United partner and Star Alliance member Austrian Airlines has opened the flood gates with business class award space between North America and their hub in Vienna.
In fact there are 8 or more business class seats available on most flights from a variety of cities right now! (There’s coach space, also.)
Vienna Hofburg Imperial Palace at night, Copyright tomas1111 / 123RF Stock Photo
Here’s Chicago – Vienna next summer. Dates with dots have business class space for at least 8 passengers. Dates with a solid bar have economy space.
Here’s Washington Dulles – Vienna next summer. It’s equally plentiful.
Here’s New York JFK – Vienna.
Other gateways work as well. The best availability is over the summer but there’s plenty of space at other times over the next year as well. Remember, these calendars are only showing you dates where there are at least 8 award seats open. Other dates may be available as well with fewer than 8 seats.
Austrian Airlines flies from Vienna to the following North American cities:
- Chicago
- Miami
- Newark
- New York JFK
- Toronto
- Washington Dulles
Vienna is great in its own right. You can’t quite do it in a night, or as quickly as you might walk Amsterdam, but you can see highlights on a Before Sunrise tour. (If the video below doesn’t show a preview, just hit play.)
You may not have any interest in Vienna, but you should have interest in these award seats. You can fly beyond to other destinations in Europe or even Asia.
Book with:
- United MileagePlus: 70,000 miles each way. Chase points transfer to United.
- Aeroplan: 55,000 miles each way (although if you connect to ‘Europe 2’ the price goes to 57,500). American Express points transfer to Aeroplan, but fuel surcharges are added.
- Avianca LifeMiles: 63,000 miles each way.
Austrian offers a fully flat business class product, with some of the best business class catering in the sky. Here are the basics of Austrian’s business class:
(HT: Tiffany)
Connections from lax to JFK on US available or is it like AA?
Would you choose Austrian with a connection in JFK from LAX or IB nonstop from Lax -Mad and then a connection onwards (Sau to Vienna). I tend to prefer the longer TATL
Oops meant “Say to Vienna”
Same q as Beachfan (except from SFO)
70k SA versus 57.5k OW. What would you prefer?
I’d take the longer transatlantic. United domestic award space is weak but not nearly as bad as AA.
This means nothing to me!
(Sorry, couldn’t resist it)
Booked VIE-IAD-SFO, IAD-SFO is economy now, if business opens up later I assume there’s a fee to change? There’s a much later flight with business availability (gets in SF 1am), can I stand by for an earlier flight for either business or economy?
@Martin,
15 points for the Ultravox reference!
so sad you exposed this…. i’ve been looking for return availability for return flights in the third week of July and watching this… now by the time the window opens up for my return this week be shut down…. Sucks…. help me out…..
Isnt Lifemiles up to 75k for Europe oneways in J now?
Never mind, reading error on my part, 63k is correct for Lifemiles oneway to Europe in J
I ended up recently using united miles for an Athens to Frankfurt flight via Vienna. It cost me 30k united miles for a business class seat under a saver award. The cost of the ticket would be $900+ and even buying economy fares across airlines the best I was going to do was $500+, so kinda funny to see this article today. Gets me a bit excited about the business class product although my flights are pretty short. Anyone know what lounge access I may get in ATH or Vienna on a J ticket?
Whats your opinion on sending my starwood + MR points to singapore and booking? Im fresh out of UR and no united miles to speak of.