Posts

Dave

Austrian Airlines introduces ‘Tastefully Austrian’: a new culinary concept

/in /by

Austrian Airlines is set to revolutionise the inflight dining experience with its new long-haul catering concept, “Tastefully Austrian.”

Commencing in mid-June, passengers can expect an expanded culinary offering, allowing them to customise their meals according to their preferences.

This innovative approach aims to highlight Austrian hospitality and cuisine, providing UK-based business travellers with an exceptional individual experience.

Michael Trestl, Chief Commercial Officer of Austrian Airlines, expressed his enthusiasm, stating,

We aim to provide our guests with a flying piece of Austria – a culinary experience the Austrian way. Our goal is to highlight Austrian hospitality and cuisine and to offer our guests an individual experience.

We take great pride in our return to form with the new long-haul concept and in bringing Austrian culinary delights to our esteemed passengers.

Passengers will now have more flexibility in customising their onboard meals, ensuring an enjoyable and personalised dining experience.

Additionally, the reintroduction of the Flying Chef in April further enhances the inflight service.

Business Class passengers can anticipate a range of exciting new additions. The welcome drink will be accompanied by a delectable bar snack, and due to its popularity, an expanded selection featuring a soup will be available.

Guests will have the choice of two international main courses, complemented by an authentic Austrian signature dish.

A highlight of the new concept is the introduction of the Viennese coffee house service onboard, where passengers can indulge in a variety of freshly-brewed coffees, paired with a delightful dessert. And a separate cheese trolley, offering a selection of digestives, will be presented in the cabin.

Not only will Business Class be enhanced, but also Premium Economy and Economy Class will see culinary innovations on long-haul flights.

Passengers in these classes can expect new recipes and creations presented in three- or four-course menus, featuring two main course options. Additionally, a light dish or small breakfast will be served on all long-haul flights, ensuring a satisfying inflight experience for all travellers.

The menu concept aligns with Austrian Airlines’ corporate values, reflecting their new brand orientation launched in April 2023: “Austria’s flair in the air.” The airline says this motto embodies the essence of Austrian hospitality and creates a sense of home for passengers.

UK-based business travellers can now look forward to an extraordinary culinary journey above the clouds, experiencing the warm embrace of Austrian hospitality and indulging in the rich flavours of Austria, all while reaching their destinations in comfort and style with Austrian Airlines.

Dave

Austrian Airways expands its Premium Economy product

/in /by

From Spring 2022, more passengers will be able to fly in Austrian Airways’ Premium Economy class.  

Premium Economy is being rolled out across the airline’s entire Boeing 767 fleet.  

Sales Director Michael Trestl said 

As an Austrian airline, we have ‘Premium’ in our hearts. With the expansion of the Premium Economy Class, we want to offer even more passengers greater travel comfort on long-haul routes. This travel class appeals to all those who want a bit more comfort and service on long-haul trips and still want to travel in a price-conscious manner. This means that the travel experience can be individually designed for each passenger and the feel-good factor on board is increasingly optimised. 

The travel class introduced in 2018 will be expanded to include the domestic airline’s Boeing 767 fleet from its current 18 seats to 30 seats per aircraft.  The conversion of the Austrian fleet will be carried out in the first quarter of 2022. 

With the summer flight schedule 2022, the three B767 planes, which primarily serve destinations in North America, will fly in the new cabin configuration. 

With the summer flight schedule 2022, the three B767 planes, which primarily serve destinations in North America, will fly in the new cabin configuration. 

The heart of Premium Economy class is a seat specially made for the Lufthansa Group, which offers passengers more legroom and comfort on their journey compared to Economy Class. In addition, passengers in this travel class can check in two pieces of luggage, each weighing up to 23 kilograms, free of charge and enjoy a culinary pampering program with a three- to four-course menu on board.

Dave

Lufthansa Group significantly expands service with June flight schedule

/in /by

Lufthansa Group airlines have released their June schedule which shows a significant expansion of their services.

Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings are adding numerous destinations to their flight schedules in June, as well as more long-haul destinations.


The flight schedules of Lufthansa Group airlines are closely coordinated, enabling reliable connectivity to European and intercontinental destinations.

By the end of June, the Lufthansa Group airlines plan to offer around 1,800 weekly roundtrips to more than 130 destinations worldwide.

Harry Hohmeister, Executive Board Member of German Lufthansa AG said,

With the June flight schedule, we are making an important contribution to the revitalisation of aviation infrastructure. It is an essential part of European economic power. People want to and can travel again, whether on holiday or for business reasons. That’s why we will continue to expand our offer, step by step, in the coming months and connect Europe with the world.

Lufthansa’s additional flights that are resuming in the first half of June, in Germany and Europe, are from Frankfurt, Hanover, Majorca, Sofia, Prague, Billund, Nice, Manchester, Budapest, Dublin, Riga, Krakow, Bucharest and Kiev. From Munich, it is Münster/Osnabrück, Sylt, Rostock, Vienna, Zurich, Brussels and Majorca.

In the first half of June, the flight schedule also includes nineteen long-haul destinations, fourteen more than in May. In total, Lufthansa, SWISS and Eurowings will be offering more than 70 weekly frequencies overseas until mid-June, almost four times as many as in May. Further resumption of Lufthansa long-haul flights is planned for the second half of June.

Austrian Airlines has decided to extend the suspension of regular flight operations for a further week, from 31 May to 7 June. A resumption of service in June is being considered.

SWISS is planning to resume services to various destinations in the Mediterranean region, and other major European centres such as Paris, Brussels and Moscow will also be added to the programme.

In its long-haul operations, SWISS will offer intercontinental direct services in June, in addition to its three weekly services to New York/Newark. The Swiss carrier plans to offer flights from Zurich to New York JFK, Chicago, Singapore, Bangkok, Tokyo, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Johannesburg.

Eurowings had already announced that it would be expanding its basic program at the airports of Düsseldorf, Cologne/Bonn, Hamburg and Stuttgart and gradually adding 15 further destinations within Europe from May onwards. With flights to Spain, Greece, Portugal and Croatia, the focus is on destinations in the Mediterranean region. The island of Mallorca will again be offered from several German Eurowings gateways

Brussels Airlines plans to resume its flight operations with a reduced network offer as from 15 June

Lufthansa Group issued the following advice to passengers,

When planning their trip, customers should consider the current entry and quarantine regulations of the respective destinations. Throughout the entire trip, restrictions may be imposed due to stricter hygiene and security regulations, for example due to longer waiting times at airport security checkpoints. The catering services on board will also remain restricted until further notice. In addition, passengers will continue to be asked to wear a nose-and-mouth cover on board during the entire journey.

Paul

Austrian Airlines is turning plastic cups into fuel

/in /by

Since the end of 2018, Austrian Airlines flight attendants have been separating the plastic cups used by passengers from the rest of the waste. A disposal company then cleans and shreds them before delivering them to the ReOil pilot plant at the Schwechat Refinery. A process known as thermal cracking is used to produce synthetic crude from plastic waste.

This crude is then processed in the Schwechat Refinery into fuel or other raw materials for the plastics industry. With this recycling initiative, Austrian Airlines is supporting a circular economy that conserves resources.

The OMV ReOil pilot plant has been processing drinking cups used by Austrian Airlines passengers since January 2019.

Vera Renner, Vice President Cabin Operations of Austrian Airlines, commenting on the cooperation with the home carrier as part of OMV’s ReOil pilot project said,

Austrian Airlines is consistently striving to reduce waste on board our flights. Our flight attendants have been making a key contribution for many years by recycling. I am delighted that – together with OMV – we have been able to take another crucial step towards this goal on the initiative of the crew members from the Austrian Airlines “Fly greener” team“. 

Thomas Gangl, OMV Senior Vice President Refining & Petrochemicals said,

The exceptional properties of plastic as a material mean make it hard to imagine life without it. In the ReOil plant, we are able to turn the AUA drinking cups into synthetic crude and then process them into fuel or back into plastics. Our OMV research project allows us to close the circle and reduce waste. These joint efforts send a clear signal of how important conserving resources is to both of our companies. 


OMV has been exploring the potential of used plastics since 2011. After a test unit in the technology centre of the Schwechat Refinery yielded successful research results, the significantly larger ReOil pilot plant started operations in early 2018 in the Schwechat Refinery. 100 kilograms of used plastics can produce 100 litres of synthetic crude. 

The cooperation with OMV on the ReOil® project can be traced back to the initiative of the Austrian Airlines team from “Fly greener”. “Fly greener” is a project spanning the entire Lufthansa Group. Its goal is to reduce waste volumes and mitigate the environmental impact while optimizing the requisite processes on aircraft. Every Lufthansa Group airline is developing its own ideas and concepts to this end. Several years have already passed since Austrian Airlines started to sort various materials on board and send them for recycling. This involves PET bottles, glass bottles, tetra packs, cans, paper and newspapers. Various projects are currently underway to make air travel more efficient and more environmentally friendly across the group. 

To book your next flight on Austrian, contact your GTM Account Manager.

Paul

Lufthansa Companion Fare Offer – Fantastic Offer!

/in /by

Lufthansa Group are now selling, for a limited period, companion fares for customers who buy either a First, or Business Class, ticket.

Valid from the UK to the following cities: Bangkok, Beijing, Bogota, Delhi, Hong Kong, Johannesburg, Mumbai, Nairobi, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo or Shanghai.

Fares are on sale now and until 3rd September 2018, and valid for travel between 15th September 2018 & 30th June 2019.

The discounts on offer are considerable, for example, a fare for one person to Hong Kong starts from £1950, but for two people the equivalent fare is just £1250pp.

Early booking is advisable though due to restricted capacity.