This is my review of the Austrian European Business Class flights from Leipzig to Larnaca via Vienna in January 2023.
I booked this flight in Business Class Flex (booking class I) through Miles and More for 28.000 miles and 59,44€ in additional taxes. The price with 28.000 miles was slightly higher than the standard one-way option with 25.000 miles but saved me on average 40 Euro on additional fuel surcharges. Unfortunately, this Flex Option will not be offered anymore from June 2025 for flights with Lufthansa, Swiss and Austrian.
Usually, I would not use miles or recommend a redemption on Business Class flights within Europe, however, this time my miles were about to expire, and cash prices were pretty high (around 1000 Euro if you would book one way). The booking includes 2×8 kg carry-on luggage and also 2×32 kg checked luggage in Business.
The first segment of my flight with flight number OS 252 departed 08:15 from Leipzig to Vienna on an Embraer 195 Aircraft which uses a standard 2-2 seat configuration with an empty seat next to you in Business Class. The whole Business Class cabin contains only 8 seats as shown in the SeatGuru Map below, so the cabin feels very private and comfortable. The legroom is adequate for this short flight with a 1 hour 10 minutes duration. Austrian uses black leather style seats which you can recline and offer a decent level of comfort on this short flight. Unfortunately Austrian does not operate on this route anymore in 2025. Instead, this route is operated by Braathens Regional Airlines (as a Wet-Lease) with an ATR 72 aircraft.
The breakfast service included a bowl of muesli and a choice of hot drinks (tea/coffee) or cold drinks (juice, water). The service of the crew was friendly and efficient. After the breakfast service, the crew checked again if there were any additional wishes for drinks or anything else. Overall, it was a short pleasant flight and we arrived on time at 09:30 in Vienna.
Transfer and Lounge Access in Vienna
The flight from Leipzig arrived within the Schengen area so I had to transfer to the Non-Schengen area at Schwechat Airport. Overall the transfer was fairly quick, it’s better to plan enough time for passport control as the waiting time was around 10-15 minutes and sometimes it can get busy during peak hours. There are also electronic passport gates available which can save you time if you have an eligible passport. For this outbound journey (Schengen to Non Schengen) there is no additional security control. My transfer time between both flights was 3 hours and 20 minutes which leaves enough time to visit and explore the lounge.
The Austrian Business Class Lounge is located within the Non-Schengen area at the G-gates. You can access the lounge with a business class ticket on Austrian or Star Alliance flights from Vienna on the same day. Alternatively, access is granted with an Economy Class ticket on Austrian or Star Alliance on the same day, if you hold a Star Alliance Gold Status.
Unfortunately, the lounge was very crowded during my stay from the morning till departure time so I could not take pictures. I was able to find a seat in the corner with a table. I am trying to summarise below some offerings from the lounge:
- WiFi is available, with fast and reliable connection throughout the lounge, you can find sockets near the tables/chairs to plug in your devices
- toilets and showers available within the lounge
- the lounge offers great views towards the runway of the airport if you can get a table near the windows
- newspapers and magazines are offered with a different selection
- selection of different drinks: coffee from Julius Meinl (machine), tea, water, juice, ice tea, sparkling drinks, wine, beer, spirits
- food on offer: hot items according to the time (breakfast vs lunch), also salad, sandwiches, sweet items, snacks
- plenty of fresh fruit to select from
The food selection is decent, according to the time of the day. If you arrive in between, you can have the hot items from the breakfast and later enjoy the lunch items as well. The caterer is DO&CO, the same as for the food on the plane. If you have complimentary access through your ticket or Star Alliance Gold Status, it’s worth the comfort and the visit. I would definitively not recommend purchasing access to the lounge which Austrian offers for about 44 € (a higher price if purchased at the entry desk) as there are probably better options available. Do not forget the distance from the lounge to your departure gate. It took me about 20 minutes of walking time, so plan accordingly once they announce your departure gate on the screen.
OS831 Vienna to Larnaca Airbus A320
The second flight departed at 12:35 from Vienna. On this 3-hour journey, Austrian uses an Airbus A320 with a 3-3 seat configuration with an empty middle seat in Business Class. You can see the cabin in the first picture of this post. The seats are standard leather seats that offer enough legroom for the journey. In Business Class there are 28 seats overall on this Airbus A320 as shown below on the SeatGuru Map.
The meal service began approximately 45 minutes after departure. There was no menu available or set, so it was a standard option with salmon and vegetables, a bread roll, and a sweet dessert served with drinks (alcoholic beverages like beer, wine, or non-alcoholic beverages including juice water, or freshly brewed coffee). Overall, I found the food quality and the Business Class catering much better compared to other carriers within the Lufthansa Group. The Business Class cabin was pretty full on this flight, however the crew was very friendly and attentive.
There was no WiFi available on this flight, however, it’s possible to connect your devices to a network and watch movies or series. The seat itself offered enough legroom for a 3-hour flight.
Final Rating 7.5/10
Austrian Airlines offers a solid Business Class product within the Lufthansa Group with several connections to their hub in Vienna (for example from Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg, Stuttgart, and other cities in Germany).
Using points can be worth it if you need to travel from a smaller airport like Leipzig where cash prices are usually very high. A return ticket in Business class would cost about 780 Euro compared to a one-way ticket with a price of 1170 Euro. Generally, I would not recommend using your points on Business Class redemptions in Europe except if you need to travel and cash prices are extremely high. When using points, it is always recommended to check the cash prices first, as sometimes Business Class flights with Austrian can be on sale for very competitive prices. In my case, my points were about to expire, and I was looking for the longest possible redemption option in Europe. Besides Larnaca, there were only options like Tel Aviv or Istanbul available. Overall Austrian offers a solid Business Class product with good catering and service compared to other carriers within the Lufthansa Group.
