Airport, Austrian Check-In, & Swiss Lounge (ORD T5)
4. Austrian Airlines Boeing 767-300ER Business Class from ORD to VIE
5. Radisson Blu Style Hotel, Vienna, Austria
6. 2 Days in Vienna Austria
7. Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) First Class from Wien Westbanhof to Salzburg Hbf
8. Radisson Blu Hotel Altstadt, Salzburg, Austria
9. 2 Days in Salzburg
10. Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) First Class Lounge - Salzburg Hbf
11. Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) First Class from Salzburg Hbf to Zürich HB
12. Comfort Hotel Royal, Zurich, Switzerland
13. An Afternoon in Zurich
14. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) Second Class from Zürich HB to Wengen
15. Hotel Edelweiss, Wengen, Switzerland
16. 3 Days in Wengen, Swizterland
17. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) Second Class from Wengen to Luzern
18. Radisson Blu Hotel, Lucerne, Switzerland
19. 2 Days in Lucerne
20. Swiss Federal Railways (SBB CFF FFS) Second Class from Luzern to Zürich Flughafen
21. Zurich Kloten Airport, Swiss Check-In, & Swiss Business Lounge (Terminal A)
22. Swiss Airlines (Op. by Helvetic Airways AG) Fokker 100 Business Class from ZRH to WAW
23. Warsaw Marriott Hotel (and Executive Lounge), Warsaw, Poland
24. A Day in Warsaw
25. Warsaw Szybka Kolej Miejska (SKM) S3 Fast City Rail from Warszawa Centralna to WAW
26. Warsaw Chopin Airport, LOT Polish Airlines Check-In, & Bolero Executive Lounge
27. LOT Polish Airlines Boeing 787-800 Business Class from WAW to ORD
28. Final Thoughts