Occasion marks the airline"™s first direct flights between the U.S west coast and Vienna, Austria
Today, Austrian Airlines began its new, non-stop service between Vienna, Austria and Los Angeles, California. Flight OS 081 departed from Vienna (VIE) at 10:03 a.m. local time, and is scheduled to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) at 1:20 p.m. local time. Eastbound flight OS 082 will depart Los Angeles at 3:05 p.m. local time, and is due to land in Vienna at 12:05 p.m. local time tomorrow (April 11, 2017). Austrian Airlines will initially be operating a five-times-weekly service on the new route; starting June 13 this number will increase to six flights a week.
"Austrian Airlines is the third passenger airline of the Lufthansa Group to provide service to the important Los Angeles market, which is one of our largest U.S. gateways in terms of passenger volume," said Tamur Goudarzi Pour, Vice President Airline Sales for The Americas for Lufthansa Group. "Adding this market to Austrian Airline"™ network provides our west coast customers with another key, centrally located hub in Europe for easy transfers to more than 130 destinations worldwide, and thus, another option for Angelenos to easily visit friends and relatives abroad. With this new service, the Lufthansa Group will now offer 46 weekly flights to and from California."
"Effective immediately, direct flights to Vienna will not only be offered from the East, but with Los Angeles, also from the West Coast," explained Austrian Airlines Chief Financial Officer Heinz Lachinger. "We have been successfully working on the expansion of our flight program from the U.S. to Vienna in the last four years. There is growth potential."
Onboard Experience
The Boeing 777-200, which is used on the LAX-VIE route, offers a two-class configuration that includes 48 Business Class seats and 260 Economy Class seats, for a total of 308 seats.
Austrian"™s Business class cabin interior of the long-haul fleet was modernized in 2013 and now features an elegant cabin design with that special "Austrian touch", as well as innovative seats that turn into nearly 6-1/2 feet long full flat beds. Business class passengers will enjoy the airline"™s unique "Flying Chef" program where gourmet menus are created and then refined on-board by professional chefs. Sommeliers are also on-hand to recommend suitable wines to complement the menu. Business Class passengers can also savor a wide array of coffees provided through Austrian Airline"™ Original Viennese Coffee House Service on-board. Typically, ten Austrian coffee variations are served"“ ranging from the "Großer Brauner" and ever-popular "Wiener Melange" through to real specialties such as the "Wiener Fiaker". Austrian Airlines is the only airline in the world to provide this highly regarded service.
Connections and destinations
Austrian Airlines provides passengers connecting in Vienna with access to the Austrian Star Alliance Terminal, which enables connections in as little as 25 minutes. Customers will especially enjoy the direct access the new Austrian Airlines route will provide to Vienna, the capital of the carrier"™s "home country". One of the great European capitals, Vienna was the stomping ground for the Habsburg rulers of the Austro-Hungarian Empire for centuries. The empire is long gone, but reminders have been preserved. Past artistic glories thrive due to the cultural legacy of the artistic geniuses nourished in this city"”including Mozart, Schubert, Strauss and Gustav Klimt. Today’s visitors discover a city with a special grace that sets it apart from other European cities. Austria is a country that has not forgotten the elegance of a time gone by.
Vienna"™s city center can be accessed in only 16 minutes utilizing the "Vienna Card", which Austrian Airlines has arranged through partnerships, offering passengers up to 210 discounts on museums, tourist sights, theaters, concerts, shopping and much more. Austrian Airlines passengers can purchase Europe"™s best city card online after booking their flight at austrian.com.
Additionally, Austrian Airlines is part of the A++, a multilateral transatlantic joint venture that exists between the Lufthansa Group, Air Canada and United Airlines. It covers all of the airline"™ North Atlantic routes and associated connecting flights and thus offers customers more destinations and route options, seamless service, fewer and shorter connection times and a much wider range of products & services.
The airline"™s North American service in brief
Austrian Airline"™ summer 2017 flight schedule offers approximately 43 weekly non-stop flights from North America. This includes up to four times per week from Miami, a maximum of six weekly flights from both Los Angeles and Toronto, and up to one flight a day from Washington, D.C. and Chicago. Austrian Airlines will continue to offer thirteen weekly flights from New York. For further information and reservations visit www.austrian.com.
