TRIP REPORT: Austrian, Skopje - Newark via Vienna

TRIP REPORT


Written by Atanas Alkov

Ticket: I bought 4 multi city tickets from Skopje to Newark and from Miami to Skopje for 650 euros each.

Skopje Airport: Seasonal charters to Antalya in the middle of the night were in full swing, so there were quite some people both in arrival and departure area. On the airside I noticed about a dozen men sleeping on the chairs with their checked in luggage by them. I understood they came from Turkey and were denied entry, so they were waiting the next flight to go back to Istanbul. My guess is they were travelling with fake passports. They should have known that only the fake passports issued by MOI of North Macedonia are accepted.


Flight OS778 SKP-VIE: Red-eye flight with 70% occupancy on A320. D0&CO a la carte menu is no longer offered on OS flights, instead OS has their own buy on board menu named Melangerie with zero sales on this flight.


Vienna Airport: I am always under the impression that Vienna Airport is oversized but at least they have space for future growth. We went through extremely rigorous double security and documents check before being cleared for boarding.



Flight OS89 VIE-EWR: This flight was operated with B777-200ER, the biggest aircraft in OS’ fleet. We were lucky enough the load in economy was no more than 50%, so with few strategic moves my family of 4 was able to spread over 11 seats in 3 rows. Under the excuse of corona and limited interaction between passengers and flight attendants, there was only one option for the main meal and that was vegetarian pasta. Interior of the aircraft was in perfect condition and the whole flight was very relaxed.





EWR Newark Liberty International Airport: This airport is a major hub for United Airlines, so many Star Alliance passengers arriving here have onward flights with United Airlines. The airport is nothing spectacular, but my personal experience is excellent because we were out in less than 15 minutes, and I would choose EWR over JFK anytime.



Something extra: For the second part of my vacation after New York, I took a flight from LaGuardia Airport to Tampa International Airport in Florida with Southwest Airlines, so I want to give you a few tips. If you travel within USA, check the Southwest Airlines site. They have the best prices especially if you travel on Tuesday or Wednesday and 2 checked bags are always included.


Share your travel experience by submitting a trip report to exyu@exyuaviation.com

Comments

  1. Anonymous09:11

    Nice report. Lucky about the load to Newark. I also agree it is a much better airport to fly into than JFK and you are in Manhattan much quicker.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Vlad10:41

    "Under the excuse of corona and limited interaction between passengers and flight attendants, there was only one option for the main meal and that was vegetarian pasta."

    This has now become standard on LH long-haul as well. Really pathetic.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Standard first meal in Economy on JAT Yugoslav Airlines Yugoslavia to North America :
      aperitif, wine, beer and soft drinks, served with peanuts, followed by

      choice of hot meal, usually Beef steak or Turkey breasts with vegetables, served on big tray, with hors d ouvre (smoked ham, or tuna salad, or chicken salad), mixed vegetables salad, desert, white and brown roll, butter, yellow cheese, chocolate, served simultaneously with the second drink service including wine and beer,

      additional warm rolls offered during the service, followed by

      coffee and tea service, and followed by

      the second coffee and tea service

      Delete
    2. Austrian Airlines and other LH Group airlines are shade of their former glory.

      Delete
  3. Anonymous18:16

    What does " only the fake passports of MOI of North Macedonia are accepted" mean ?
    Interesting report btw . I never had any idea about Austrian but they seem to be a decent airline .

    ReplyDelete

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