Austrian Airlines B767-300ER ✈ B777-200ER J

Background: Due to COVID-19 and the related rules and restrictions on travel, I had not been out of the country for two years. But then in January, Ireland dropped most COVID rules and restrictions, and I had immediately gone on a trip to Dublin! Then England followed suit and dropped most rules as well, so I decided it was also time to go on a trip to London! And even better, just two days before my planned arrival, England dropped every last rule, even masks on transportation and the necessity to show a vaccine credential to enter the country.

My flight itinerary for this trip was another which fortunately survived the last two years: the old 767 and 777 of Austrian Airlines. I had never flown Austrian before, and was interested in trying both of their longhaul types. And the itinerary also got me on their European service on the A320. I am always interested in trying new airlines, both longhaul and within Europe, so I was happy to set up my trip flying Austrian. My itinerary was IAD-VIE on the B767-300ER connecting to VIE-LHR on the A320. Returning I had the A320 connecting to the B777-200ER.

I love to go to London, so I was super excited when England removed their restrictions so I could get out of the country for another international trip. Please enjoy these reports on Austrian's 767 and 777, and I look forward to your comments.

IAD-VIE
Austrian OS94
Departure: 19:05 (actual 19:11)
Arrival: 08:45+1 (actual 08:46+1)
Actual Block Time: 8h35
Actual Flight Time: 8h18
Seat: 5K Business Class
Boeing 767-300ER

Austrian currently operates to JFK, EWR, ORD, and IAD in the US, but these routes are not operated daily. On my day of departure they were only operating JFK and IAD: JFK with the 777 and IAD with the 767. So to catch the 767 meant to go down to Washington, a bit less convenient than a New York airport. I've flown through IAD several times, but never originated there.

I rode Amtrak Acela No. 2251 from Metropark, NJ to Washington Union Station. This train had originated in Boston. The train departed on-time from Metropark Track 4 at 12:29. Intermediate stops included Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, and BWI. The train arrived on-time to Washington Track 18 at 15:03. I then proceeded to ride the Washington Metro red line from Union Station to Metro Center, connecting to the silver line to Wiehle Reston East, and finally connecting to the SL1 express bus to IAD. I got to IAD at 16:35, making for a journey time of about 1.5h from Union Station. It was a pretty straightforward journey, just longer than I feel it should be to get from the city center to the international airport. To go from Manhattan to JFK, or Chicago to ORD are both about 1h by comparison.

Amtrak Acela:



Acela business class seating:





After arriving to the beautiful, iconic IAD check-in hall, I quickly found the check-in area for Lufthansa and Austrian. The economy check-in queue was full, but there was only a short line for business class. I was easily checked-in through to London. The agent quickly reviewed my COVID vaccine card, although I didn't think that that was necessary anymore for England. Two days before my trip the last few remaining COVID related rules were dropped in England, including passenger locator forms, masks in airports, and tests for unvaccinated, meaning that vaccine credentials are no longer really needed. Nevertheless it was a quick and easy check-in and, like last time, nothing to worry about traveling during covid. I was given cardstock boarding passes for both segments on Lufthansa group card stock, with Lufthansa, Swiss, and Austrian branding.

IAD check-in hall:



Precheck security had no line, and I was airside by 16:55. Boarding for my flight was due to begin at 18:25, and my departure time was 19:05. Immediately upon clearing security I got my first glimpse of my waiting Austrian 767. My plane today was OE-LAE, one of only three remaining Austrian 767s, Austrian having retired half of their 767 fleet due to the pandemic. OE-LAE began its career in 2000 flying for Lauda Air. In 2005 when Lauda Air merged with Austrian, she began operating for Austrian.



I headed to the Lufthansa lounge, adjacent to the Lufthansa and Austrian gates. It was extremely full; I think I got the very last seat. Boarding was to take place directly from the lounge.

At the gate in IAD:





I was very excited to fly a new longhaul airline today, followed by a new airline within Europe, including both of Austrian's longhaul aircraft types, 767 and 777, and then the Austrian A320. I was also very excited for my second trip out of the country, having went to Ireland at the end of January with the Swiss A340 and Edelweiss A340, and the Swiss A320. I was fortunate and happy to have been able to catch my first two desired flights after all the pandemic aircraft requirements.

I had about an hour and a half in the lounge, and it was nice to relax there after my very long trek to IAD. Boarding was announced on-time in the lounge, and as promised, the lounge agent scanned boarding passes so passengers could go from the lounge directly into the jetbridge to Door L1. There was no need to leave the lounge and go to the gate. I thought that was really nice, and the first time I've personally experienced that. Boarding from the gate led to a separate jetbridge to Door L2. It was also nice to have two jetbridges.

When I boarded my Austrian 767, I was directed to the second aisle back to my seat 5K, a solo window seat. Austrian 767s have 1-2-1 business class seating in a staggered setup. The solo seats in the odd rows are adjacent to the window, with a large table next to the aisle. Even rows have the seat adjacent to the aisle and the table next to the window. Having flown this style seat before, in both the solo seat adjacent to the aisle, and in the solo seat adjacent to the window, I much prefer to be adjacent to the window with the table next to the aisle, as that setup provides for a much better feeling of privacy. My choice 5K today was just that.

Seat 5K:







A 767 is not as wide as more modern widebody jets, so my seat was right up against the cabin wall with no extra space to the side. Nevertheless I found it very roomy, with good legroom and good seat width. The footwell seemed to be a good size, and not so overly enclosed like some I've experienced recently, for example the throne seat on the Swiss A340. In that one I couldn't even bend my legs. That should be less of a problem here.

I was happy to be on Austrian today, trying a new airline and on their old 767. The cabin was in very good condition, clean and modern, and I liked the red accent color. The seat was a very nice flatbed business class seat, and all seats on the 767 had access to the aisle. The 1-2-1 layout is good for couples or those traveling solo. I had a nice high-resolution touchscreen, not enabled on the ground. There were no overhead vents, but so far it was nice and cool onboard. And there was plenty of overhead space; I had my own compartment all to myself. The seat had a pillow, blanket and amenity kit. Settling in, it was quite a comfortable seat, and now I was really looking forward to the Austrian experience, happy to have gotten the 767 today.

Legroom/footwell:



Seat controls:



Safety card:



Business class seat guide:



Welcome screen:





Pre-departure beverages of water or orange juice were offered, so I took an orange juice. Next, menus were distributed. To be honest I wasn't really sure what to expect from Austrian, other than the aircraft type and the general type of seat. The menu looked really good. First of all there were three Austrian-made beers; I was pleasantly surprised to find that many. Also a surprise, hot breakfast would be served in the morning, with two choices. My recent overnight Swiss flight, my overnight Eurowings flight, and my two overnight Lufthansa flights did not have hot breakfast, so I hadn't been expecting it on Austrian either. Then they have the Vienna Coffee House Above the Clouds specialty coffee menu. So far it all seemed very good!

The view from 5K:



Flight attendants began taking meal orders, front-to-back in the first aisle and then on my aisle; unfortunately they ran out of the beef entrée Fillet of Beef with BBQ jus, cauliflower mash and sautéed vegetables. Instead I decided to go with the chicken entree Spring Chicken Saltimbocca with prosciutto/thyme jus, polenta spinach crespelle and turned zucchini. There were two options for the starter, and my choice was the potpourri of smoked salmon. The three Austrian made-beers were Gösser Märzen, Egger Märzen, and Ottakringer Helles. They also had an Austrian Rosé sparking wine, three Austrian white wines, two Austrian red wines, and an Austrian dessert wine. There was also a French champagne, an Italian prosecco, and a Spanish red.

The captain's announcement introduced himself and the first officer, and advised that we were almost ready to go. The purser's announcement welcomed us onboard our sieben-sechs-sieben dreihundert Austrian Star Alliance flight to Vienna. Our flight time was to be 8h05. Pushback occurred at 19:11. The safety video was played on the entertainment screens, first in German with German subtitles, then a second time in English with Chinese subtitles. Once the safety videos were done the in-flight entertainment system was switched on. The load in business class was 25/26.

The iconic main terminal at IAD after pushback:



Our takeoff runway was 30, and after a Virgin Atlantic 787, a TAP Portugal A321neo, and a United Express CRJ, it was our turn to takeoff at 19:25. It was a pretty good takeoff actually, with good engine noise and pushback into the seat, sustained for the whole takeoff roll. After takeoff there was an announcement to explain service, beginning with dinner followed by duty free, and then 1.5h before landing, breakfast service. As always I was very much enjoying listening to all the German being spoken. It was now time to recline into relax mode, stretch out into the footwell and start a movie: Stillwater with Matt Damon. I took out the Austrian-branded headphones which had a little note on how to activate the noise-suppression feature. The movie started with a splash screen saying "Austrian presents..." - I thought that was a nice little touch. I also liked the blue accent light in the footwell, and it was a a massage chair, too.

After takeoff:



We flew right over JFK as the starter/beverage service began. But first, hot towels. To drink, I selected the Austrian Rosé sparkling wine: Schlumberger Klassik Brut Rosé from Vienna. Verführt mit zarter Frucht und feiner Eleganz. Der charmante Sparkling. Nach der "Méthode Traditionnelle" aus rein österreichischen Trauben hergestellt. My salmon starter, salmon three ways (smoked and two varieties of raw), was a really nice starter, and I liked the unique triangular plates. I liked the Austrian sparkling wine as well, and was happy to try Austrian items on Austrian Airlines.

At the start of dinner service:



Austrian sparkling wine:



Starter:



The service was very attentive, with beverage and bread refills as the starters were finished. Then the entrée was served, chicken with polenta and vegetables plus a little salad, again on triangular plates. The entrée was excellent. It was perfectly cooked and flavorful, with lots of fresh thyme. I am not historically a fan of polenta, but I liked it here. I have to say it was definitely one of my best airline meals. Austrian was really turning out to be top of the line!

Entrée:



A different flight attendant came by to offer a late-evening coffee from the special coffee menu. I love trying any special offerings on a flight, but I never drink coffee, or really any caffeine at all. He advised that any of the coffees could be made with decaf, and also that the special coffees would not be available in the morning. I decided to go for it then, but not being a coffee drinker, I asked for his recommendation. His recommendation was the Wiener Melange - the classic Melange contains hot milk, foamed milk and black coffee. I was told it's very Austrian - well, say no more, that's what I'll try. I was actually looking forward to something totally new in trying a late evening Austrian coffee.

The dessert cart was brought out. On offer were chocolate chip ice cream, profiterole with chocolate sauce, fresh fruit, or a cheese plate, plus the Austrian dessert wine. I went with the chocolate chip ice cream, and yes, I was definitely going to try the Austrian dessert wine - Burgenland Beerenauslese Cuvée 2018 - from Weinlaubenhof Kracher Austria, a dessert wine which is a blend of Chardonnay and Welschriesling. It was an interesting white dessert wine; sweet, but much less sweet than a port wine for example; overall I thought it had a unique taste. I was happy to have tried an Austrian dessert wine for the first time. The dessert cart finished its rounds and as it was heading back to the galley, I took the opportunity to ask for the profiterole as well.

Desserts:



The ice cream and the profiterole were both excellent. As it turns out, profiterole is a cream-filled pastry with chocolate icing. They were very good desserts, and the Austrian coffee was perfectly timed to come out right after dessert. I have to say that the coffee was really nice. I'm glad to try new things on flights, particularly local offerings, in this case specialty Austrian coffee. It had a good, strong coffee taste, but without any harshness, but not sweet, and not milky like some coffee drinks sometimes are.

Specialty coffee:



Looking out the window, I saw nothing but a full moon. I reflected on how this was really a great flight so far; it looks like Austrian might become one of my top business class flights. Bottled water was distributed to conclude service. Meal service had taken roughly an hour and a half; honestly it seemed like longer, as it was an unrushed experience in multiple courses, a really nice service, yet didn't take overly long either.

I took a restroom break; there were two lavatories at the front of the left aisle. The lavatory had a supply of Austrian-branded combs, toothbrushes and razors. I liked all the Austrian branding.

It was time to relax and watch my movie. And I was still enjoying the view outside of the full moon.

By 22:15 I started getting pretty tired. We had about 5.5h left, so I decided to discontinue watching the movie and instead try to get some sleep. I slept until 02:00, so just under 4h of sleep. I have to say the Austrian 767 was very good for sleeping. First of all it was so nice and cool in the cabin that I could actually make use of the blanket, a nice surprise, especially considering there were no individual vents. Perhaps even more importantly, the bed was very comfortable. It was long enough for me, and the footwell was big and roomy. There was enough room to lie on my back or side facing any direction. Almost 4h of sleep isn't so bad, and I think it should be enough to not be jetlagged. I usually prefer an overnight flight of 5,000 miles or more, which this flight was not, so it would have been even better if the flight were a little longer, but Austrian has limited, non-daily routes, and this was more than enough. I do hear they are planning to restart service all the way to LAX, which would be a great long flight, albeit with the 777 - I'll see how the 777 is on my flight later in the trip. Upon waking up we were just flying into continental Europe, and we had over 1.5h to go. It was a nice sunny day outside.



Breakfast service began with hot towels and then an offer of water or orange juice, and then the breakfast trolley was brought out. Two hot choices were California-style omelette with potatoes, sautéed mushrooms and herbed tomato or Scrambled Eggs with turkey ham and oven-roasted tomato. And of course coffee, tea, and other juices. I selected the omelette, which was served with fresh fruit and yogurt. I also got a cup of hot tea. The bread basket followed, and I got a croissant. I had only just started eating when another trolley was brought out with bowls of oatmeal and meat & cheese plates. And then the bread basket again. That was really quite a great breakfast offering, especially considering the flight wasn't incredibly long. And just like dinner, the food was very good. Even the fruit was all perfect. Meal service on Austrian is really top of the line! After breakfast we had about an hour to go, and we were flying past Frankfurt, Germany.

Breakfast:



The flight attendant made an announcement about COVID paperwork requirements to enter Austria, but there was nothing required for transit passengers. The captain made an announcement when we were 40 minutes from arrival, and said the weather was just above freezing. I finished Stillwater. It was time for the cabin prep announcement as we entered Austrian airspace.

Almost there:



Our routing:







Our landing occurred at 03:43. Meine Damen und Herren, Herzlich Willkommen in der schönsten Stadt der Welt! Welcome to the most beautiful city in the world, Vienna. We parked at the gate at 03:46, or 08:46 local time.

At the gate in VIE:





Arriving from non-Schengen USA and connecting to non-Schengen UK, there was no need to enter the country of Austria, and I could complete the connection by staying airside. From non-Schengen arrivals, I ascended one level to the G concourse, non-Schengen departures, making for what is possibly my easiest international connection ever. OE-LAE was now going to operate OS65 to ORD. Also operating today were IAD on a 767 and EWR on a 777.

Departing as OS65 to ORD:



I really liked Austrian. Their B767-300ER seat was perhaps typical, also being found on Delta's B767-300ER for example, but I found it very comfortable and it provided a good sleep. I also really liked the Austrian service. Dinner was served as three separate courses, starter, main, and dessert, which is a high-class service. In fact I think it was one of my top airplane meals. I loved all the Austrian offerings, such as all the Austrian wines and beers, in fact I didn't even have a chance to try the beers yet - I will definitely be doing that on my Austrian 777 flight - plus the special Austrian coffees. Trying the Austrian coffee was very fun. And then the abundant hot breakfast was also really nice. Service was attentive, friendly and helpful. Going forward I think I'll be recommending Austrian, and I was now definitely excited for my connecting flight and trying their shorthaul European service on the A320 to LHR. And then another A320 when it's time to leave London, and finally their 777.

VIE-CUN
Austrian OS95
Departure: 10:40 (actual 10:57)
Arrival: 16:10 (actual 16:00)
Actual Block Time: 12h3
Actual Flight Time: 11h24
Seat: 1K Business Class
Boeing 777-200ER

My day began in London on the 06:00 departure of OS458, a two-hour A320 flight LHR-VIE. I arrived into VIE five minutes early, and transfered to the G concourse for my gate G11. I was there by 09:25; boarding was set for 09:40 and departure for 10:40, that's a full hour for boarding. The connection worked very well, but I didn't have time to stop by the Austrian lounge before my flight.

At the gate in VIE:









My plane painted on the wall in the terminal:



I also spotted my B767-300ER, OE-LAE, getting ready to operate OS93 to IAD:



My Austrian 777 was OE-LPF. This B777-200ER began life in 2001 in Brazil flying for now-defunct Varig as PP-VRB. She joined Aeromexico in 2007 as N776AM. She has been flying for Austrian since 2018.

Boarding was finally called at 10:15; since it was so late to begin, the entire gate area was packed full of people. I had not chosen to wait in line all that time, so I was unable to board with business class, rather I just joined the queue and eventually was able to board. Despite having photographed my plane with two jetbridges attached to the first and second doors, now there was only one jetbridge attached to the second door, the first jetbridge had since been removed. So I boarded through the second door, turned left into the main business class cabin, and up to the front row for my seat 1K. Austrian 777s have 1-2-1 seating on the odd rows, and then 2-2-2 seating on the even rows, with five rows between doors 1 and 2, and a further sixth row aft of the second door. Unlike on the 767 where solo seats are free to reserve, all solo seats on the 777 are at an additional charge, and are branded as Austrian Privacy Seats.

Seat 1K:







Initial impressions of my Austrian Privacy Seat were that it is huge and very spacious. Legroom up to the bulkhead was very generous, and the footwell, within the bulkhead, was very large. The seat itself was wide, too. I had two very large tables on either side of the seat. There was a pillow, blanket, amenity kit and headphones, and right after I arrived, menus were distributed. Having recently flown the Swiss and Edelweiss A340s, which have a similar style of solo seat, I was amazed at how spacious the seat on the Austrian 777 was by comparison. And the aisles as well. I guess this is attributable to the large size of a 777. In any case I was very happy and impressed with my seat. It was definitely going to make for a really great, comfortable flight. It was the largest and most spacious seat of this style that I've ever had.

Legroom/footwell:



Footwell detail:



Safety card:



The other side of the business class seat guide:



Welcome screen:



Pre-departure drinks, either orange juice, water, or champagne, offered. I selected champagne to toast my longhaul Austrian 777 flight in this excellent seat. The captain's announcement welcomed us onboard this Boeing sieben-sieben-sieben. He introduced himself and the other two pilots as well. Despite the late boarding, he expected an on-time or early arrival due to shorter than normal flight time today. The purser's welcome announcement advised a flight time of 11h05. "Remember you have booked a flight with Austrian, so it is mandatory to wear an FFP2 mask onboard." The load in the main business class cabin was 33/34.

A flight attendant arrived to ask for my choice of main course, again a really nice, friendly flight attendant on Austrian. He even commented that I had a very nice seat!

Despite getting only a little sleep, as my origin flight had departed LHR at 06:00, plus it was the day the UK set the clocks an hour ahead for daylight saving time, I was now feeling awake, and, considering the quality of this seat, very excited for this flight. Super-long non-overnight flights can be a bit tough, but I was really looking forward to this flight today, and I really liked my seat.

Pushback was late, as expected, at 10:57 - I had actually expected later. The safety video was played on the screens, first in German, then a second time in English. Takeoff was from Runway 29 at 11:10. I enjoyed good engine noise and pushback into the seat; we started out very slow, but ended up quite fast, with a smooth liftoff. It was a good 777 takeoff. After takeoff, the map was showing 11h20 remaining, meaning an arrival roughly 40 minutes early.

We're on our way...



...and we have a long way to go



I checked out the entertainment on offer on my screen, but decided to wait until after the meal service to start a movie. Mexican immigration forms were distributed along with Austrian-branded pens. And then an offer of hot towels began the service.

First a trolley consisting solely of bottles of the Schlumberger Austrian Sparkling Rosé were brought out to the cabin - as the flight attendant put it, it's a good way to start your holiday! Sounds good to me, I had liked it last time, and it was a good way to begin my flight today with Austrian sparkling wine.

Austrian sparkling wine began the service:



About 45 minutes into the flight, the meal service began with the starter and the offer of a drink. Having been impressed on my prior Austrian 767 flight by the availability of not one, not two, but three Austrian-made beers, but having not tried any of them on that flight, my objective for my flight today was naturally to try all three: Gösser Märzen, Egger Märzen, and Ottakringer Helles. My first will be Gösser Märzen - Gösser: Brautradition seit 1860 - 100% Österreichische Rohstoffe - Gut Besser Gösser. The beer was very enjoyable, and in fact so was the starter. It was unique and actually had really good flavor. The starter was broccoli and chickpea salad.

Starter:



Austrian beer #1:



Entrées were served next. My entrée was Traditional "Backhendl" - deep fried chicken with parsley potatoes and creamy cucumber salad. The fried chicken was actually quite good, well-cooked with good flavor, plus I thought it was a unique entrée choice. My next beer was Egger Märzen - Goldgelbe Farbe. Bester Hopfen ays der Hallertau und dem Mühlviertel. Traditionell gebraut nach dem Reinheitsgebot von 1516. Und vielfach ausgezeichnet. Unser Egger Märzen - harmonischer biergenuss. From Privatbeauerei Egger - Biergenuss aus Österreich.

Entrée:



Austrian beer #2:



At this point, expecting dessert following by a perfectly-timed coffee like on my 767 flight, I checked out the specialty coffee menu. Welcome to the Vienna coffee house above the clouds! "Accompany us today into the aromatic world of an unusual coffee house above the clouds. Enjoy the highest-quality coffee with a very Austrian flair!" My choice today was a Grosser Brauner - delicious black coffee, rounded off with fresh coffee cream, served in a large cup.

Dessert was raspberry jelly along with fruit and cheese. The raspberry jelly was actually really good, and again unique; it exceeded my expectations and I really liked it. I was still watching the flight map. I always take note when the speed exceeds 1,000 km/h. We'd been steadily increasing speed up to 965 km/h, which is really fast, considering we were flying west across the Atlantic, that is, against the Jetstream. I guess that's why we were now anticipating arriving over 40 minutes early, despite being 20 minutes late on departure. Hopefully we can take full advantage of the early arrival, unlike my early arrival on Edelweiss, where we had to sit on the ground for 40 minutes for a gate to open up.

Dessert:



Specialty coffee:



It was a really good meal service, with four flight attendants serving me - some speaking to me in German and some in English. I liked the unique offerings, the Austrian touches, and the after-meal coffee service. Once everything was done, water bottles were delivered to everyone.

The meal service had used up about 2.5h of the flight. Our routing out of Europe took us over Frankfurt, Brussels, and London before we began the transatlantic crossing. We were now past Ireland with under 9h to go. My first movie was Bekenntnisse des Hochstaplers Felix Krull, or, The Confessions of Felix Krull, a German-language movie. It lasted until we had 7h to go. Around that time, a midflight snack of chocolate truffles was served.

Midflight snack:



I decided to take a nap. I rested for three hours. I found the bed to be very comfortable, particularly the extra-large footwell, and it offered a good length. I don't think I can label it a nap, though, due to a family with some loud children making up the rest of row 1, plus some patches of turbulence, but it was a good rest which passed the time quite well. We now had 4h to go, having just entered US airspace in the state of Maine.

My next movie was Neighbors. It finished with 2h15 to go. At 2h to go, the cabin started to smell very good, as the pre-arrival meals were prepared. Soon enough, hot towels were brought out to start service.

Pre-arrival meals were served with 1h45 to go. The meal included Veal Patties with mashed potatoes, sautéed vegetables, and a garden fresh salad. To drink, I selected the final Austrian beer, Ottakringer Helles. Ottakringer Helles - Ausgewogen. Ehrlich. - Wiens Brauerei seit 1837. It was another excellent Austrian Airlines meal. It was delicious, and a unique offering, and I love the presentation on the triangular dishes. Coffee was offered after the meal, just standard black coffee, not specialty coffee this time, but why not, I'd enjoyed the coffees on Austrian thus far so I went for one now, too. And dessert, double chocolate cake, a triangular slice to fit its triangular dish, was excellent and a great end to the meal along with the coffee.

Pre-arrival meal:



Austrian beer #3:



In conclusion, one last Gösser while I relax for the last 1h15 of the flight. Despite 84 movies on offer, there was not actually that much to interest me, so I decided to switch to the music section of the entertainment system. I listened to My Name Is Bond album: Energetic and driving music fit for a James Bond movie yet to be filmed. A touch of quirky sophistication could with vibrant action and adventurous flair performed on electric guitars, drums, trumpets and orchestra - epic! It was actually really good to listen to.

Our routing:



We had taken a very different routing than the Edelweiss A340. Edelweiss had cut across the ocean further from land, beginning the transatlantic crossing right after leaving France, proceeding straight to the Caribbean, over Havana, to Cancun. Austrian flew a very northerly route into Canada, then the US, flying above land all the way down to Cancun.

Routing comparison from Flightaware.com:



With 30 minutess to go, it was time for the cabin to be prepared for landing. The captain announced that we were flying in a holding pattern, but the weather was excellent and 27 degrees.

The Mexican coast:



Landing came at 22:34. We left the runway and headed to a taxiway to park and wait for our gate to become available, just like last time on Edelweiss. Also like last time, no estimate was given for how long the wait was going to be.

Notable aircraft sightings in CUN included a Belgian-registered TUI Dreamliner and also a British-registered TUI Dreamliner, a LATAM Dreamliner, and a WestJet Dreamliner for whom we had to wait several minutes as they pushed back, in order to park at their recently-vacated gate. We arrived at the gate at 23:00, or 16:00 local time, 10 minutes early.

At the gate in CUN:



I was happy to find only short lines for passport control; in fact deboarding from the plane, waiting and clearing immigration took less than 20 minutes from our parking time. I even beat the checked bags to the baggage claim. All in all, 45 minutes gate to immigration to baggage claim through customs and landside. Pretty painless.

This had been my fifth-longest flight ever, my third-longest on only two engines, and my fourth-longest non-overnight flight. And also one of my top flights, for quality of seat, quality of service, and quality of food. Every part of every meal was simply excellent - flavorful, delicious, and well-cooked. I really liked the friendly service, and I really enjoyed the Austrian touches, Austrian wines, Austrian sparkling wine, Austrian beers, Austrian coffees, and the unique Austrian food offerings. And while I did like their 767 seat, their 777 seats are really top of the line. I am very glad I tried Austrian longhaul, catching both the 767 and the 777, as well as Austrian's European service on the A320. I think they are now one of my new favorite airlines.

Boarding was announced on-time in the lounge, and as promised, the lounge agent scanned boarding passes so passengers could go from the lounge directly into the jetbridge to Door L1. There was no need to leave the lounge and go to the gate. I thought that was really nice, and the first time I've personally experienced that. Boarding from the gate led to a separate jetbridge to Door L2. It was also nice to have two jetbridges.

Since when does an OS B767 feature a door L2?! L2 on the B767 are overwing exits...

Yes you're right! Hmm I guess the separate bridge from the gate joined into the bridge from the lounge later on? I guess I didn't pay enough attention.

Such an awesome and unique trip report and wonderful to read. Thanks for sharing it.

Flew Austrian twice. Both in and out of JFK. Once to Vienna on the 767-300ER and once back on the 777-200ER. I found the service and catering in their premium cabin top notch and a cut above. The seat felt narrow on the 767 but that was really my only issue. Amazing that these 76s and 77s are pushing the 30 year mark. Austrian is a wonderful airline that I think struggles to find profitability, even before COVID. It will be interesting to see what plane they eventually select to replace these birds and how the experience will be further enhanced.

debonair wrote:

Since when does an OS B767 feature a door L2?! L2 on the B767 are overwing exits...

Not all, OE-LAX (orog. Lauda) has 3 main + one over-wing hatch. I think BA's all had 3 proper doors on each side.

tjcab wrote:

Not all, OE-LAX (orog. Lauda) has 3 main + one over-wing hatch. I think BA's all had 3 proper doors on each side.

True, thank you! Totally forgotten OE-LAX. Guess my brain ereased the frame after sale to Kalitta Air...