Austrian Airlines Business Class Review: Vienna to Boston on Boeing 767-300

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Booking Austrian Airlines Business Class Using Aeroplan Points

After the Eurovision competition, I flew back to Toronto (YYZ) on Austrian Airlines Business Class via Boston (BOS). The main flight was a 9-hour, 10-minute journey on Austrian Airlines’ Boeing 767-300, followed by a five-hour layover in Boston before my final leg to Toronto on Air Canada. The entire journey cost me 106,800 Aeroplan points + $143 CAD in taxes. A redemption for 70,000 Aeroplan points was also available, though that would have meant spending the night in Boston.

This would be my first long-haul Business Class experience on Austrian Airlines, and while the journey started with a few inconveniences, the onboard experience was certainly worth the wait.

Getting to Vienna Airport (VIE) by Public Transit

Vienna has a good public transit system, making it relatively easy to get to the airport. Since I already had a weekly transit pass, the additional cost to reach Vienna Airport was only €2.60, as the airport is located beyond the city limits covered by the weekly pass. For comparison, an Uber from downtown Vienna would have cost approximately €40–€50.

Flying out of Terminal 3 required an additional 15-minute walk after the train arrived, as the train station is closer to Terminal 1.

Austrian Airlines Business Class Review: Check-In and Boarding at Vienna Airport

Austrian Airlines has a dedicated Business Class check-in service, with both a dedicated ticket agent and bag drop. Having a Business Class ticket also gave me access to the fast-track security line.

 

After clearing security, it was a short walk to the D Gates, where my flight was originally scheduled to depart. I popped into the Austrian Airlines Business Class Lounge located next to Gate D29 before my flight.

Unfortunately, about half an hour before boarding, the departure gate was changed from the D Gates to the G Gates. This required a walk of over 20 minutes to reach the newly assigned gate. Once I finally arrived, there was yet another announcement that the flight was delayed. Unfortunately, the delay had not been communicated through the Austrian Airlines app. Not exactly the smoothest start to my journey!

Austrian Airlines Business Class Review – Seats on 767-300

Once boarding started, I made my way to my seat. A blanket and pillow were waiting at the seat, while the amenity kit sat in the front compartment alongside the emergency instructions.

I chose seat 1K, a bulkhead window seat with direct aisle access, because it provided a little more legroom when sleeping. The Business Class cabin on the Boeing 767-300 had a 1-2-1 seating configuration.

My seat was dark grey with a red headrest. To the left of my seat were the seat controls, including a massage feature, though I couldn’t feel anything even after using the controls multiple times. To the left of the seat controls was additional space for placing drinks and food.

The fold-out meal tray was located below the controls. To release it, I had to press a button on my left, which ejected the tray. Getting the tray back inside, however, was another story. It practically required a PhD to figure out how to put it away, and I eventually needed the cabin crew to help me. And here I thought I was such a frequent flyer that I could figure that out!

Above my left shoulder were the charging stations, headphone jack and reading light. One issue worth mentioning: the charging station at my seat wasn’t working. I tried multiple cables, but none worked.

To the right of the TV monitor was a compartment containing the noise-cancelling headphones and safety instructions. Beside that was another small storage area suitable for a water bottle. Lastly, a leather compartment below the television screen provided additional storage.

Overall, the space around the seat was clean, and nothing appeared broken or in need of maintenance. There was also enough storage space for my personal belongings. The one minor drawback of this bulkhead window seat was that the entrance space was a little tighter than the middle aisle seats. Still, that’s a minor inconvenience for a throne-style window seat with plenty of legroom!

Austrian Airlines Business Class Amenity Kit

The onboard amenity kit was an orange-coloured, limited-edition kit by the Museum of Applied Arts, designed by Austrian artist Dagobert Peche. Inside were socks, an eye mask, a toothbrush and toothpaste tablets. The case itself felt a little cheap, given that it was made of fabric rather than leather. However, I did like the orange colours and design.

No slippers or pyjamas were provided.

Austrian Airlines Business Class Food and Dining Experience

One area where Austrian Airlines really impressed me was the onboard meal service. Within ten minutes of boarding, before takeoff, we were offered sparkling water or sparkling wine, along with a bowl of salty crackers and pretzels.

A flight crew member dressed like a chef, complete with a chef’s hat, came by to confirm my pre-ordered meal and ask what I would like for my second meal before landing. A nice touch! 👌🏾

The meal began with an amuse-bouche of a salmon-and-cream-cheese finger sandwich. For my appetizer, I chose fresh sheep’s cheese with red and golden beetroot and avocado cream. All three flavours of the cheese, beetroot and avocado blended perfectly. Next came a truffled celery soup with croutons. The croutons were still crunchy, and the soup was piping hot.

For my main course, I had pre-ordered the seared veal medallions with sweet corn purée and sweet peas. Another good dish! The two veal medallions were cooked well done and soaked up the sweet corn purée.

For dessert, I chose both the white chocolate mousse with mango and the cheese board. The cheese selection included Camembert, mountain cheese and mild blue cheese, served with grapes and walnuts. Both were excellent selections and paired nicely with Austrian Airlines’ dessert wine and Austria’s famous Mozart chocolate liqueur.

Lastly, they served coffee and tea with a chocolate marzipan ball.

 

Approximately 90 minutes before landing, the second meal service began. It started with an energy shot made with apple, lime, mint and ginger. For my main, I chose the pasta with short rib Bolognese ragout. The pasta came with a salad with feta cheese and a chocolate mousse cake with a crunchy outside and a delicious, creamy centre. The salad was pretty plain and dull. However, the pasta with beef short rib and the dessert were excellent!!

I ended the meal with an Austrian classic, Kaffee Mozart, made with espresso, whipped cream, chocolate shavings and topped with Mozart chocolate liqueur.

Austrian Airlines Business Class Review: Takeaway and Rating

The journey certainly did not start out the best. Having our gate changed less than half an hour before boarding to another gate more than a 20-minute walk away was inconvenient. The delay not being communicated through the Austrian Airlines app was another disappointment.

However, once onboard, the experience changed considerably. From the welcome beverage to the added touch of having a crew member dressed like a chef confirm our meal selections, Austrian Airlines paid attention to the smaller details. The head cabin crew member personally welcomed us onboard, checked whether we had questions, and wished us a pleasant flight, which added a nice personal touch.

These little things made my maiden Austrian Airlines long-haul Business Class journey enjoyable.

My Austrian Airlines Business Class rating: A strong 8/10.

Second Leg: Connecting Between Terminal E and Terminal B at Boston Logan

The final leg of my journey was an Air Canada flight from Boston (BOS) to Toronto (YYZ) on an Airbus A220. While the flight itself was relatively uneventful, the connection through Boston Logan Airport was anything but!

I’ve flown through multiple US airports before, and picking up and rechecking luggage when connecting back to Canada has usually been seamless. Unfortunately, that was not my experience at Boston Logan Airport. After landing in Terminal E, I picked up my luggage and followed the signs marked “recheck luggage.” This was approximately a five-minute walk. I was directed to a counter, but none of the counters there would recheck my Air Canada luggage. I was then told that I needed to go from Terminal E to Terminal B, where Air Canada’s check-in counters were located. That meant taking an airport bus unless I wanted to walk for approximately half an hour.

Once I finally arrived at the Air Canada check-in counter in Terminal B, I asked the agent whether there was an easier way to handle my luggage instead of bringing it with me on the airport bus.

The agent explained that I could have rechecked my luggage at the Lufthansa/Austrian/Swiss desk in Terminal E, which I had obviously missed after collecting my bag. However, he also mentioned that a separate company handled luggage at that counter. Apparently, there were instances when Air Canada didn’t receive passengers’ luggage during a short layover. He suggested that bringing your luggage yourself from one terminal to the other was the better option. Quite the process!

Air Canada Airbus A220: Boston to Toronto

Once I finally made it to the Air Canada check-in counter, the rest was easy. Check-in and boarding for the Air Canada flight went smoothly. I also visited the United Club lounge, about a ten-minute walk from the departure gate. The flight itself was short and uneventful, taking less than two hours. Everything went smoothly onboard. The in-flight meal was a grilled cheese sandwich.

After the frustrating airport transfer process, it was nice to have a straightforward flight back to Toronto.

Is Boston Logan a Good Airport for Connecting to Air Canada?

If there’s one tip I can give from my flight back home, it’s to avoid connecting through Boston Logan Airport if you’re arriving internationally at Terminal E and connecting to an Air Canada flight departing from Terminal B. The luggage collection, terminal transfer and rechecking process can take up to an hour. Depending on how you choose to transfer, you’ll need to take an airport bus or walk for more than 30 minutes.

Austrian Airlines doesn’t operate direct flights to Toronto (YYZ), but it does fly to Montreal (YUL), so that’s another option to consider when planning your redemption.

My Rating for the Boston–Toronto Connection: 3/10

I’m giving the final leg of this journey 3/10, mainly because the transfer process at Boston Logan was so inconvenient. Even Boston airport staff told me the airport could have been designed better to give passengers a smoother transit experience. The Air Canada flight itself was a breeze once I finally got to the check-in desk.

Unfortunately, getting from my arriving Austrian Airlines flight to my departing Air Canada flight detracted from what had otherwise been a very enjoyable journey back from Vienna.

Gute Reise! ✈️