Austrian 787 Business Class: A Lovely Flight With Tasty Food!

Hello from Washington, as I’m wrapping up my quick trip to Versailles, flying Austrian’s Boeing 787-9 business class, on the nine-hour flight from Vienna (VIE) to Washington (IAD).

I was excited about this flight. Austrian has long been my favorite Lufthansa Group airline in terms of business class soft product, despite the fact that Lufthansa Group kind of treats Austrian as if it’s second class within the group. Fortunately Austrian recently took delivery of some new (well, used) 787 Dreamliners, which represent a new era for the airline.

The Dreamliner marks a new era for the airline, as the carrier finally offers direct aisle access from all business class seats, plus Wi-Fi, on long haul flights. When you combine that with Austrian’s excellent food and drinks, plus friendly service, this is certainly an experience that I’d recommend.

Austrian’s 787 business class seats are good (and familiar)

So far Austrian has two Boeing 787-9s, and they’re both former Bamboo Airways jets. While Lufthansa and SWISS are taking delivery of brand new long haul planes, Austrian is reliant on second hand aircraft for its fleet renewal. That’s not all bad news, though.

Austrian’s 787s feature 26 reverse herringbone business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration. Looking front to back, the cabin is distinctly Austrian, while looking back to front, you couldn’t tell what airline the plane belongs to.

Specifically, Austrian has the Collins Aerospace Super Diamond product. While these seats aren’t cutting edge, they’re more than sufficient, and way better than you’ll find on most other Lufthansa Group aircraft. If you ask me, this is a much more competitive seat than Austrian’s old staggered business class.

It’s interesting how Austrian seems to be using an interim livery for these new 787s. They haven’t been painted in the full Austrian colors, but have instead been painted in an all-white livery, with the Austrian name written along the front of the plane, and the Austrian logo on the tail. I imagine that was done to get these planes into service as quickly as possible.

Fun fact — I flew Bamboo Airways’ 787 business class in 2023, on this exact aircraft (yes, the same registration code). Global aviation is pretty cool, eh?

Austrian’s business class catering is absolutely delicious!

Austrian is known for its incredible business class catering from DO & CO, along with its onboard chef. Austrian has definitely made some changes to its business class catering compared to pre-pandemic, in the sense that there’s no longer a cart rolled down the aisle, off of which your meal is directly plated.

Despite that, I found the food quality to still be excellent, and as tasty as ever. On this flight, lunch was served after takeoff, and that started with two appetizer choices. I chose the ricotta with grilled vegetables.

Next up was a soup course, and I selected the sweet potato coconut soup with coconut shavings, which was also satisfying.

There were three choices for the main course, and I selected the baked cod and shrimp with pea purée and crayfish sauce. Not only was this super tasty, but I also though the presentation was restaurant quality.

Then a dessert trolley was rolled down the aisle, and I chose the white chocolate mousse and cheese plate. I loved the service touches, like being offered cracked pepper.

Last but not least was the biggest highlight of any long haul Austrian business class flight, which was the specialty coffee menu. I ordered the traditional Wiener Eiskaffee, consisting of a double espresso with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. Yum!

Then there was a pre-landing snack, with two options. I selected the mozzarella and tomato panini with potato chips, which was served with a profiterole. While it might not have looked amazing, it tasted very good.

So despite the catering changes compared to pre-pandemic, I still found the quality to be very good, among the best found on any European airline.

Austrian’s 787s finally have Wi-Fi (and okay entertainment)

Historically, Austrian hasn’t offered Wi-Fi on long haul flights, though that has changed with the 787. The Wi-Fi interface is similar to what you’ll find on Lufthansa. A pass for the entire flight cost €25, with no data caps. I found the speeds to be decent, so I thought that was a fair price. Free messaging was also available.

As you’d expect, Austrian offers seat back entertainment. The selection was average, but nothing amazing. There was a reasonable selection of movies, TV shows, games, and more. I wouldn’t rank this among the best systems in the world for entertainment, though personally I’m more of a Wi-Fi guy anyway.

Austrian’s business class crew was delightful

The entire crew working business class on this Austrian flight was just lovely. In particular, the purser was a real seasoned professional, and looked after each passenger.

But even beyond that, the chef, and the two other business class flight attendants, went above and beyond. They were detailed oriented, friendly, and constantly checked on passengers.

I do have to mention one quick story. There was an older American lady seated in front of me, and the second she boarded, she explained to the crew that she had been rebooked and that she usually flies United Polaris business class (obviously she was connecting from somewhere else and had irregular operations, because United doesn’t fly to Vienna).

I can’t even say the extent to which she was raving about the flight nonstop. She kept telling the crew how good the food tasted, and how friendly the service was. At the end of the flight, she even said “I don’t want to go back to United now.” It’s always nice to hear the experiences of others, so I think it’s safe to say that she enjoyed her flight.

Bottom line

I’ve always enjoyed my long haul flights in Austrian business class. The carrier’s new 787 Dreamliners take the experience to the next level, with direct aisle access and Wi-Fi. As always, Austrian’s business class catering is a treat, and I also had a really friendly crew.

It’s fascinating how Lufthansa Group makes Austrian so low priority in the airline group, yet the carrier manages to offer the all-around best experience, if you ask me. If you have the chance to fly Austrian’s 787 business class, I’d recommend it!

Unfortunately it’ll be some time before Austrian’s 787 fleet grows. The airline is expected to take over Lufthansa’s ex-Hainan 787s, once Lufthansa starts flying its new 787s. But that process is hugely delayed…

What do you make of Austrian’s 787 business class experience?