A weekend in Kiev with a detour to Chernobyl on BA J, OS J (DFW-LHR-VIE-KBP-LHR-YUL)
Oct 21, 2017, 12:04 pm
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A weekend in Kiev with a detour to Chernobyl on BA J, OS J (DFW-LHR-VIE-KBP-LHR-YUL)
A weekend in Kiev with a detour to Chernobyl on BA J, OS J (DFW-LHR-VIE-KBP-LHR-YUL)In my quest to visit 100 countries and territories by the age of 40 (I stand today at 77, age 35), I took the chance to tag a trip to Ukraine to a business trip I had to London in May 2017.
Ukraine is a country that has always fascinated me - after all, Rus Kiev is the birthplace of Russia and the history of the country dates back many, many centuries. The war in the Donbass and the seizure of Crimea on Russia's part made my decision to visit all the more compelling, as I wanted to see how the country was coping with all this chaos and uncertainty.
What I found was a vibrant, dynamic city (Kyiv) that looks decisively West. Now, things are different in other parts of the country - this is a region which a strong Russian minority after all - but Western Ukraine (Kyiv region and Galicia) are definitely pro-European.
This trip report will be divided as follows:
1. Off we go: British Airways Club World DFW-LHR
2. American Airlines new Arrivals Lounge at LHR T3
3. A couple days in London eating my way around - Social Eating House, Tamarind Kitchen, Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel
4. LHR-VIE-KBP on Austrian Airlines Business Class
5. Hotel InterContinental Kyiv
6. Beautiful Kyiv
7. A day trip to pot-apocalyptic Chernobyl
8. Back to Norh America: KBP-LHR-YUL on BA Club Europe/World
I hope you'll enjoy!
Ukraine is a country that has always fascinated me - after all, Rus Kiev is the birthplace of Russia and the history of the country dates back many, many centuries. The war in the Donbass and the seizure of Crimea on Russia's part made my decision to visit all the more compelling, as I wanted to see how the country was coping with all this chaos and uncertainty.
What I found was a vibrant, dynamic city (Kyiv) that looks decisively West. Now, things are different in other parts of the country - this is a region which a strong Russian minority after all - but Western Ukraine (Kyiv region and Galicia) are definitely pro-European.
This trip report will be divided as follows:
1. Off we go: British Airways Club World DFW-LHR
2. American Airlines new Arrivals Lounge at LHR T3
3. A couple days in London eating my way around - Social Eating House, Tamarind Kitchen, Holiday Inn Heathrow Ariel
4. LHR-VIE-KBP on Austrian Airlines Business Class
5. Hotel InterContinental Kyiv
6. Beautiful Kyiv
7. A day trip to pot-apocalyptic Chernobyl
8. Back to Norh America: KBP-LHR-YUL on BA Club Europe/World
I hope you'll enjoy!
Last edited by oneworld82; Dec 1, 2017 at 9:48 am
Oct 21, 2017, 12:12 pm
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British Airways Club World DFW-LHR (BA 744 J)
Another week, another work trip to Europe – London this time. It’s actually going to be a busy second half of Spring for me, as after this week in London I will have back-to-back trips to Helsinki and London again for work. The good news: I will be able to tag Ukraine as a new country visited during this trip and Slovakia during the next one – possibly adding Lithuania and Latvia to the list as well.
Ukraine has been a long time coming. I bought a guidebook on the country many years ago, but until now I never found a way to make it fit into my itineraries – after all Kiev is not exactly close to London or Madrid or even Italy. Yet, this was meant to be the time. A series of meetings in London (and a team dinner scheduled at Tamarind Soho, preceded by happy hour at The Gin Club), a cheap business class ticket on Austrian Airlines to Kiev ($280 one-way, booked with 28k Membership Rewards points eligible for 50% back thanks to my wife’s Business Platinum card), good forecast weather in Kiev, and nice connections on the way back on Club Europe/World meant that Ukraine was finally happening
Granted, it would only be Kiev and Chernobyl, in a country that has so much to offer – from splendid L’viv to historic Odessa; from the shores of Crimea (yes, still a part of Ukraine) to the landscapes on the Carpatians in Galicia – Kiev seems like a very diminutive experience. But I reckon that having the chance to visit the birthplace of Russian and Ukrainian civilization is worth a trip for itself – as well as the opportunity the site of one of the great tragedies of our times and the chance to sample some new, different cuisine.
I left on a Tuesday afternoon on British Airways Club World for London. It was warm and muggy in Dallas, and it would be mild and rainy in London when I landed. Dallas airport, my second home really, was rather busy this afternoon, but I was able to sneak through security quickly and to head to the BA lounge where I tried (fruitlessly) to connect to the wifi to send a few emails for a good half hour. The lounge is rather basic, but it does the trick – decent selection of drinks (spirits are on request, and a menu is displayed by the food area), nice finger food, good view. I had some tomato soup – it was too starchy for my taste – and I tried some smoked soft cheese with raspberry sauce – it was really good.
Around 30 minutes before our scheduled departure time I proceeded to the gate, D15, where boarding of First Class passengers was starting. Minutes later I was sitting in my Club World seat waiting for depature.
Flight BA192, DFW-LHR
May 16th, 2017 – 18:10 – 09:10+1
Club World, Seat 18D
Boeing 747-400
I have lost track of how many 747 configs BA have, but this one surely was an old plane. While the seat itself was fine, the tray table turned out to be stiff and the tv small with old software – not many movies to choose from here and old interface (similar to the old AA First Class). In any case, the crew turned out to be very good, and that once again made the flight very enjoyable. To me, great soft product is more important than the best hard product.
To be fair, I still do not understand why BA gets so much criticism for its business class product. Granted, it’s not the most advanced product in the World these days, but I find the bed comfortable, the blanket thick to the point, the cabin has stylish finishing, and the privacy has really never been an issue for me – even on the aisle seats. Granted, the IFE is hit or miss, I think there is not much storage space, and the lavatories are getting old. But service is often times good, very British, I like the selection of beverages (three different champagne choices in Business is not bad), and the food is never bad.
Boarding took a good 30 minutes, but we ended up leaving on time. The captain announced we were right on schedule, and that the flight time would be around 9 hours. After what seemed a long taxi, we took off.
Now, oddly enough neither amenity kits (“washbags”) nor menu were distributed before take off; they were handed out around 15 minutes after take out. BA’s "washbags" are very basic – annoyingly so – but Elemis products are at least good.
I always enjoy trying the salad dish – I think BA does salads very well – and today was no exception.
It was now around one hour into the flight, and I was watching some Family Guy, when the first round of drinks was served. Nuts and gin and tonic for me, please.
Then, it was another 20 minutes, and a refill was offered… Ok, I agree, service on BA can be painfully slow. I heard they are working on fixing it, but we literally did not start eating until 1h40m into the flight. It seemed too long.
Anyways, after getting some Henriot champagne (lovely) I got the salmon with tartare sauce. It was quite good, although I am not a fan necessarily of minced salmon. I had a couple of bread rolls – I really like bread and BA’s is fine. The salad accompanying the starter was fresh and very good.
After I would say twenty minutes the main was served. My salad did not disappoint – the chicken was tender and the dish overall was good. I had a glass of chardonnay with it, and while it was ok I wish I stayed with the champagne.
Dessert options included fruit, a very nice looking cheesecake, and cheese. Since I have not had much cheese lately, I went for it. It was a very nice cave-aged cheddar and gorgonzola pair, served with oat cakes. I love Gorgonzola – together with Roquefort definitely the best blue cheese out there.
After dinner I reclined the seat in bed mode, and since I was feeling quite tired I managed to get four good hours of sleep. Wonderful! I find the BA Club World bed to be quite comfortable – and getting out of the seat is a much easier task than with the reverse herringbone seats.
I woke up with about 1h20m to go. For some reason, while my eyes were clearly closed the flight attendant tapped on me to see whether I wanted breakfast, which I declined. I did, however, have a smoothie – it was milky and I really liked it (it tasted like banana).
We ended up landing on time in a rainy London, and I made my way to T3 to try the new American Airlines Arrivals Lounge. Immigration by the way was a breeze – automated passport control for EU citizens is really a life changer.
Overall, it was yet another good flight on BA CW. Never too great, never too bad, always consistent. Again, while I think AA’s hard product is better, overall the soft service is what makes all the difference for me, and BA truly excels in that regard.
Ukraine has been a long time coming. I bought a guidebook on the country many years ago, but until now I never found a way to make it fit into my itineraries – after all Kiev is not exactly close to London or Madrid or even Italy. Yet, this was meant to be the time. A series of meetings in London (and a team dinner scheduled at Tamarind Soho, preceded by happy hour at The Gin Club), a cheap business class ticket on Austrian Airlines to Kiev ($280 one-way, booked with 28k Membership Rewards points eligible for 50% back thanks to my wife’s Business Platinum card), good forecast weather in Kiev, and nice connections on the way back on Club Europe/World meant that Ukraine was finally happening
Granted, it would only be Kiev and Chernobyl, in a country that has so much to offer – from splendid L’viv to historic Odessa; from the shores of Crimea (yes, still a part of Ukraine) to the landscapes on the Carpatians in Galicia – Kiev seems like a very diminutive experience. But I reckon that having the chance to visit the birthplace of Russian and Ukrainian civilization is worth a trip for itself – as well as the opportunity the site of one of the great tragedies of our times and the chance to sample some new, different cuisine.
I left on a Tuesday afternoon on British Airways Club World for London. It was warm and muggy in Dallas, and it would be mild and rainy in London when I landed. Dallas airport, my second home really, was rather busy this afternoon, but I was able to sneak through security quickly and to head to the BA lounge where I tried (fruitlessly) to connect to the wifi to send a few emails for a good half hour. The lounge is rather basic, but it does the trick – decent selection of drinks (spirits are on request, and a menu is displayed by the food area), nice finger food, good view. I had some tomato soup – it was too starchy for my taste – and I tried some smoked soft cheese with raspberry sauce – it was really good.
Around 30 minutes before our scheduled departure time I proceeded to the gate, D15, where boarding of First Class passengers was starting. Minutes later I was sitting in my Club World seat waiting for depature.
Flight BA192, DFW-LHR
May 16th, 2017 – 18:10 – 09:10+1
Club World, Seat 18D
Boeing 747-400
I have lost track of how many 747 configs BA have, but this one surely was an old plane. While the seat itself was fine, the tray table turned out to be stiff and the tv small with old software – not many movies to choose from here and old interface (similar to the old AA First Class). In any case, the crew turned out to be very good, and that once again made the flight very enjoyable. To me, great soft product is more important than the best hard product.
To be fair, I still do not understand why BA gets so much criticism for its business class product. Granted, it’s not the most advanced product in the World these days, but I find the bed comfortable, the blanket thick to the point, the cabin has stylish finishing, and the privacy has really never been an issue for me – even on the aisle seats. Granted, the IFE is hit or miss, I think there is not much storage space, and the lavatories are getting old. But service is often times good, very British, I like the selection of beverages (three different champagne choices in Business is not bad), and the food is never bad.
Boarding took a good 30 minutes, but we ended up leaving on time. The captain announced we were right on schedule, and that the flight time would be around 9 hours. After what seemed a long taxi, we took off.
Now, oddly enough neither amenity kits (“washbags”) nor menu were distributed before take off; they were handed out around 15 minutes after take out. BA’s "washbags" are very basic – annoyingly so – but Elemis products are at least good.
I always enjoy trying the salad dish – I think BA does salads very well – and today was no exception.
It was now around one hour into the flight, and I was watching some Family Guy, when the first round of drinks was served. Nuts and gin and tonic for me, please.
Then, it was another 20 minutes, and a refill was offered… Ok, I agree, service on BA can be painfully slow. I heard they are working on fixing it, but we literally did not start eating until 1h40m into the flight. It seemed too long.
Anyways, after getting some Henriot champagne (lovely) I got the salmon with tartare sauce. It was quite good, although I am not a fan necessarily of minced salmon. I had a couple of bread rolls – I really like bread and BA’s is fine. The salad accompanying the starter was fresh and very good.
After I would say twenty minutes the main was served. My salad did not disappoint – the chicken was tender and the dish overall was good. I had a glass of chardonnay with it, and while it was ok I wish I stayed with the champagne.
Dessert options included fruit, a very nice looking cheesecake, and cheese. Since I have not had much cheese lately, I went for it. It was a very nice cave-aged cheddar and gorgonzola pair, served with oat cakes. I love Gorgonzola – together with Roquefort definitely the best blue cheese out there.
After dinner I reclined the seat in bed mode, and since I was feeling quite tired I managed to get four good hours of sleep. Wonderful! I find the BA Club World bed to be quite comfortable – and getting out of the seat is a much easier task than with the reverse herringbone seats.
I woke up with about 1h20m to go. For some reason, while my eyes were clearly closed the flight attendant tapped on me to see whether I wanted breakfast, which I declined. I did, however, have a smoothie – it was milky and I really liked it (it tasted like banana).
We ended up landing on time in a rainy London, and I made my way to T3 to try the new American Airlines Arrivals Lounge. Immigration by the way was a breeze – automated passport control for EU citizens is really a life changer.
Overall, it was yet another good flight on BA CW. Never too great, never too bad, always consistent. Again, while I think AA’s hard product is better, overall the soft service is what makes all the difference for me, and BA truly excels in that regard.
Oct 23, 2017, 2:18 pm
#5
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Location: DFW
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New AA Arrivals Lounge @ LHR T3
I had got a friend working at AA to get me an invitation to the newly-refurbished Arrivals Lounge in T3, which I heard was great – as you can imagine, I was eager to check it out.
After taking a lift from the arrivals area at T3, the new lounge is right there in front of you. I had been to the old one, which was nice. But the new one… boy it’s really nice! After having been admitted I went for a shower. There are 20+ shower stalls (!), all decently spacious with rain shower, valet pressing service, and CO Bigelow products. This is in a way a refreshed version of the old product.
There is a storage area next to the entrance, and opposite the shower rooms there is the main lounge. It looks gorgeous – modern finishes with a sophisticated feel, plenty of seating areas for either eating or working, lots of power plugs, computers… Truly a good looking lounge.
The f&b section is equally as impressive. A full English breakfast is offered, with the usual pastries and cereals. There are also a-la-carte options, including eggs benedicts (which was good) and porridge.
The selection of drinks is awesome, with juices, Moet & Chandon champagne, a Bloody Mary bar, and a very good coffee machine. Service was attentive and professional.
I must say I really left the lounge refreshed and happy after a good breakfast. AA did really a good job with the new Arrivals lounge, and this got me excited for the new lounges to come!
After taking a lift from the arrivals area at T3, the new lounge is right there in front of you. I had been to the old one, which was nice. But the new one… boy it’s really nice! After having been admitted I went for a shower. There are 20+ shower stalls (!), all decently spacious with rain shower, valet pressing service, and CO Bigelow products. This is in a way a refreshed version of the old product.
There is a storage area next to the entrance, and opposite the shower rooms there is the main lounge. It looks gorgeous – modern finishes with a sophisticated feel, plenty of seating areas for either eating or working, lots of power plugs, computers… Truly a good looking lounge.
The f&b section is equally as impressive. A full English breakfast is offered, with the usual pastries and cereals. There are also a-la-carte options, including eggs benedicts (which was good) and porridge.
The selection of drinks is awesome, with juices, Moet & Chandon champagne, a Bloody Mary bar, and a very good coffee machine. Service was attentive and professional.
I must say I really left the lounge refreshed and happy after a good breakfast. AA did really a good job with the new Arrivals lounge, and this got me excited for the new lounges to come!
Oct 24, 2017, 2:46 pm
#7
Join Date: Mar 2017
Location: DUS
Posts: 30
So looking forward to this TR! Wanting to visit Chernobyl for a long time, a couple weeks ago I scored a DUS-KBP-DUS for August 2018 for an amazing EUR 55 on Ukrainian (which btw is still available) and of course I couldn't let it pass. Keep it coming! ^
Oct 25, 2017, 12:41 am
#8
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Join Date: May 2009
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Oct 30, 2017, 2:33 pm
#9
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FULL POST ON MY BLOG!
I was in London for only a couple of days for a series of meetings, but as usual I was able to sneak something good out of it. Firstly, let me talk briefly about my last trip about a month ago. To celebrate my team and our accomplishments (and the fact that one of my analysts was soon to move to another team) I treated them to the Social Eating House, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair near Oxford Circus.
Just like Harwood Arms (which I visited with my wife and daughter last year and that was fantastic), this is rather informal place – an upscale pub that reminded me of a British version of the Breslin if that makes sense. It was a good vibe, although a bit noisy. The menu is what I’d consider modern British, and overall it was interesting.
I started my meal with the scorched south coast mackerel & tartare, skyr, pickled walnut, red love apple, chicory. It was a good and interesting dish – something out of the Nordics – and I enjoyed it. The portion was quite small, especially compared to other appetizers.
https://i2.wp.com/airwaysandtravels....25%2C700&ssl=1
We then decided to order dessert – I opted for a fantastic salted caramel sorbet which was otherworldly! The only problem is that from the moment we ordered dessert to when they actually brought it we had to wait half hour – odd given that the restaurant wasn’t that full (service was definitely on the slow side). Overall, I enjoyed my dinner, but so far this has been the weakest of the good restaurants I tried in London.
Back to the present, we had another team dinner, this time offered by my boss. We had a reservation to Tamarind Kitchen Soho, a more informal brother than the famous Tamarind restaurant in Mayfair. Prior to dinner we checked out The Gin Club, literally around the corner from the restaurant. The place had a cool vibe, with a huge selection of craft gins and “gin tasting”. I had a Botanist – served in a goblet with Fever Tree tonic water on the side. I must say the selection of gins is good, but the delivery is not nearly as good as I had at The Gin Club or at the Geography Club in Madrid.
Tamarind Kitchen was another cool restaurant. Very nice vibe, it can be either romantic or trendy – depending on your mood. We got a nice table in the basement, and I must say service was very good. We shared a few dishes, including an excellent chicken tikka masala, fish curry, and a couple of vegetarian dishes. We really enjoyed dinner, and to be fair a couple of bottles of Malbec helped as well!
London’s dining scene never disappoints!
The second night I just decided to stay by the hotel (since I was staying by Heathrow); the Sheraton Skyline has a very nice Indian restaurant on its premises, and I decided to check it out. It was another win. Paneer Tikki (grilled paneer served with sauce on the sauce) was very tasty, as was the saag ghost (lamb in a thick spinach curry), the pulao rice, and the garlic naan. I definitely order more food than necessary, but I am happy I got to sample different dishes at what was another great restaurant.
This time around I stayed at the Holiday Inn Ariel – an older airport hotel that helped me with the ongoing Accelerate promotion IHG had at the time. The hotel is rather basic, but it does have a decent bar and as IHG Platinum I got a free drink that I enjoyed while planning for my trip to Ukraine.
By the way, the weather in London was great and I managed to walk across the Thames to the Tate Modern and then to St Paul’s Cathedral to take some shots.
One last thing I want to mention: meat pies. As you might know, I am a big fan of this typically-British delicacy. After reading some reviews, I decided to head to Golden Union in Poland St near Oxford Circus to have some.
This diner is mostly a fish and chips joint, but their pie are absolutely serious. I had a steak one, served with chips, and a nice local ale. The meal was fantastic and overall it was only 15 pounds.
I always like coming to London for work, as I have now time to explore the exceedingly-interesting culinary side of this fantastic city.
I was in London for only a couple of days for a series of meetings, but as usual I was able to sneak something good out of it. Firstly, let me talk briefly about my last trip about a month ago. To celebrate my team and our accomplishments (and the fact that one of my analysts was soon to move to another team) I treated them to the Social Eating House, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Mayfair near Oxford Circus.
Just like Harwood Arms (which I visited with my wife and daughter last year and that was fantastic), this is rather informal place – an upscale pub that reminded me of a British version of the Breslin if that makes sense. It was a good vibe, although a bit noisy. The menu is what I’d consider modern British, and overall it was interesting.
I started my meal with the scorched south coast mackerel & tartare, skyr, pickled walnut, red love apple, chicory. It was a good and interesting dish – something out of the Nordics – and I enjoyed it. The portion was quite small, especially compared to other appetizers.
https://i2.wp.com/airwaysandtravels....25%2C700&ssl=1
We then decided to order dessert – I opted for a fantastic salted caramel sorbet which was otherworldly! The only problem is that from the moment we ordered dessert to when they actually brought it we had to wait half hour – odd given that the restaurant wasn’t that full (service was definitely on the slow side). Overall, I enjoyed my dinner, but so far this has been the weakest of the good restaurants I tried in London.
Back to the present, we had another team dinner, this time offered by my boss. We had a reservation to Tamarind Kitchen Soho, a more informal brother than the famous Tamarind restaurant in Mayfair. Prior to dinner we checked out The Gin Club, literally around the corner from the restaurant. The place had a cool vibe, with a huge selection of craft gins and “gin tasting”. I had a Botanist – served in a goblet with Fever Tree tonic water on the side. I must say the selection of gins is good, but the delivery is not nearly as good as I had at The Gin Club or at the Geography Club in Madrid.
Tamarind Kitchen was another cool restaurant. Very nice vibe, it can be either romantic or trendy – depending on your mood. We got a nice table in the basement, and I must say service was very good. We shared a few dishes, including an excellent chicken tikka masala, fish curry, and a couple of vegetarian dishes. We really enjoyed dinner, and to be fair a couple of bottles of Malbec helped as well!
London’s dining scene never disappoints!
The second night I just decided to stay by the hotel (since I was staying by Heathrow); the Sheraton Skyline has a very nice Indian restaurant on its premises, and I decided to check it out. It was another win. Paneer Tikki (grilled paneer served with sauce on the sauce) was very tasty, as was the saag ghost (lamb in a thick spinach curry), the pulao rice, and the garlic naan. I definitely order more food than necessary, but I am happy I got to sample different dishes at what was another great restaurant.
This time around I stayed at the Holiday Inn Ariel – an older airport hotel that helped me with the ongoing Accelerate promotion IHG had at the time. The hotel is rather basic, but it does have a decent bar and as IHG Platinum I got a free drink that I enjoyed while planning for my trip to Ukraine.
By the way, the weather in London was great and I managed to walk across the Thames to the Tate Modern and then to St Paul’s Cathedral to take some shots.
One last thing I want to mention: meat pies. As you might know, I am a big fan of this typically-British delicacy. After reading some reviews, I decided to head to Golden Union in Poland St near Oxford Circus to have some.
This diner is mostly a fish and chips joint, but their pie are absolutely serious. I had a steak one, served with chips, and a nice local ale. The meal was fantastic and overall it was only 15 pounds.
I always like coming to London for work, as I have now time to explore the exceedingly-interesting culinary side of this fantastic city.
Nov 2, 2017, 9:48 am
#10
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Join Date: May 2009
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First time on Austrian Airlines. LHR-VIE-KBP in Business Class
Jet lag can be bad. The night before my 6am flight I could not sleep until 12.30am, which means I got 3h30m of sleep. The ride on the red bus from Bath Rd to Heathrow Central is very quick – literally five minutes – and by 4.45am I was at the Austrian Airlines check-in counter getting my boarding pass. Terminal 2 is gorgeous by the way – it has something of T5 in the architecture and layout.
I got through security very quickly (fast track is available for business class passengers), and I then made my way to the Lufthansa Business Class lounge, which had just opened.
The lounge is very expansive, and it still feels new. There is a nice, large check-in area, then a hallways with a working area on the right (and booths for phone calls). Seating is divided in three areas – one semi-divided by a wall from the rest of the lounge, one open area with both armchairs and stools in the main area, and then tables for dining.
The buffet spread was good – full English breakfast, some cold cuts, and then yogurt, pastries, and cereals. The layout of the lounge was definitely nice – it gave out a feeling of openness just like the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.
I had some bacon, eggs, and mushrooms for breakfast – quality was good.
Overall, this was a fine lounge (with fast internet) – better than the Business Class Lounge Lufthansa has in Paris.
About 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time I headed to the boarding gate, conveniently located a minute walk from the lounge. Boarding started shortly after, and I went through the Priority Lane, reserved to Premium cabin passengers, HON and Senator members (including Star Gold). The plane, a nice Airbus A320, looked pretty new, and I took my seat, 2A, that would remain empty next to me – overall there were only 4 passengers in business class this morning out of 16 available seats.
The cabin was a standard business class, intra-European one, with middle seats blocked. Interestingly, in neither flights no one offered to take my jacket and to hang it, which meant I had to fold it and leave it in the middle seat. I found it a bit odd.
We pushed back on time for a short two hours flight, and one of the cool features onboard was wifi, which was a first for me on intra-EU flights and that was reasonably priced (starting at 3 EUR for the slowest connection for the duration of the flight). Interestingly, the first 10 minutes (or 10MB, whichever came first) were complimentary on the fastest speed – a nice way to let customer try the service.
Shortly after takeoff the flight attendant started preparing breakfast, which was served perhaps 30 minutes into the flight. It consisted of elegantly-presented (thanks to the dinnerware) scrambled eggs with tomatoes and smoked salmon with caper berries, served with a choice of drink (coffee, served in the nicest cups!) and bread (I opted for bagel, but there were also various rolls and croissants). The eggs were a bit dry, but overall the quality was good and the service very attentive.
The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful and we landed right on time in Vienna, where we parked at a remote stand.
Vienna airport is rather small and efficient, and the Austrian Airlines terminal allows for very quick connections – in fact my connection time was only 40 minutes and I made it to my flight without issue. Another bus took us to our plane for the second leg of the journey – this time the cabin up front was rather full. While we were supposed to leave at 9.50, we ended up being delayed around 25 minutes as a mechanic was fixing something onboard, but the pilot did not mention anything so we were not sure of what was going on; the delay meant we’d land in Kiev 20 minutes behind schedule.
Lunch was served during the flight, and both service and food were very good. Main course was chicken Kiev – how fitting! It was served with cabbage salad and string fried potatoes. The meat was very good, and the dish was a winner. The dessert was a banana opera cake – it was very good. I had some white wine with my dish – three glasses to be honest, as the nice flight attendant kept coming with refills!
Landing in Kyiv from the south was rather spectacular, as we got a great view over the Dnipro river, which is impressively wide!
We parked at a jet bridge stand and within minutes I was past customs and immigration waiting for my driver.
Overall, Austrian Airlines offered a solid product over two short flights. Considering the price of this one-way was only $270, I think it was a good deal, and I already look forward to fly OS again in a couple of weeks from Frankurt to Kosice via Vienna.
I got through security very quickly (fast track is available for business class passengers), and I then made my way to the Lufthansa Business Class lounge, which had just opened.
The lounge is very expansive, and it still feels new. There is a nice, large check-in area, then a hallways with a working area on the right (and booths for phone calls). Seating is divided in three areas – one semi-divided by a wall from the rest of the lounge, one open area with both armchairs and stools in the main area, and then tables for dining.
The buffet spread was good – full English breakfast, some cold cuts, and then yogurt, pastries, and cereals. The layout of the lounge was definitely nice – it gave out a feeling of openness just like the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt.
I had some bacon, eggs, and mushrooms for breakfast – quality was good.
Overall, this was a fine lounge (with fast internet) – better than the Business Class Lounge Lufthansa has in Paris.
About 30 minutes before the scheduled departure time I headed to the boarding gate, conveniently located a minute walk from the lounge. Boarding started shortly after, and I went through the Priority Lane, reserved to Premium cabin passengers, HON and Senator members (including Star Gold). The plane, a nice Airbus A320, looked pretty new, and I took my seat, 2A, that would remain empty next to me – overall there were only 4 passengers in business class this morning out of 16 available seats.
The cabin was a standard business class, intra-European one, with middle seats blocked. Interestingly, in neither flights no one offered to take my jacket and to hang it, which meant I had to fold it and leave it in the middle seat. I found it a bit odd.
We pushed back on time for a short two hours flight, and one of the cool features onboard was wifi, which was a first for me on intra-EU flights and that was reasonably priced (starting at 3 EUR for the slowest connection for the duration of the flight). Interestingly, the first 10 minutes (or 10MB, whichever came first) were complimentary on the fastest speed – a nice way to let customer try the service.
Shortly after takeoff the flight attendant started preparing breakfast, which was served perhaps 30 minutes into the flight. It consisted of elegantly-presented (thanks to the dinnerware) scrambled eggs with tomatoes and smoked salmon with caper berries, served with a choice of drink (coffee, served in the nicest cups!) and bread (I opted for bagel, but there were also various rolls and croissants). The eggs were a bit dry, but overall the quality was good and the service very attentive.
The rest of the flight was pretty uneventful and we landed right on time in Vienna, where we parked at a remote stand.
Vienna airport is rather small and efficient, and the Austrian Airlines terminal allows for very quick connections – in fact my connection time was only 40 minutes and I made it to my flight without issue. Another bus took us to our plane for the second leg of the journey – this time the cabin up front was rather full. While we were supposed to leave at 9.50, we ended up being delayed around 25 minutes as a mechanic was fixing something onboard, but the pilot did not mention anything so we were not sure of what was going on; the delay meant we’d land in Kiev 20 minutes behind schedule.
Lunch was served during the flight, and both service and food were very good. Main course was chicken Kiev – how fitting! It was served with cabbage salad and string fried potatoes. The meat was very good, and the dish was a winner. The dessert was a banana opera cake – it was very good. I had some white wine with my dish – three glasses to be honest, as the nice flight attendant kept coming with refills!
Landing in Kyiv from the south was rather spectacular, as we got a great view over the Dnipro river, which is impressively wide!
We parked at a jet bridge stand and within minutes I was past customs and immigration waiting for my driver.
Overall, Austrian Airlines offered a solid product over two short flights. Considering the price of this one-way was only $270, I think it was a good deal, and I already look forward to fly OS again in a couple of weeks from Frankurt to Kosice via Vienna.
Nov 3, 2017, 8:47 pm
#13
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Asking for...a friend...or not. 
Nov 3, 2017, 8:56 pm
#14
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Join Date: May 2009
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Lovely food - especially for short haul flights!
I loooved Ukraine - but I stayed way too short. Planning to take the whole family during late Spring at some point to visit L'viv and - why not - Odessa.
Nov 13, 2017, 3:00 am
#15
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Hotel InterContinental Kyiv
FULL REPORT ON MY BLOG
Ukraine – an odd destination for many. I mean, there is a war still ongoing in the East of the country, Crimea has been annexed by Russia, and Chernobyl is perhaps the first thing many people associate with Ukraine. However, this is a country that has had a tortuous and long history, blessed with beautiful landscapes, and with some incredible historical sights.
While the savvier travelers probably know of Lviv – one of Eastern Europe’s prettiest cities – not too many know much about Kyiv. To be fair, before getting my Lonely Planet Ukraine guidebook I only knew that Kyivan Rus was the cradle of Ukrainian and Russian civilization, and that Prince Volodymyr was responsible to convert wider Russia to Christianity in its Orthodox form in 988 CE.
Yet, this turned out to be an incredible city, that warrants at least two full days to see its main sights.
Also, if you are (barely) a Millennial like me for the early 1980’s you might have grown up watching the animated renderings of such anime as Voltron, or Kenshiro the Warrior; this would make you familiar with post-Apocalyptic worlds – and I admit that ever since I was a child I have been both frightened and fascinated by a post-Atomic war World. So, it was only natural that when I came across the possibility to visit the Chernobyl power plant and the surrounding towns of Chernobyl and Prypyat I got genuinely excited to learn and discover more of this great tragedy of our modern era.
Let me start with my hotel first. Since I literally had a full day to do sightseeing in town (plus a full day in Chernobyl), I had to carefully choose my hotel location. Given that my loyalty me accumulate a bunch of Priority Reward points – and given that some more were on the way – I decided to book myself for two nights at the beautiful Hotel InterContinental Kyiv, strategically located atop the hill overlooking Podol and Maidan Nezhenolenosti (Independence Square) and steps away from St Michael’s Monastery, St Sophia Cathedral, St Andrew’s Church, and Andryivsky Uzsviz – that is, some of the best sights in town.
The choice turned out to be appropriate, as the location really made the difference and as the hotel was really beautiful. A very nice lobby (with a fantastic bar/café) was just an introduction to my fine deluxe room; while I did not have a view over St Michael’s Monastery, I had a plush bed, a large room, a deep bathtub and rain shower, and complimentary soft drinks from the minibar. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
The hotel had also a nice gym and swimming pool – changing rooms were good (but not spectacular) and the hotel’s spa is well-known in town.
The hotel had also an interesting French-Ukrainian restaurant (that looked delicious) and a rooftop bar – unfortunately I did not have the chance to try either this time. The common ares wer every nice as well. I had a coffee on my second morning, and a beer on my first night, and the presentation was fantastic in both circumstances.
The only complaint I have is that water was not replaced on my second day – I am sure they would have brought more if I had asked, but I don’t think it’s necessary to ask for something like that.
Ukraine – an odd destination for many. I mean, there is a war still ongoing in the East of the country, Crimea has been annexed by Russia, and Chernobyl is perhaps the first thing many people associate with Ukraine. However, this is a country that has had a tortuous and long history, blessed with beautiful landscapes, and with some incredible historical sights.
While the savvier travelers probably know of Lviv – one of Eastern Europe’s prettiest cities – not too many know much about Kyiv. To be fair, before getting my Lonely Planet Ukraine guidebook I only knew that Kyivan Rus was the cradle of Ukrainian and Russian civilization, and that Prince Volodymyr was responsible to convert wider Russia to Christianity in its Orthodox form in 988 CE.
Yet, this turned out to be an incredible city, that warrants at least two full days to see its main sights.
Also, if you are (barely) a Millennial like me for the early 1980’s you might have grown up watching the animated renderings of such anime as Voltron, or Kenshiro the Warrior; this would make you familiar with post-Apocalyptic worlds – and I admit that ever since I was a child I have been both frightened and fascinated by a post-Atomic war World. So, it was only natural that when I came across the possibility to visit the Chernobyl power plant and the surrounding towns of Chernobyl and Prypyat I got genuinely excited to learn and discover more of this great tragedy of our modern era.
Let me start with my hotel first. Since I literally had a full day to do sightseeing in town (plus a full day in Chernobyl), I had to carefully choose my hotel location. Given that my loyalty me accumulate a bunch of Priority Reward points – and given that some more were on the way – I decided to book myself for two nights at the beautiful Hotel InterContinental Kyiv, strategically located atop the hill overlooking Podol and Maidan Nezhenolenosti (Independence Square) and steps away from St Michael’s Monastery, St Sophia Cathedral, St Andrew’s Church, and Andryivsky Uzsviz – that is, some of the best sights in town.
The choice turned out to be appropriate, as the location really made the difference and as the hotel was really beautiful. A very nice lobby (with a fantastic bar/café) was just an introduction to my fine deluxe room; while I did not have a view over St Michael’s Monastery, I had a plush bed, a large room, a deep bathtub and rain shower, and complimentary soft drinks from the minibar. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
The hotel had also a nice gym and swimming pool – changing rooms were good (but not spectacular) and the hotel’s spa is well-known in town.
The hotel had also an interesting French-Ukrainian restaurant (that looked delicious) and a rooftop bar – unfortunately I did not have the chance to try either this time. The common ares wer every nice as well. I had a coffee on my second morning, and a beer on my first night, and the presentation was fantastic in both circumstances.
The only complaint I have is that water was not replaced on my second day – I am sure they would have brought more if I had asked, but I don’t think it’s necessary to ask for something like that.