Trolley service as in the 1960s: how nice to fly sitting on the throne of Austrian
Having never traveled with Austrian before, after going outbound in super economy I tried hard to [...]
Austrian Airlines
Star Alliance
VIE
Maldives
Having never traveled with Austrian before, after making the outward journey in super economy, I tried hard to detach a business class upgrade for the return journey. Not only was I curious to try the Austrian flag carrier's service, but more importantly I wanted to experience the iconic configuration of their business class And travel on the "throne".
Spoiler alert: It was a flight that exceeded all expectations, and considering that Austrian is a company that has been Saved from bankruptcy by the Lufthansa Group, this definitely gives me hope for the sale of ITA Airways to the German group.
The purchase
In this article:
- Specifications
- Aircraft:
- B777/200
- Class:
- Business
- Treat:
- MLE - VIE
- Price:
- 200€ + 500€ upgrade
- Book
When I pulled out this ticket to the Maldives, I was not even supposed to fly Austrian. Initially the ticket, which cost me just 400 euros, was to fly Edelweiss and Eurowings on long-haul. These two airlines are controlled by Swiss and Lufthansa, respectively, and are used as charters on tourist destinations such as precisely the Maldives.
However, as was so often the case in 2022, things changed over the months, and in the end not only did the route completely change (all operated by Austrian and Lufthansa), but "minor" airlines were replaced. The best thing about it all is that having booked through Amex Travel. they were the ones who handled all the changes, contacts with the company and everything else. All I had to do was agree or ask them to change what they had discussed with the carrier.
Trying to get an upgrade to business class, I would occasionally go into Austrian's website and check the status of the reservation and upgrade options. Usually the asking price was €1450. Way too much.
In early December I log on and see €500: I didn't think twice (considering that the upgrade from economy to premium economy was sold at 450€) and bought the upgrade for the return flight. The funny thing is that a few days later, going to check the price, it was back to 1450.
Obviously being a paid flight it earned me qualifying points and miles on my Singapore Airlines Krisflyer card.
The Throne
Not only are these seats the most comfortable on board, but of course they are also the most expensive. If you do not have HON or Senator status in Miles&More choosing them when booking requires you to spend 150€ extra. Austrian, like the worst of low-cost airlines, sells this seat with a surcharge since it is considerably better at all the others on board.
I didn't even pay this €150 and the reason is that having chosen my seat at check-in I was able to choose from all the seats left vacant without any further outlay of money. I was thus able to change our two seats from the middle row to two single seats the 1A and 1K.
Normally these seats are the first to go, but as the Maldives is a leisure destination it is not necessarily full of top tiers on board, especially being a destination for couples and families single places were the ones "avoided" like the plague, while we wanted these very ones.
At the airport
Malé International Airport is an open-air construction site. Not that it's a problem around here, but the construction site for the new airport was supposed to be completed long ago. But then covid and delays due to lack of raw materials postponed the ribbon cutting until late 2023, early 2024.
The current airport is a small airport totally inadequate to handle the traffic that brings millions of tourists each year from all over the world to the various atolls that make up this archipelago.
As soon as we disembarked from the boat that brought us from theHilton Amingiri Spa & Resort at the airport, we were escorted inside by the hotel staff.
Outside the terminal is the first queue. A huge snake. It's Christmas, but fortunately business and first passengers have a dedicated lane.
N.B. No one checks the ticket, and a lot of people must know this because I saw again the faces of those in our queue check in later in economy.
Having passed the first checks, we headed to the registration desk. Quick document check and we had our three printed boarding passes. The most valuable was the one from the first trip to Vienna. Everything confirmed, especially no surprises in seat assignment. We had 1A and 1K, at the extremes of the first row. Certainly not the best if you are flying as a couple, but if you want to be comfortable these are not only the best seats that exist in Austrian's fleet, but also in almost all Lufthansa Group carriers. And the reason is simple: almost the entire LH fleet still has a very old 2-2-2 configuration in business class.
Having obtained our tickets, we headed to immigration (another queue) and, having obtained our exit stamp, went to the last security checkpoints. It took a total of over 60 minutes from the time we arrived at the airport to the time we entered duty free. And fortunately, two of the three lines we went through were "business."
The airport is small and does not have much to offer. We made a quick jump into the Leeli Lounge, the only one at the moment, and a tour of the stores.
Velana International currently has no finger and all boarding is via bus from the ground floor.
We waited for the gate to open and, thanks to priority boarding, got on the bus first.
The bus leaves passengers on the runway beside the plane, the door opposite the one used to board is opened, and only the middle door is opened, so if you want to avoid standing in line in the heat place yourself in the middle of the bus and be among the first to board.
On board
The 777/200 is the smallest of the triple seven. Austrian has only this model for long-haul, although the Dreamliner already in the fleet with Lufthansa is rumored to arrive in 2024.
The color mix of the cabin is pleasant, although the checkerboard seating arrangement makes everything different from more modern, approved cabins.
The single chair has plenty of space. This is not my first time flying on such a configuration, but the other time I was on board an A321LR from TAP. and I was flying from Toronto to Lisbon, so on a single-aisle plane, certainly not a wide-body plane like the 777.
The middle row has two alternate checkerboard pattern seats: thus, there are no close seats like honeymoons.
The privacy of the entire cabin is almost zero. Of course, at least if you travel sitting on the throne you do not have a neighbor, but otherwise protections from the view of other passengers do not exist for anyone.
What should not "rub it in" is that the throne gives away a lot of storage space: it absolutely does not. However, being seated in the front row still gives a few more inches than the other single rows by not having the structure of the front row seats.
The storage space is recessed under the monitor And very little else. Far too little. The lack of space is compensated for by the two immense nightstands you have on either side of the seat. Except for takeoff and landing, they are perfect for all the items you want to keep close by.
The chair is comfortable, but not super comfortable, there is plenty of leg room. Unfortunately, an adjustable headrest is missing; here the frame is fixed and has no movement.
Thanks to the hand control on the armrest, you can adjust the seat to the various positions. There is the massage function, which has now disappeared from almost all other carriers, but there is also a very nice and convenient feature that I had lately found only on board Etihad, which is the ability to adjust the stiffness of the seat.
In fact, the seat is a kind of inner tube, and you can decide how rigid it should be. As soon as I sat down, I felt like I was floating on a deflated mattress.. A couple of clicks and I was back on solid ground.
The chair obviously becomes a bed. In this position one really appreciates the throne since the "hole" where the legs end is really big, so no problem when sleeping in small movements.
When lying down, you have access to a second hand control to manage the seat, convenient to avoid having to get up to look for the one on the bedside table.
At the place is a nice blanket: it is not a comforter but it is warm and colorful enough to keep you warm during the trip. There is also a pillow. Everything, however, is left on the chair, in contact and without protection of any kind. It's not the ultimate in cleanliness. Ok eliminate the plastic bag, but using as others do "reusable" solutions would certainly be more hygienic.
Unfortunately, as in economy, the air vents are missing. A real malus.
The bathroom is very standard, there is not even hand cream or anything else for business passengers. The treatment is identical to the economy bathrooms.
The coffee table
The table comes out of the frame is large and rigid enough to work smoothly.
Fortunately, it also adjusts for height, allowing you to find a comfortable position without much trouble.
Let me help you understand how to close it, because it is not straightforward. There are two arrows on the frame, these need to be aligned in order to pull the stand down and put it back in its original position.
Service
The beauty kit is already left in place, and this wins by far the title of the worst business class kit in the world: such a sad thing I don't think I've ever seen in my life.
It beats the hell out of Lufthansa's, which is just as sad, but at least it turns into a nice shopping bag to keep in your purse. This is just ugly. A canvas pouch, unbranded and without an identifying coloro, with the standard essentials inside, even more skimpy than what some carriers give in premium economy,
Inside only mask, very Basic, socks, toothbrush and earplugs. Enough.
The shipboard staff, on the other hand, changed from the "Germanic" mode to the sympathetic and interactive mode once the cruise altitude was reached. Basically, as they took off their heels and put on flip-flops they all became much warmer.
Then being a daytime flight, the crew did not disappear and were always active in the cabin. I didn't even try my bell test so much they were 2 m away from me and kept passing by and asking the awake passengers if they needed anything.
IFE
The screen is large, but not huge, and it is touch. But for those sitting in the front row it is better to use the controller because it is too far from the seat, even when seated. Also in the screen are a USB and headphone jacks.
You then have a power outlet and a USB socket directly in the bedside table back, under the reading light.
The contents are really a lot: there are 118 movies, 138 documentaries and episodes of TV series, as much music content and podcasts. There are 12 games and nothing striking.
Since the monitor is really far away, you can use the remote control hidden in the seat structure,
Of course, it's best to bring your own headphones and plug into the system if you want to have optimal audio. This time, unfortunately, I was without mine, so I had to use the ones provided-I have to say they are the worst headphones I have found recently in business class. They are over ear, but they are small, so they do not cover the whole ear cup. They do not insulate against cabin noise, and the 777 is not as quiet as an A350.
There is no wifi on board and this is really unacceptable. Considering that Austrian offers service on short to medium haul, that this service is not offered on long haul is a really bad thing.
The maps are not navigable. There is a series of slideshows, but it is not possible to play with the views or set up different screens than the system proposes on its own. Very basic and ancient.
Food & Beverage
A glass of orange juice or water was served before takeoff, no champagne: probably as a sign of respect for the Maldives, That they are a Muslim nation. I wonder if other airlines do the same. Of course, even Emirates when it flies to Saudi Arabia doesn't offer alcohol on board, but I don't know if all the airlines that fly from the Maldives don't offer alcohol until you are at altitude.
Also before takeoff, the menu was distributed. Shortly thereafter, lunch orders were taken from a portion of the business passengers; the others had to wait until they were aloft.
I, for example, had my table set before I had even ordered food.
The chef aboard a Turksih flight.
Small side note. On board Austrian's long-haul aircraft there used to be an on-board chef, one of the few airlines along with Turkish to offer this service. This service was suspended during the covid and will now be reactivated in the coming months.
No posttakeoff drinks or small snacks were served, but went directly to the hot towel lunch service. And here came the surprises.
Serving is done by the trolley, just like in the old days, with plates in sight!!!
At first they pass by with the classic beverage cart, but then everything changes.
Appetizer and dessert is served as in the 1970s, as in the faded photos that occasionally surface in newspaper articles.
Cart with perfectly prepared dishes and the passenger choosing based on what he sees as well as what he reads on the menu. I tried the meat carpaccio, good. The alternatives were salmon or a mini caesar salad designed for children. For the main course I chose shrimp with curry, really good.
When the dessert cart arrived I was going to get everything from cheese to fruit and of course the two pies, but in the end I held back and opted for fresh fruit and a slice of pie.
To end on a high note, the special coffee menu was distributed and I treated myself to a coffee with cream. What a nice touch.
The flight takes almost 10 hours, so about 90 minutes before landing a light dinner was served. There were two choices: pasta with mushrooms or sausage tasting with tater tots and sauerkraut.
I did not pass up the opportunity to have a typical Austrian dish with a beer as a fitting conclusion to this flight.
A small pantry was set up between the two business booths. The offerings were just some soft drinks and snacks, but better than nothing.
In conclusion
The service as in the old days is worth the ticket price alone. Very few airlines offer this type of service, but there are also carriers in business that serve lunch in a single tray with everything in it. Sure, the plates are porcelain, but the feeling is like being in economy. In contrast, if you are sitting on the throne you feel like a king with this treatment.
I was completely satisfied with the gastronomic offerings, and "the throne" allows one to travel in total comfort and freedom of movement. On balance, this ticket cost me 700€, including even the flights back to Nice where I left the car. It's just too bad that this configuration has no privacy barriers: you are all in sight, no one excluded.
Disappointment about the courtesy kit and headphones. The former is not fixable, the latter you just have to bring your own headphones, but mine were in service unfortunately. There is no wi-fi and no personal air vents either.
Pro
- The service
- The chair
- The crew
Against
- No wifi
- No privacy