Austrian

Austrian Airlines (OS) is a Star Alliance member based in Vienna (VIE) and part of the Lufthansa Group. It flies across Europe plus long-haul routes to North America and Asia, and its business class catering by DO&CO, complete with an onboard chef on long-haul flights, has a deserved reputation as some of the best food in the sky.

Austrian

Which miles can you use to book Austrian Airlines?

Because Austrian Airlines is in Star Alliance, you can book its award space with partner miles, including:

  • United MileagePlus: no fuel surcharges, and united.com is also the easiest place to search
  • Air Canada Aeroplan
  • Avianca LifeMiles: often the cheapest, no surcharges
  • Turkish Miles&Smiles

How to search for Austrian Airlines award space:

The easiest place to search is the United Airlines website. United displays Star Alliance partner availability, including Austrian Airlines, and you can search without holding any miles.

Step 1

Log in to your United Airlines account on united.com. If you don’t have an account yet, signing up is free.

Step 2

Select the Book Travel box and fill in your trip details:

  • Select either Round Trip or One Way
  • Enter your departure and arrival city. For Austrian Airlines, think routes touching Vienna (VIE), like VIE-JFK, VIE-ORD, VIE-BKK, or connections across central Europe
  • Enter your dates
  • Select the number of passengers
  • Select Award Travel

Then click Search.

Step 3

Pick the flight option that fits your schedule. Watch the connection times carefully, as some options have very long layovers.

If you would like to search a different day, use the calendar to scan nearby dates. Vienna makes a convenient, compact connecting hub, and Austrian’s availability tends to be better than Lufthansa’s on the same corridors.

Make sure you select the Saver Award, as standard awards cost far more miles and usually can’t be booked with partner programs anyway.

Step 4

Choose your preferred flight and open its details. Write down the following information: flight number, dates, and cabin class.

Step 5

Now book with the program your miles live in. If it’s United miles, book right there on united.com. For other programs (Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Miles&Smiles), check their website first, since most can book Star Alliance partners online now. If the flight doesn’t show, call the program and read the agent the exact flights you found. They should be able to see and book the same space for you.

Tips before you book

  • Austrian releases business class to partners more readily than its parent Lufthansa does. If Frankfurt routings show nothing, try the same origin and destination through Vienna.
  • If united.com shows nothing, cross-check the same route on aeroplan.com. Partner sites occasionally disagree on the last seat or two.