Just a word of caution. There are two ways of getting to and from Vienna airport from the city by train. There is the S-Bahn – the commuter trains – which make the journey in about 30 minutes and which will cost you as little as EUR3.60. And then there’s the CAT, a glitzy and fancy affair which makes the journey nonstop in just under half time but more than twice the price of the S-Bahn. To be honest, I wouldn’t bother if I were you…

Mode of Transport: Train
Journey Time: 30 minutes
Price: EUR3.60
Leaves from: Wien Mitte / Landstrasse subway station
Arrives: Wien Flughafen Schwechat
Frequency: four trains an hour

I arrive at the airport about two hours prior to departure. And once more I’m struck by the incredibly bad signposting and the circuitous routings you have to take as a passenger. This is ridiculous. You start following the signs to a particular area and then suddenly, at some point the signs to that particular place disappear and you’re left guessing for where to go next.

Check-in

Niki uses check-in area 1. I’ve only got hand luggage, so I checked in using the Air Berlin app, which works incredibly well. Much better in fact than the KLM one for example. It also seems to me that Niki try to keep the seat next to you empty if you’re a status card holder. I’m travelling with my colleague M. but we’re booked on different PNRs. We both look at the seat plan on our respective iPhones. I park myself on an empty row and the moment I do, M. can no longer select any seat on that row. So eventually we work our way around the problem by having him select his seat first and me then parking myself next to him. As it happens, 1A is still available. And I take 1C.

Airside

My flight will be leaving from one of the C gates, which are located on the old terminal. On my way there I pass the booth for smokers, which is absolutely packed. I have to stifle a laugh. Seriously? This is just so undignified.

Little do I know that the Air Berlin ‘lounge’ a few steps further up is really not much better. Except perhaps that it’s less busy. It’s a small, sterile looking room with not much to offer in terms of food and drink. Wifi is available throughout the terminal anyway, courtesy of Vienna Airport. They don’t even have a lounge dragon. How uncivilised is that? Instead you just scan your boarding pass and you’re in. I don’t like.

So instead I take a seat at the bar in the atrium around which the C gates are arranged. I have myself a toasted panino, a cappuccino and a coke zero for EUR10, which isn’t that bad really.

Boarding

Priority Boarding: apparently

According to the announcement, boarding for the flight is done by cabin zones. However, in practise this doesn’t really count for anything much. There is a gate agent, but he doesn’t seem particularly interested in what’s going on and so it’s pretty much a free for all. Newspapers are available at the door as we enter the aircraft.

The Cabin

Configuration: 3 + 3
Seat: standard configuration
Facilities: none
Audio and Video: audio and video, although on this flight only the moving map and tacky Etihad adverts are available

Niki does not have a Business Class. I think the fact that they subsequently don’t have a cabin divider either gives the cabin a very spacious and airy feel. Apart from that there isn’t really that much to say.

The Crew

The last time I flew Niki, many moons ago, their cabin crew wore these ridiculous silver uniforms that made them look like sausages rolls wrapped in tinfoil. I’m not sure if that was the intended effect but in any case I’m glad to see that the uniforms evidently have matured with the company. Nowadays it’s a much more understated pink blouse and indigo coloured jeans. Yes, much better. The crew aren’t exactly gushing, but they’re friendly enough and their smiles seem genuine.

The Meal

Sandwich of chicken breast with salad and barbecue sauce

Hot and cold drinks

I’m not really hungry. It’s just that the food service helps to shorten the journey time. There is a choice between a cheese sandwich and chicken. I go with the latter and I must say it’s rather tasty.

Arrival

The flight time is only one hour. It’s a lovely evening for flying. We come in over lake constance, crossing it’s entire length from east to west. We land on runway 14. It’s a nice balmy evening here in Zürich.

Four weeks and fourteen flights later and I’m finally back home again, even if it’s only for a week. It’s good to be home. So what about Niki? I thought they were okay. Admittedly the experience was nothing to write home about and I very much doubt it will stick in my mind as a particularly outstanding experience. But I certainly wouldn’t hesitate to fly them again.

Epilogue

In Vienna I stayed at the Hilton Plaza. The facility recently underwent a complete facelift and only reopened on 6 June 2014. There are still a few teething problems but all in all it’s a very nice hotel and the rooms still have that smell of new furniture. The location of the hotel on the Schottenring is excellent and the U-Bahn stop is literally just around the corner, making it easy to reach any point in the city quickly.