Booking mileage runs through Austrian Airlines

OS's 'Airmanager' reservation engine has a relatively poor interface, but allows to you select all Star Alliance itineraries, and quite often significantly beats other Star Alliance airlines own websites for pricing.

Also do remember that Austrian Airline's consolidation operator in the UK is The Airline Network. They can sometime have much cheaper fares than the airline is offering through its own website - a frequent promo in the Autumn and Spring is Australia for £530, and Bangkok for £400.

Booking Seats

A340 at Vienna
You can book seats in advance at anytime before you fly by calling the Austrian London office. This is a very good idea on the 777 flights, to ensure you don't end up in the narrow seats after row 32. However, you will not be able to book emergency exit (row 32) or bulkhead (row 11) seats until checkin, as the staff want to see you can either help in an emergency, or you have kids.

Operational Upgrades

One of the common questions is "How do I get an upgrade on Austrian Airlines to Business or Club class?". The good news is that Austrian are very good at upgrading passengers, if the flight is overbooked. It's always worth while asking. The airline has the Western, rather than American, model for upgrades longhaul. Which is to say you'll only get an upgrade if your paid for class is full, and then upgrades are processed accordingly to a pecking order of elite frequent flyer status. You are very unlikely to ever get an upgrade unless you are at least a Gold Star Alliance member.

To start with, make sure you are a frequent flyer, and you do fly frequently: after all, if Austrian Airlines are going to upgrade anyone, they will upgrade those passengers who fly with them pretty regularly, and hence will enjoy the upgrade enough to put more business Austrian's way. Then if the flight is full in economy, and someone needs to be moved up, the check in staff will first look at Senator members, and then Silver level, and then at other Star Alliance members at the equivalent levels (Gold, and then Silver). Another thing that Austrian look at is how much you paid for your ticket: it's much more likely to happen with a full fare ticket (although occasionally you can get lucky with a discounted economy ticket). On Austrian the airline has heard - probably hundreds of times a day - requests for an upgrade. However the general consensus seems to be that if you ask for an upgrade, you're much more likely to get it, although opinions differ on an upgrade strategy for Austrian. Still, there are no points to be gained by being shy.

Vienna an A320 and A330

If you plan in advance, book on the fullest possible routes (Friday evening and Monday mornings are good, as are all Lauda flights to Asia) and make it clear you'll be happy to accept a place on the Vol-Off list (to be offloaded voluntarily) if you get cash and an upgrade on the next flight. You'll have to hang around the gate, and look keen.

A very useful trick when you are trying this, is to look at the main Austrian website, and try to book flights - it will say if a particular in/out combination is Sold Out. Often you can book yourself onto this flight via consolidation agents like The Airline Network, despite economy being full - and you will then be moved up to Business, if you are a Senator Miles&More member.

However if you can find something to complain about, do, and then ask if you can get on the "on-availability upgrade" list. Then make sure you're on the emptiest possible flight - if there's a spare seat in the front of the plane, you'll get it.

Often customer relations will promise to put you on this list, but the check-in staff are so busy they won't notice. Make sure you point it out to them.

If all else fails, you now will only get an upgrade by bugging at the Gate. Wait just by the gate, see if you can overhear a Senator passenger "no-showing" and then ask if you can have their seat.

As always, my advice on dressing properly in the pages on how to get an upgrade applies.

Austrian Airlines & Lauda Airlines website

Canadair Regional Jet at Cologne
The website is fairly clean and clear. I can however guarantee that trying to book flights via it's web interface will drive you potty - and on a dialup connection you'll wait for 2 or 3 minutes for each booking phase page to load. None of the graphics will cache, and you're better off going elsewhere. It's insane.

To book a flight, you can enter your departure info on the home page. However (particularly for Star Alliance flights) you're then presented with a long list of possible connections - none of which have prices. When you select a pair a few minutes later it'll finally price up - however you then can't go back to the flight options without going to the home page and searching again. Many happy hours can be wasted this way. You're better off going elsewhere.

Austrian's website: www.aua.com
Lauda's Australian website: www.laudaair.com.au

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