Vienna Intl Airport (VIE) Flights & Information

Vienna International Airport (VIE), located in the suburb of Schwechat, a suburb just 11 miles from the city center. It’s the primary operational base for Austrian Airlines, and two European low-cost carriers. It’s also a major international gateway for Bratislava, Slovakia, just 35 miles away. Austrian’s network is focused on bringing passengers to Austria, but also connecting passengers to cities in the Balkans, Caucasus, and Middle East, and it’s one of only two European carriers to maintain service to Iraq.

Getting to and from VIE

VIE is optimized for public transportation links. The City Airport Train (CAT) runs between the Wien Mitte transportation center to VIE in just 16 minutes from early morning until late into the evening. Tickets are easy to purchase both at Wien Mitte and at a dedicated ticket booth at VIE right next to the Customs exit in Terminal 3 adjacent the ramp to the train station.

You’ll save a couple Euro if you purchase a roundtrip ticket instead of two one-ways. Outside of the CAT operating hours, the S7 train runs the route in 25 minutes every half hour. Inside of CAT operating hours, you can also take the S7 train to save money (it costs about a third the price of a ticket on the CAT). Personally, I like the CAT because it’s a bit faster and can also be less crowded.

For those going to other parts of Austria, there are direct rail connections from the airport to St. Pölten, Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck. Graz, Klagenfurt, Brno, Brague, Györ, and Budapest can be reached with a change of trains at Vienna Central Station. For these services, check the ÖBB-Railjet website for additional information on schedules.

If you’re headed to Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, or even as far afield as Romania, there are bus services available from the terminal. There are multiple bus lines serving nearby Bratislava, Slovakia. There are also bus connections to many in Austria that can sometimes be quicker than rail connections (you’ll save about 20 minutes over rail to Graz, for example). Buses can also be quicker if traveling to certain surrounding suburbs of Vienna.

If someone is meeting you at the airport and parking a car, or if you’re just in the mood to dine at the airport yourself on a non-travel day, you get two hours of free parking if you spend above a set threshold at Wolfgang Puck Kitchen + Bar outside the secure area. It’s also a good way to get free parking if you’re visiting the terminal for another reason, such as buying a ticket, dropping off luggage the day before departure, or just good old-fashioned airplane spotting.

City check-in

If you’re ticketed on Austrian Airlines, select Star Alliance partners or Wizz Air and have a ticket for the CAT, you can check-in at Austrian’s City Terminal at Wien Mitte. There are check-in machines to print boarding passes and luggage tags. You can also drop checked baggage starting 24 hours prior to your flight’s departure, and up to 75 minutes before departure, unless you have oversized bags or will exceed your baggage allowance, then you must take them with you to check-in at VIE. However, in my experience the check-in lines for Austrian at VIE are typically not very long, so there’s little harm in waiting.

Basic layout of VIE

VIE has two terminals: Terminal 3 is for Austrian, Star Alliance, and some other airlines. Terminal 1 is for everyone else, including most airlines belonging to other alliances, regional airlines, and low-cost carriers like WizzAir and Ryanair. Terminal 3 has gates F and G for Schengen and Non-Schengen departures in the same building, just separated by floor: Schengen departures are on Level 1; Non-Schengen departures are on Level 3. Terminal 1 has gates C and D for Schengen and Non-Schengen departures on the same level, with the more traditional “pier” method non-Schengen to the left, and Schengen to the right.

Navigating security lines at VIE

The security lines at VIE are pretty efficient, and you can pre-book fast track lanes (if you don’t already qualify for traveling in a premium cabin or having elite membership in a frequent flier program) on the Vienna Airport website. Prohibited items and liquid requirements are similar to the United States; if you’re a TSA PreCheck member who is used to loosely adhering to the TSA 311 liquid restrictions, be sure to break out the old one-liter plastic bag for your transit through VIE.

Transit at VIE

VIE is a major hub for Austrian Airlines, but it’s a small airline, so it’s still a small hub. The airport strategically markets this “small hub” position, saying that it’s possible to make an international connection via VIE in just 25 minutes (I can attest to this; I’ve done it in that amount of time myself, with time to spare).. This generally applies to Austrian/Star Alliance flights, but connections are admittedly lightning fast. All arrivals in Austrian’s Terminal 3 are on Level 2. If you’re transiting between a Schengen and non-Schengen destination, you simply go through border controls and a second security check (only if entering Schengen), and go either up or down a floor to go to your next gate.

If you’re transiting between two non-Schengen destinations (e.g. arriving from New York and transiting onward to Bangkok) you skip the border controls and go straight a security check, then on to your gate. I can vouch for the claim – I’ve made a Non-Schengen to Schengen connection at VIE that was scheduled at less than an hour, which turned out to be even shorter after a delay busing to the terminal from a remote gate. The border control and security lines were short and efficient, and I made my connection with time to spare.

VIP lounges at VIE

In Terminal 3 Austrian has two lounges: one for Schengen departures, and one for non-Schengen departures. They’re right next door to each other on Level 2, and are segregated by the level they serve (the Schengen lounge is right next to the border control checkpoint leading to the Non-Schengen gates). Both lounges have standard amenities (bar, seating, hot food buffet, showers, TVs). Within each lounge are separate areas: the Business Lounge for passengers in Business Class, and the Senator Lounge for passengers in any class of service with Star Alliance Gold status, where the amenities are slightly upgraded.

The Schengen Lounge also has a third area: The First Class/HON Circle lounge for the highest tier members of the Miles & More program used by Lufthansa Group members (including Austrian), and for passengers holding a First Class ticket on Lufthansa or SWISS (connecting through another city, as neither airline offers First Class from VIE). The amenities in this area are even more upgraded, but there’s a practical reason to keep these passengers in a specific area: so they can easily find you when it’s time for your limo transfer direct to planeside.

There are also two non-airline lounges: The Vienna Lounge, and the SKY Lounge. The SKY Lounge is available for pre-booking on the airport’s website, and is also contracted by non-Star Alliance airlines serving VIE for their premium passengers. It’s before passport control in Terminal 3. The Vienna Lounge is in Terminal 1 before passport control, where the non-Star Alliance carriers typically depart from. If you pre-book online, there’s a substantial savings over paying upon arrival, and there’s an even bigger discount for booking two passengers together.

A “Super” VIP option

If a lounge experience isn’t VIP enough for you, and you want complete privacy and efficiency when transiting through VIE, you can pre-book access to the VIP Terminal on any flight arriving to or departing from VIE, regardless of airline and class of service. It’s several hundred Euro per person, but it includes exclusive terminal access, private security checks and border controls, and a luxury vehicle transfer direct to planeside for departure. They’ll even check-in or collect your arriving checked bags for you.

Shopping and dining at VIE

You won’t find a ton of luxury boutiques at VIE like at some European airports, but you will find a number of shops selling local Austrian products, both in Schengen and Non-Schengen gate areas. Like many European airports, you can also pre-order duty free to pick up when you get to the terminal. This is helpful because it gives you a chance to crunch numbers and find out how much (if anything) you’re saving over purchasing the products at home.

I can say in my experience the duty-free pricing at VIE doesn’t represent significant savings for US travelers when compared with other airports in Europe. Miles & More members can take note that there’s a Worldshop Airport Store located near the F Gates (Schengen) where members can pay with their points.

Many of the dining options at VIE are takeaway; there are not a huge number of sit-down places to be had, particularly in the G Gates (Non-Schengen) where there’s just one cafeteria-style place called Henry. The F Gates (Schengen) have somewhat more interesting fare, with a number of Jamie Oliver outposts. Vienna being Vienna, there are more than a few places for takeaway coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and pretzels. Perhaps the most interesting eatery is the local Austrian fast food joint Leberkas-Pepi in Arrivals and the F Gates, which sells a variety of famous-in-Austria meatloaf sandwiches.