Hitching a ride in Austrian Airlines A320neo business class is a pretty nice way to get around Europe. From the lipstick red seatbelts to the deliciousness of the Do & Co catering, it’s hard to find fault with the onboard service.
I normally don’t have any problems sounding like a whiny little you-know-what in my airline reviews, but this one was tough!
Follow along as I show you what my experience was like on a recent flight from Amsterdam to Vienna…
OS372
Amsterdam, Netherlands (AMS) – Vienna, Austria (VIE)
Thursday, June 5, 2025
Aircraft: A320neo
Registration: OE-LZQ
Duration: 1 hour 33 minutes
Seat: 2F (business class)
Checking in at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport
This flight was scheduled to depart from Terminal 1 at 9:55 AM. Checking in via the mobile app the night before allowed me to bypass the check-in counter altogether, but I couldn’t resist doing a drive-by anyway. It makes for a better review, right?
All Austrian Airlines business class passengers get access to the Star Alliance Lounge at AMS. I popped in for a quick bite to eat, but I didn’t stay long. I had a very long walk over to B gates ahead of me still.
The boarding process
It was complete pandemonium as they initiated the general boarding process from gate B31. There were no structured queues for each zone, so I ended up having to fight my way through the crowds as I (barely) heard them make them call for business class passengers.
Austrian Airlines A320neo business class seat overview
Austrian Airlines A320neo business class consists of 28 seats arranged in 3-3 layout. It looks like economy class, because (you guessed it) they are economy class seats. The difference is that the middle seats are blocked, so you’re guaranteed having the seat next to you remain unoccupied.
The departure from AMS
They pushed us off the gate two minutes late at 9:57 AM. Honestly? I think I was too distracted by the lipstick red seatbelts to even notice. It looked (and felt) like an on-time departure to me.
Food and drinks
Austrian Airlines uses Do & Co as their catering partner for both short haul and long-haul international flights. If for whatever reason that means nothing to you, all you need to know is that it’s pretty much the best food you can get on an airplane.
They served breakfast on this flight, and there was only one option. The ultimate ‘take it or leave it’ kind of situation if there ever was one.
In-flight entertainment
Not only was Wi-Fi not available, neither was a streaming in-flight entertainment product (which is typical for most European airlines). Oh well. I was still feeling impressed enough by the meal to let the lack of in-flight entertainment slide.
Seat and cabin comfort
If you’ve ever sat in extra-legroom economy class with an open seat next to you, that is exactly what this felt like. I actually prefer this type of seating situation over domestic US first class IMHO. Blocked middle seats FTW!
The descent and arrival into Vienna
The flight attendant came down the aisle with a pre-landing snack just as we started the descent into Vienna. As if it looked like I was starving or something.
Touchdown on runway 16 was at 11:40 AM, which was five minutes behind schedule. The weather was absolutely perfect, and I was still feeling sufficiently stuffed from that Do & Co breakfast. Not a bad way to arrive in Austria I guess.
Austrian Airlines A320neo business class pros and cons
Intra-European business class is pretty much the same from airline to airline IMHO. The main advantage that Austrian Airlines has over all of the others is the food. The rest of the experience? Pretty much the same. Except for the naughty red seatbelts of course.
Pros
- Some of the highest quality food you’ll get in European business class.
- Decent legroom (consistent with other European airlines).
- The seats are kinda stylish!
Cons
- The business class seats are exactly the same as the economy class seats.
- No streaming in-flight entertainment or Wi-Fi.
- No meal options. There’s only one choice (take it or leave it).
Hi Scott, great shot of Vienna as you were arriving. Was there a couple years ago in the Winter. I am with you on the seats. Seems like all European carriers define domestic business class as economy class except they don’t sell the middle seat. A bit disappointing. Hope you had a good time on your trip.
Thanks! The view from the window was a lot more impressive than the picture conveys. It was pretty neat to see the entirety of Vienna from above on such a beautiful day.
I actually don’t mind how to basic the seats are. Having a blocked middle seat makes all the difference.
But yeah, it was a great trip! Too short of course, but fun.
Hey Scott,
I’ve been a big fan of your content, having started watching your videos in 2019. You have come to me more as a friend throughout your content especially in times where I was by myself.
I’d like to remark that I miss your 2019 videos, they were a lot more entertaining and quite frankly remarkable. Your Gitty tone along with your creative word play resonated with me. It’s not that your videos nowadays are bad, they don’t appear as remarkable as they were in the past.
I’d like end of with a note that I no means am trying to come off as rude or mean. You still remain one of favorite content creators and I’ve been liking the gradual rampage of content :D. I intend to use this comment as a source of feedback and not as any criticism.
Thanks for reading,
and have a good one 😀
Thanks for the kind words Taha! No, I don’t consider what you say to be rude or mean. As a matter fact I fully agree with you.
I have toned down the intensity of my videos on purpose. The main reason for doing so is that my humor and sarcasm doesn’t relate all that well to people from other parts of the world. I got so many negative comments about my sarcasm. Many people think that sarcasm = complaining, and if it’s one thing I’m not, it’s a complainer. I love flying, I love traveling, I love the airline industry, and I didn’t want to be known as the guy who always complains about everything.
Another reason for toning it down is because my channel hasn’t grown at all in the past five years. As a matter fact, my views are way down, as is the revenue I’m earning. I’m obviously doing something wrong.
99% of the high-performing airline review content I see on YouTube these days is simple and very lightly edited. Many of those videos don’t even have any talking head / voiceover content at all. It’s just raw video clips with occasional captions. The rest are very smooth talking / good looking guys and gals who are good on camera. I don’t have any of those qualities lol.
For now I’m just focusing on making simple videos, practicing my narration, and figuring out what’s next.
I flew on Austrian once when I was a few months old (VIE-BCN on an A320), but I don’t remember any of it given how young I was. However, from what I’ve seen, I wouldn’t mind giving them another try since they’re like the “cool uncle” of the Lufthansa Group, between the lipstick red seatbelts & headrest covers, the unique triangular plates, the fact that they cater from Do & Co, and their in-flight chefs & special coffee menus in long-haul business class. All of these are small touches (well except for the do&co thing haha), but they make the airline just a bit more interesting than its partners IMO.
Also, it’s interesting how you prefer European Business Class to Domestic US First Class seating! I mean, I guess you do have more shoulder room since you have two 18” seats to yourself instead of a single 20” one, but I think Domestic First seats are better overall, since they have more legroom & generally better features (such as more recline and storage). The soft product in Europe is definitely a lot better though!
I guess I didn’t realize it before, but now that I’ve flown Austrian Airlines twice, it’s pretty easy to see that they are one of the more “upscale” airlines in Western Europe. All the others just feel so bland and generic.
But yeah, I’d take Euro Business class over US domestic first class any day! Of course the seats are better on US airlines, but I am a mega ginormous introvert and I value having an empty seat next to me over everything else.