Introduction
If you’re traveling to Austria, there’s a high chance you’ll end up flying with Austrian Airlines, especially if you’re connecting via Vienna.
I recently flew with them and had a mix of positive and negative experiences. In this article, I’ll share my honest review based on actual experience.
In-Flight Service
Overall, the in-flight service is what you would expect from a standard full-service airline. The cabin crew was professional, and the meals were decent.
A nice touch was the inclusion of Austrian treats like Mozartkugel chocolates, which added a bit of local charm.
However, one major downside—especially for Japanese travelers—is the in-flight entertainment selection.
I usually enjoy watching Japanese anime or movies during flights, but there were almost no such options available. In fact, the only thing I found remotely interesting was a live-action Minecraft movie, which shows how limited the selection was.
Compared to airlines like JAL or ANA, the Japanese content offering is significantly weaker. If in-flight entertainment is important to you, this is something to keep in mind.
Important Notes on Booking Changes
This is probably the most important part of this review.
Austrian Airlines doesn’t have easily accessible physical service counters in many locations, and in Japan there are no convenient in-person offices either. While standard changes can usually be done online, certain cases require phone support only.
- Changes involving child tickets linked to parents
- Complicated bookings with special conditions
- Cases that cannot be processed online
In these situations, you’ll need to call customer support—and honestly, this can be quite frustrating.
From my experience, calls are often redirected multiple times, and it can feel like you’re being passed around between departments.
Some of the numbers I was given included:
- +1 800 842 0002 (United States)
- 0517663100 (Austria)
- 0517661000 (Austria – this one finally worked)
If you’re calling from Japan or abroad, international call charges apply. Even when calling from Austria, you may still be redirected to a US support line, which can be quite inconvenient.
Online vs Phone Change Fees
This is based on my personal experience, but online change fees can sometimes be significantly higher than phone support fees.
I encountered a situation where:
- Phone support → relatively cheaper
- Online change → extremely expensive
I almost ended up paying over €600 extra just by using the online system.
This may not happen in every case, but I strongly recommend:
✅ Always check the online change price
✅ Compare with phone support if possible
✅ Be extra careful with complex bookings
Recent Flight Routes
Flight routes have changed quite a bit recently.
On one of my flights, the route followed close to the Russian border instead of flying directly over Russia as before. This made me realize how much longer routes have become.
On another trip, I was routed via the United States, significantly increasing total travel time.
This is largely due to current geopolitical restrictions affecting airspace usage.
As a result:
- ✈️ Flight times may be longer than expected
- ✈️ Routes and stopovers can change
- ✈️ Extra buffer time is recommended
Overall Review
My honest conclusion is:
“Perfectly fine for normal travel, but be cautious with changes and entertainment.”
- ✔ In-flight service: solid and reliable
- ✔ Good option for traveling to Austria
- ⚠ Limited Japanese entertainment content
- ⚠ Complicated phone support for changes
- ⚠ Online change fees can be surprisingly high
Hopefully, this helps you plan your trip more smoothly.
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