Finally, I’m getting to the heart of my stay in Croatia with the Austrian flight to Vienna, a stopover on the way to Split. This business class flight will be operated by Austrian using an A320.

Before going any further, a quick reminder of the articles linked to this trip:

Booking

For this flight, I chose the best value for money, since Austrian offered me a Paris-Split and Dubrovnik-Paris return in business for around 350 euros. Ticket booked on the airline’s website a good month before departure.

Check-In and ground experience

I checked-in on the airline’s application, but it was not possible to issue a boarding pass on this segment (but it was possible for the Vienna-Split…). Because of the COVID and the recent introduction of the health pass, checks were carried out at the counters, which is why I was surprised to see a large number of passengers in the queue before I knew why.

Arriving from the Moxy where I had spent the previous night, I was delighted to see the Grand Charles (nickname of the flight board above the TGV station) full of departing flights. It’s not like before, but it looks like it.

A little further on, the line of passengers going for a PCR test.

Austrian operates from terminal 2D, which is its usual home at CDG, unlike its sisters Lufthansa and Swiss, who moved there after also occupying 2C, T1 being closed due to COVID.

So here I am, off for a very long morning walk through the airport corridors. You can’t say it’s a big crowd.

CDG gets a makeover…

Here I am at the check-in counter, which isn’t really a constraint: for once I had a suitcase to check in, so I should have gone through anyway. The agents are here, there’s no one around, it’s going to be fast. To my surprise, I hear the piano playing, without being able to identify the source. Austrian ambience in honor of Chopin?

It was so beautiful. It’s 7.10am and check-in doesn’t start until 7.30am, so I’m going to find a corner to wait in. There are no benches or seats in this part of the terminal, so I fall back on this abandoned seat in a nook, which didn’t really belong here.

In the meantime, other passengers arrive and are turned away just like me. But they’ll have to wait on their feet.

7:30am…the staff are chatting but boarding has not yet begun. The queue is now full.

7.35am it finally starts and I join the priority queue. There aren’t many of us, but it’s a bit slow going, with a single counter handling two priority lanes. Ahead of me, impatience grows. A second counter opens and things get better.

Checking my pass, my health form for entering Croatia, checking-in my suitcase, the contact with the agent was warm and efficient. On the other hand, the piano is a pain in my ears, and between the sound of the instrument, the noise of the hall and the masks, it’s a bit hard to hear…and I understand that the sound comes from the boarding hall behind, where a piano is available to passengers.

At 7.54am it’s all over and I can head for the controls.

No waiting in priority queue Access N°1 for security checks, which I’ll get through like clockwork.

I head back down to the gates and through the duty-free area of 2D, a terminal I haven’t been to in ages (June 2017 and a Finnair to Helsinki to be precise).

The terminal is almost deserted at this time of day.

Here I am for a very long walk, parallel but in the opposite direction to the one I took to check-in, but now airside, to reach the lounge.

Lounge

It’s the Sheltair lounge, which isn’t very interesting, but you can always go and read the review.

Boarding

My stay in the lounge over, I cross the hall in the other direction to reach my boarding gate. It’s nice to exercise early in the morning, but it’s still a lot of walking for heavily laden passengers or those who have to “manage” a family.

In passing, I came across the piano that had been hurting my ears earlier.

The aircraft is there, waiting for us.

Boarding begins quickly, with priorities respected: we start with groups 1 and 2.

As I wait in the feeder for them to let us in, I notice that a lot of French is being spoken. Not surprising when you consider the aggressive fares offered by the Lufthansa Group on departure from Paris, and given that these are “priority” passengers, I’d say that Air France is quietly being robbed of its business/elite clientele on certain destinations. When you see the in-flight service below, you’ll have a second explanation.

A few steps later I’m in the cabin.

The Austrian A320 cabin

Anyone who has travelled a little on Lufthansa Group airlines will not be surprised: it’s the same standardized cabin on Airbus A320/21s in all fleets.

Imagine a Lufthansa cabin with red to give it an “Austrian” feel, and you’ve got it right.

One change, however: it’s no longer the traditional NEK seat (for Lufthansa Neue Europakabine, otherwise known as the ironing board) seen over and over again in Lufthansa Group airlines, but the Geven ESSENZA, which has been gradually equipping the fleet since 2019. A seat that will prove to be more comfortable than expected, and certainly better than its predecessor.

I find it a little more premium-looking than the old NEK seats, perhaps because the tones are different or the aircraft is more recent. The OE-LZA on which I’m flying has only been with Austrian since 2020, so it’s safe to say that its cabin hasn’t seen many people since it entered service (for the curious, it began its career in 2007 with Juneyao Airlines).

The middle seat is suitably neutralized, and two blankets are placed there.

The space between the seats is comfortable, at least in business class, and my 1m88 appreciates it.

As is the case with all airlines, the “Buy On Board” menu is now available, rather than the magazines that COVID (temporarily?) killed off, Since Austrian adopted the buy on board catering model in its medium-haul economy class as Lufthansa, as Swiss and as Brussells Airlines with the LH Group. Whether you like it or not, you can expect it to become the norm: British Airways and Iberia at IAG have already adopted it, and tomorrow probably Air France, as our friends at The Travelers Club recently revealed.

Austrian menu

As I’m in business, I’m not concerned by this flight, but still…

Another constant at LH Group: smooth, fast-paced boarding. After 20 minutes the doors can be closed

Business class flight to Vienna on Austrian

We’re heading for the north runway doublet at CDG.

On the road in the cab I “admire” the gloomy Mercury behind which I see my Moxy.

Work continues on joining the satellites at T1, which I hope (without much faith) will reopen soon.

Very quickly after takeoff, the curtain separating the business and eco sections is drawn. Beverage service begins 3 minutes later, and meal trays arrive 10 minutes later.

I’m always a little apprehensive about the meal trays served on early morning flights (in this case departing at 9:45 a.m.): I generally find the service sloppy compared to other times of the day…

And so here’s today’s platter, served at 10.20am.

Yes, you’re not dreaming: a hot dish on a Paris-Vienne. It’s a subject we’ll be talking about again soon at TravelGuys, but depending on the airline, the flight time allowing you get hot dishes varies widely. At Austrian as at Swiss, it’s two hours. From memory, it is 2h30 or 3h with Lufthansa and 3h with Air France (although according to the article I mentioned above, hot dishes should soon disappear from flights of less than 5h).

The flight attendant wishes me bon appétit in French.

Not only do I get a hot meal, but also something other than the traditional dry omelette we’re often forced to eat at these times, or a dubious sweet and sour mix.

A pasta gratin with cheese and cream. On a 2-hour morning flight, I was very pleasantly surprised. What’s more, it’s tasty and perfectly cooked. Another nice touch: unlike Lufthansa, Austrian provides salt and pepper on its medium-haul meal trays.

The bread is also warm, which doesn’t spoil anything.

The dessert, while not exceptional, will be light and easy to eat.

There’s nothing to add : in catering, Do&co (which supplies Austrian) is head and shoulders above the rest…provided the airline has a minimum of ambition, of course.

The advantage of the neutralized center seat in business is that you can sit at ease.

Once the meal is over, I’ll be offered a drink three times. Running on sparkling water, I didn’t cost them too much, but it’s always a pleasure to be able to have my favorite drink while some others dare to throw me a dark look when I order a Perrier at 9 a.m. because it’s not a drink that’s served this early.

Of course, this is Austrian’s and you can’t leave without (excellent) chocolate.

The Austrian crew

Few interactions on such a short flight, but the service will be polite, efficient and fast. The attitude is both professional and warm, with occasional touches of French. I’ll regularly be offered drinks right up to the arrival.

On a 2-hour flight, that’s all I ask.

Arrival in Vienna

The flight continues smoothly and we discover the Austrian countryside before landing.

The captain asks passengers to turn off all electronic devices, which almost no one does, no doubt thinking he’s talking about airplane mode. Without knowing it, they have certainly experienced an automatic landing that requires this type of precaution.

We then taxi slowly towards the terminal.

Disembarkation and connection

Disembarkation goes smoothly and I’m ready to head for my connecting flight to Split.

This is followed by a long walk through the corridors until we reach a checkpoint allowing us to switch back to the “departures” circuit. This is where our health passes are checked before we can continue.

A few dozen meters later I find myself…at the airport security checkpoints as I pass the “airside” zone. New circuit due to COVID? I think so, because at this stage the fact that I’m going non-Shengen hasn’t had any impact on my course.

In short, after going through the entire length of the airport, I’m going to have to go through all the controls again and make my way in the opposite direction. In the end, my large connecting flight will be sufficient, but nothing more.

But these adventures will be recounted in the review of the flight from Vienna to Split, coming soon.

Bottom line

There’s absolutely nothing to complain about with Austrian’s service, which shows that it’s possible to provide a hot dish and high-quality service on a 2-hour flight leaving at 9.45 am, whatever some people think.

I also liked the new seat, which looks a lot like the old one, but is much more comfortable.

The only problem was the connection in Vienna, which you can get a foretaste of here and which I’ll describe in more detail later.

Articles similaires

Review : Austrian Economy – Paris-Vienna, Airbus A320 Swiss Business, Zurich – Paris Charles-de-Gaulle, Airbus A220-300 : Friendly crew Review: Lufthansa Business Class A320, Paris-Frankfurt Paris-Munich in business class on Lufthansa: empty cabin and attentive crew Review : Lufthansa Business Class, Paris-Munich, A319 Review : Lufthansa Business Class, Paris – Munich