goodeats21

Having been alerted on the United forum to a pretty good business class fare
(Big thanks to FTer Kacee ^ http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/unite...ties-well.html
I was intrigued enough to start plunking around the United site to see what type of options I could find.

I typically conserve all my vacation time for trips to Thailand, so if I was going to go, it was going to have to be a quick weekend trip. The weekend International jaunts are something I have come to enjoy, though it does put a crimp on my disposable income. Last trip report, it was to Germany and Italy: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trip-......-ua-lh.html

For this one, I was able to piece together a trip that would include 2 new airlines (Austrian and Swiss), as well as 2 flights on a new aircraft type (Fokker 100). In my mind, that was ample enough justification, so I pull the trigger on ORD->VIE->BUD->ZRH->ORD.

United took it's sweet time in actually ticketing the thing, but almost 24 hours later they finally came through with confirmation. The trip is on.

Fair warning: This is probably going to be mostly pics as I just do not have the literary skills of other, talented FTers. If you are hoping for an Eightblack-esque story, you are going to be very, very disappointed.

And unfortunately my photographic skills will not rival UA_Flyer. I am just a simple guy with an iPhone.

But I do thoroughly enjoy flying and have some glimmer of hope that someone else might find my report valuable when looking at these airlines or routes. So, with those caveats, a small memory of my trip follows.

goodeats21

ORD Terminal 5
Swiss Lounge
Check-In for Austrian Airways in Business Class

According to my records on flight memory, since 2008 (when I actually started keeping records) I have been to ORD 326 times. This will be my first time departing from Terminal 5.

I was working in Chicago on Friday, so it was a routine trip on the blue line out to O'Hare to begin the fun-filled weekend. I did notice a bit extra police presence around the airport, which I attributed to the recent attack in Brussels.

Check-in was quick and painless. TSA was routine with a separate entry line for Business and First Class passengers. In less then 5 minutes, I was airside and heading for the Swiss Lounge.



Inside was very small. There were enough guests already inside that I didn't really feel appropriate in shooting pictures of the seating area.

Food options were limited to a cold buffet and some pre-packaged snacks. Good selection of soft drinks and beer in the self-serve cooler, though the only water bottles were tiny 8oz versions. Limited wine and liquor selection.

Everything was very clean and well maintained. There was a small restroom facility inside the lounge. Staff was very polite and active in removing dishes and restocking items.

I made a small snack, drank a couple of beers, and finished up some work until boarding time.







While heading to the gate, I did come across the other *A lounge option, the SAS lounge. It did not open until 1630, which was about my boarding time. From reports on FT, it is pretty comparable to the Swiss lounge anyway.





Arrived at the very last gate (M21) to find a pretty packed boarding area along with my ride to Vienna waiting patiently.

goodeats21

ORD->VIE
OS 767
J Class

Boarding started about 10 minutes past the stated time with no communication from the ground staff. They started with pre-boarding, which was pretty humorous with several gate agents actively roaming the passengers trying to find anyone that might vaguely appear to meet the criteria. If you were over 50 and looked like you might limp, you were directed to board. Large families with the youngest child appearing about 10 were ushered forward. You get the drift.

Priority boarding was then called, and I ambled onboard to my pretty snazzy looking seat.



Blanket, pillow, and amenity kit were already laid out. Pillow was nice but the blanket left little white fuzzies all over my black shirt. I added the amenity kit to my collection, so I didn't open it up.

Nice, expansive table next to the seat with a great reading light.

IFE screen was very nice. Crisp and clear. I also liked the water bottle holder right beside it. There was also a wide pocket under the screen which was perfect for holding my iPad in storage. Overall - I really liked the seat setup.



A small service blunder during the boarding. FA stopped by with drink tray. I asked if Champagne was available and was told it would be a couple of minutes but she would come back. Never happened. I finally flagged her down again and mentioned that if Champagne was not available, I would like a glass of water, which she delivered quick. She also told me she would take care of me with the Champagne quickly after takeoff. Nice recovery, but I really couldn't tell if she just forgot about me at the beginning, or was hesitant to tell me no Champagne until after take off. Not a big deal. And she provided great service the rest of the flight.

During the safety show, the on-board chef made the rounds to take food orders. Might be a bit gimmicky, but a cool idea to have the galley FA dress to fit the part.



And so, a look at the menu:














And the meal service:





Love the little clothes pin to keep the napkin in place over my shirt. Brilliantly cute.


Beautiful presentation of the salad. And tasty.






Acceptably tender and cooked to a good temp.



After a very enjoyable dinner, the special coffee service was completed. I almost skipped it as I wanted to get some sleep and didn't want to risk the caffeine, but it was too tempting to resist.








The delicious Wiener Eiskaffee

So I then reclined the seat into flat-bed mode and drifted off. After several hours of nice sleep, the cabin lights came up and it was time for breakfast.


OJ tasted very fresh and I had numerous cups of great coffee

My inaugural flight on Austrian Business Class had come to an end. A nice landing at Vienna for the 1hour, 15 minute connect time to my flight to Budapest.

lionelhutzskis

Champagne.

And looking forward to the rest!

goodeats21

Thanks. Corrected now.

TPJ

On board chiefs are Do&Co employees - for sure not OS employees - if they are F/A and were trained in emergency procedures - I am not sure...

roadwarrier

And such a practical item for the meal. Wish more airlines would adopt that idea.

goodeats21

Wow. Had no idea. Wonder what the agreement is around that? I would think they would have to be trained in emergency procedures. At least enough to quickly secure the galley and such.

goodeats21

VIE Lounge

Stepped off the 767 and had just over an hour connection time to my BUD flight.

Immigration was very quick and painless. I was able to get to a booth with no one in line and the officer didn't even ask a single question. Stamp and go. While I have always had easy entries into Europe, I was wondering if recent event were going to have an impact; nothing noticed.

Wandered around VIE a bit to get my bearings and find my next gate. Having 45 minutes or so until boarding, I went in search of the lounge.







Decent enough lounge for a quick visit. Grabbed some water and gazed out at airport operations on a dreary morning.






Austrian Retro Livery

With boarding time approaching, I headed to the gate for my first ever ride on a Fokker 100...or so I thought.

goodeats21

VIE->BUD
A320 J class

So, a bus ride to the plane which looks suspiciously like an Airbus 320. And yep, the Fokker was apparently subed out, so no new airplane type for me on this route. No worries though. Boarding was quick, utilizing both front and rear stairs and we were off for the quick flight to BUD.








Nice sandwich and desert for the 40 minute hop



Landed at BUD for my first trip to Hungary.


BUD - Home of W!ZZ air

It was a rather dreary day in Budapest. I stepped outside to the taxi stand. Very organized setup. I gave the clerk my hotel information, she typed it into their system, and I was assigned a taxi number which pulled right up. Slick.


Some type of aircraft display (museum?) at the airport perimeter.

goodeats21

Courtyard by Marriott - Budapest City Center

Taxi from the airport took about 25 minutes. Very little traffic at 10 AM on a Saturday Morning.

Front desk clerk was very friendly. I had checked in via the Marriott App and indicated my arrival was around 11AM. In my experience, it is the best way to get an early check-in as the hotel staff know you are coming.

In this case, not only was I expected and my room available, but they had upgraded me to a very nice suite. ^ This was on a ~60 Euro rate. I also was offered a drink and snack from their market as a Plat member.




Nice in-room coffee setup.












Awesome double balcony.



Overall, a very nice stay. The hotel was well maintained and every staff member I encountered was friendly with good English skills.

I found plenty to do in walking distance of the hotel. The Danube River was a 10-15 minute walk and the area felt plenty safe.

Unfortunately, I neglected to pack my electrical adapter and there was no USA style outlet nor USB charging port in the room. My phone battery was nearly depleted, so I powered it down and placed it in the in-room safe. No photos of Budapest wanderings.

It is a beautiful city. It has retained enough of the Eastern Europe / Communist vibe to make it feel very different. During my limited wanderings, it felt well-maintained and vibrant, even on a rather blustery, raw day.

After a short nap to re-charge my own battery, I took a walk down to the river, crossed over, and visited Rudas Thermal Bath. http://www.rudasbaths.com/

Unique experience for me. Beautiful facility with all manner of thermal baths, steam rooms, saunas, and the like. I am not convinced of the benefit of alternated plunges into water ranging from 42 degrees celcius down to 10 degrees celcius, but it certainly is invigorating.

The rest of my time was spent wandering around the city, trying some hungarian goulash (more watery then you would expect, though tasty) and nipping into some bars for a beer...or two...maybe three...LOL

Bretteee

I flew Austrian from Budapest to Vienna in 1972 on a DC-9. In those days you could get a free stopover in Vienna on a London to Budapest ticket in both directions. Going over I was allowed to take Malev on an Austrian ticket.

I love Vienna Ice Cafe.

The Do catering seems to be the best.

goodeats21

BUD->ZRH
LX J - Fokker 100
Operated by Helvetic Air

After a late night of beer drinking, I made it back to the hotel for a couple hours of sleep. From there, a taxi ride back to BUD for my return home.

A bit more security presence noted at BUD, including a couple of military-style armored vehicles on station at the airport entrance. Check in with Swiss was smooth, a priority line through security, and I was airside.

Swiss invited me to the Platinum Services lounge, which was basic but serviceable for the outstation setup.











No restrooms inside the lounge though, and it seemed half the restrooms in the airport were under construction and closed. By boarding time, there was a line out the doors for both men and women.

There was also a distinct lack of power outlets, though without an adapter they wouldn't have been much use to me anyway.

Soon enough it was time for boarding and I was off to my first Fokker ride.




PSU with air vents! Miss those on many European/Asian carriers.


At boarding, there was already a small bottle of water and a package towel at the seat. Very nice touch.


On climb out view of BUD. Large, blocky apartment complexes looking pretty cool in their multi-colored glory.




Scenic view


After-breakfast coffee with logo'd Swiss chocolate

Kacee

Looking forward to seeing the rest!

I'm in BUD right now (up since 2 am with jet lag). It's a neat city. Definitely agree, it feels more "different" than most of Western Europe (or Prague).

Interesting to see that you booked into P on BUD-ZRH. That flight booked into Y for me on the Fokker 100. Apparently LX is known for doing this (downgrading Ps to Y intra-Europe).

goodeats21

Enjoy Budapest. Hopefully you have more time then I did to explore what it has to offer. Definitely a place I would like to return to.

And once again thanks for finding and sharing the great fare!