I’m on my way to Skopje in Macedonia. I had a few commitments I couldn’t shift, which is why I’m flying with Austrian Airlines via Vienna on the evening service. I’m a bit concerned about the short layover in Vienna, but supposedly, it’s an official connection. So, if anything goes wrong, it’s not my fault…

Check-In

I arrive at the airport early, just after 17h00. My departure from Zürich is not until 20h50. I’ve already checked in on the app. The airport is very quiet today, which is a bit surprising.

SWISS Schengen Senator Lounge

With approaches on runway 28 today, my original plan is to visit the SWISS Alpine Lounge for the view. It’s only when I’m standing in front of the spiraling staircase that I remember that the lounge is only open until 18h00 in the evening. So, I might as well go straight to the main SWISS Senator Lounge – which is also very quiet.

It’s time to get some food. Today’s special is a burger made with pulled beef between a silser bun. To be honest, I just wanted to ask if I could have one of the buns for with my salad, but before I know it, the cook is handing me a plate with a freshly made burger on it. I feel a bit rude not taking it now, so I accept the plate. Turns out the burger is rather good.

Boarding

I always get bored in the lounge at some point. Rather, I worry that I might be missing something on the ramp. I exit the lounge about one hour before departure and amble along the A concourse. Boarding starts at 20h30 for our 20h50 departure, beginning with boarding groups 1 and 2. At least I think that’s what the gate agents says because her functional German and English are both next to nonexistent.

The Cabin & Seat

There are four rows of Business Class for a total of 16 seats, and occupancy is 16/16 on this evening’s flight. I’m on 1F, which I chose strategically for the view. Mr 1D takes his seat and immediately takes off his shoes. Now, personally, I consider myself a fairly docile, polite, even tempered, and well-adjusted human being. This shows, for example, in the fact that I think I rather politely and quietly ask Mr 1D to put his shoes back on again. Mainly, because the cabin had started to smell as though a mid-sized creature has decided to loose its will to live and start decomposing right there in the cabin of an Airbus A 320. He looks at me with big eyes and simply asks, “why?” And, much to my own surprise, I loose my temper. “Why do you think I’m asking you to put your shoes back on, hm? Your feet smell, you stink”. I’m yelling. Shit. I’m causing a scene. The purser comes along, and I must admit I’m mightily impressed by how the young man quickly defuses the situation. He explains to Mr 1D that he really needs to put his shoes back on for… eh… safety reasons. Yes, safety reasons! In case of an evacuation, passengers need to be able to run away from the aircraft to safety quickly. Which is easier if they’re wearing shoes. Mr 1D relents, having been given a way out to save face.

The Service & Crew

The crew are a bit nondescript, which is quite normal for Austrian Airlines, I find. It’s not that they’re rude or anything. It’s just that they’re a bit bland. Even the announcements sound like the speaker is about to nod off to sleep. Nonetheless, I will say that the purser handles Mr 1D and his outrageously smelly feet rather well – deflecting to prevent a scene. Once boarding is completed, the crew pass through the Business Class cabin with packaged scented towels. I guess I could always shove mine up my nostrils if Mr 1D starts getting ideas again…

In any case, we take off from runway 28 and then make a wide sweeping left u-turn over the city of Zürich to point us in the opposite direction towards Vienna in the east. On flights to Vienna it’s advisable to get a window seat on the right side for the best views of the Alps. The flight time is 55 minutes.

The Meal – Light Dinner

The meal service starts with the crew passing through the cabin with the drinks trolley. I request a sparkling water with lemon, which is delivered without the lemon. Once the drinks have been distributed, the crew start handing out the trays. And what a strange meal it is!

The main course is some kind of boiled beef with a bit of salad. Underneath the thin layer of meat are these rather unappetizing looking large brown beans swimming in some white sauce or mayo. And they haven’t bothered to remove the clingfoil from the dish either before serving it. With the main, the crew serve warm bread with butter. For dessert is a triangular piece of some chocolate cake that looks so sweet and rich that I don’t even bother trying it.

The crew quickly remove the trays and then pass through the cabin with Lindor pralines to conclude the service.

Arrival in Vienna

With a flight time of only 55 minutes, we land in Vienna at 21h45, which has us pulling onto our stand at 21h50, extending my transfer time from the originally scheduled 35 minutes to 50 minutes. We park on a remote stand and then take a bus to the terminal just a short distance away. Once I switch on my mobile, there’s an email in my inbox from Austrian Airlines informing me that my onward connection will be from gate G12 on the non-Schengen concourse.