Review: Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class LA to Vienna

Our 3 week Vancouver, Alaska cruise and Los Angeles trip has come to an end.

We chose to fly Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class from LAX to Vienna, where we will catch another short flight to Brussels.

Before booking we did a bit of research about possible airlines, read a couple of recent reviews, watched some airline vlogs on Youtube.

And Austrian Airlines seemed like the best choice.

So what do we think of this flight?

What did we like and dislike about our Austrian Airlines flight?

Let’s see!

We paid for our flight in the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class seats and didn’t get or ask anything in return for this review.

Video

Together with this review we also made a video about our Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class flight.

You can watch it here:

Check in at Los Angeles LAX

We grab a Uber ride from our hotel to the LAX airport terminal B about 3 hours before take off.

Our Austrian Airlines flight OS0082 to Vienna leaves at 3:30pm.

Let’s hope we can get a decent lunch in the business lounge before getting on the plane!

Checkin goes pretty fast, there are not a lot of passengers checking in yet. Passports are checked, boarding passes printed out for both flight to Vienna and Brussels, luggage is tagged and sent off.

Smooth start of our day.

Going through security is also a breeze, no need to wait in line.

So we head to the Star Alliance Business Lounge to grab bite before our flight to Vienna.

Star Alliance Business Lounge, LAX

Plenty of time to enjoy the lounge.

We were at LAX airport about 3 years ago flying back to Europe.

Back then we were very impressed by the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge in terminal 2 (it is closed now) because the a la carte dinner we had there is the best we have ever had in any lounge so far.

Should we get our hopes up here?

We follow the signs directing us to the lounge, and take the escalator one floor up.

The lounge is moderately busy.

And we have to admit that this is a nice lounge, spacious and well maintained.

There is a main lounge with couches and tables, a sitting area near the buffet with tables and chairs and even an outside area with views over the airfield.

The spot we like the most is the large balcony overlooking the ground floor gate and shop areas.

We pour ourselves a drink and get comfortable in one of the couches.

So what the food like here.

Plenty of drinks and beverages, both at the self service stations and the bar.

The buffet contains hot and cold items.

Muffins, bread, crisps, cheese, wraps, granola bars, fresh fruits and salted pretzels. If you like a hot meal you can choose between chicken curry or vegetable curry with rice. The food was just OK, not very impressive.

We didn’t see it at first but tucked away around the corner however is a noodle soup station where you can assemble your own noodle soup. And it was really good!

There is a separate First Class Lounge with a la carte dining.

All in all the food here was very decent and fresh, the noodle soup was very nice.

Staff members were everywhere, cleaning up tables, restocking drink and food stations, cleaning floors. This lounge was therefore very tidy.

If you feel like taking a shower, you can. Shower suites are available here.

Time for boarding.

Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class cabin

We make our way to our gate where boarding has already started.

No one queuing in the business class lane, we immediately make our way to the plane.

Two Austrian Airlines crew members welcome us at the entrance, check our boarding passes and point us to the right aisle to get to our seat.

The Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class cabin has an alternate 1-2-1 and 2-2-2 configuration, 7 rows in total.

We are sitting in in the middle aisle.

Watch our video from 1:51 onwards to get a better look of how the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class and seats look like.

The seats

The Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class provides a large, high-resolution touchscreen.

The seats are controlled by a console module to adjust your seat.

Next to it under the grey panel sits a small remote control to switch to TV on and off, adjust the TV’s volume, turn the overhead light on and off and another button to ask for assistance.

Underneath the armrest is a folded tray table that slides in and out, but it was quite impossible for me to use it. I really didn’t get the hang of it, a flight attendant had to help me out.

The snake like reading light is easy to move, and underneath it is an audio jack, a USB port and an adaptive power socket.

An Austrian Airlines amenity kit is waiting for you on your seat.

It is a cheap looking and feeling fabric pouch that contains a pair of bright red and very thin airline socks, a toothbrush and toothpaste, earplugs and an eye mask.

Just the very basics, glad I brought my own hand lotion.

Wearing a mask isn’t necessary for anyone on this flight anymore, staff members included.

Austrian Airlines headphones are also provided.

They were not very comfortable, also felt quite cheap so we used our own Bose headphones instead of the airline headphones.

The audio jack is located underneath the reading light.

A pillow and blanket wait for you on our seat when you board.

Both are of very good quality and look really nice – so nice that I even took the blanket home with me after this flight!

The seats in the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class recline up to 180 degrees, flat.

The seat and foot space is great when you are sitting up. However once you want to lay down, taller people might find it too narrow and hard to turn around. The foot compartment is quite cramped, making it difficult to shift position in your sleep without waking up due to your legs hitting the walls. Luc is 6 ft tall and found it hard to find a comfortable sleeping position.

Some seats don’t give you a lot of privacy though, I didn’t really feel like sitting in my very own little private corner in my 3D seat with my armrest right next to the aisle. Luc sat next to me in seat 3G and had a larger console separating his seat from the aisle.

My console was the only thing in between our seats, no extra divider which is not a problem if you travel as a couple. It is not all that private if you fly single and sit next to a stranger.

Inflight entertainment

We always keep a stash of Netflix downloads close just in case the entertainment isn’t great.

Here in the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class the movie, series and music selection was good with plenty of new releases – but almost identical to the entertainment on our previous Air Canada business class flight to Vancouver.

No worries, there is still enough to keep us amused during this 11 hour flight to Vienna.

The touchscreen TV is very easy to navigate.

The layout and use of the screen is easy to use and pretty self explanatory.

Food and drinks

Menus are handed out and a flight attendant stops by to take you main course order before takeoff.

No welcome drink, it is something that seems to disappear more and more with other airlines as well.

Once the plane is in the air, the pre meal drink service starts.

A flight attendant unfolds the tray table and covers it with white linen.

My glass of champagne arrives, Duval-Leroy brut, highly enjoyable! There are no snacks offered with the drinks.

Watch our video from 2:37 onwards to see how the food and drinks menus on board the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class looked like.

Austrian was renowned for its “flying chefs” program. This was discontinued during the pandemic, but is set to be reinstated in summer 2023.

Anyway, the menu aboard the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class looks promising.

Starters to choose from:

• caprese salad
• prawn caesar salad

Main course are:

• filet of beef, bbq jus, boulangerie potatoes, grilled green asparagus
• Chilean sea bass, lentils, celeriac mash, roast tomatoes, lemon butter
• ricotta ravioli, creamy cherry tomato sauce, parmesan cheese, basil

Desserts:

• assorted cheese
• fresh fruit
• profiteroles, chocolate sauce
• strawberry parfait

Breakfast will also be served prior to our landing in Vienna.

So what did we choose from the menu?

One caprice and one prawn caesar, and for mains we both go for the Chilean sea bass.

No beef then, even though it sounds really appetizing?

If you know one airline that can prepare a rare to medium rare beef fillet during a flight, let us know in the comments below! We haven’t come across that one before.

So sea bass it is.

While we enjoy our glass of champagne, the starters are being served.

Butter and pepper and salt shakers are placed on our tray table. Choose a bread roll from the bread basket if you like, and your choice of starter.

The flight attendant also pours you the drink you prefer with your meal, a glass of still water and champagne refill it is.

Watch our video from 3:17 onwards to see how our meals on board the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class looked like.

I actually thought of ordering the prawn caesar as well.

However once I see that caprese salad on the trolley, it looks so good so I change my mind last minute.

And I am glad that I did, because the caprese is excellent.

Creamy and soft mozzarella, sliced tomato and avocado that actually are very flavourful, topped off with arugula and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

This is a really good caprese.

What about the prawns?

The lettuce is crunchy and fresh, 3 large juicy grilled prawns and a nice caesar dressing.

Very good start of our meals.

The flight attendant removes the empty plates and we ask for a glass of white wine to go with our main course.

A couple of minutes later the fish arrives.

The cooked sea bass sits on a bed of lentils and mediterranean vegetables, surrounded by 2 dollops of celeriac mash and a cherry tomato.

At first the fish looked a bit dry and overcooked, however once we tuck into it the sea bass is perfectly flakey and juicy. Very flavourful as well, and quite generous to be honest.

The vegetables and mash ar well cooked and flavourful as well.

This is very good fish main course, we really enjoyed it.

So far so good!

We get another refill of our wine glasses when our empty plates is taken away.

And before long the desserts and cheese cart is rolled into the business class cabin.

Fruits, dessert and cheese.

We decide to skip the sweet treats and coffee and settle for the cheese and a glass of Eiswein.

On the plate are two cheeses and some grapes.

We get a brie and gruyère kind of cheese, both are OK but not spectacular.

The Eiswein is delicious though, strong and sweet.

Perfect nightcap!

Did we enjoy our meal on board the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class?

Yes, the food was cooked well and we tasted super fresh ingredients.

The wine selection is nice as well.

Service was professional, friendly and quick.

We manage to sleep some, and watch a movie or two.

After everyone has finished dessert, the light in the cabin are turned off.

During the night sandwiches are brought around for those who are awake, nice snack!

Breakfast is served about an hour prior to landing.

Lights are turned on again and if that doesn’t wake you up, the lovely smell of coffee that fills the business cabin will.

You can choose between 2 types of breakfast:

• California style omelet with bacon and potatoes
• scrambled eggs with turkey ham and oven dried tomatoes

Watch our video from 4:31 onwards to see how breakfast on board the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class looked like.

We decide to take one of each.

Most egg breakfast are quite rubbery on a plane, however again Austrian Airlines doesn’t disappoint.

Both our breakfasts are actually quite good, flavourful and well seasoned, not overcooked at all.

The omelet comes with roast potatoes, bacon, tomatoes and mushrooms, another generous portion again.

There is also a selection of fresh fruits, different bread rolls and Dansish pastries, and a small plate with cheese and ham.

Again breakfast was super fresh and enjoyable, coffee was excellent.

We step off this plane with a full tummy.

Service

The flight attendants on our Air Canada 787 business class flight were friendly, professional and fast.

Always happy to help you out if you have a question or problem, and bring you anything you want.

Toilet

The business class lavatories were nothing special, just your average airline lavatories.

They were not cleaned very often though, the floor would be sticky and messy every time we used the bathroom.

Definitely not impressed.

Pros

• good service
• excellent food
• correct wine selection
• comfortable blanket and pillow
• good inflight entertainment

Cons

• grubby lavatories
• narrow foot space and bed while laying down if you are tall
• some seats don’t have a lot of seat privacy

We paid for our flight in the Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class seats and didn’t get or ask anything in return for this review.

How about you?

Have you traveled in Austrian Airlines 777-200 business class before?

What do you think of it?

We’d love to hear from you, leave a comment below!