Flying Home for Christmas: 430,000 bookings with Austrian Airlines

This Christmas, Austrian Airlines is once again connecting and flying people from all over the world with their loved ones. A total of 430,000 passengers are expected around Christmas and New Year’s Eve. However, the Christmas and New Year period is not only characterized by the festive season, but is also a popular vacation time, partly due to the school vacations. Accordingly, Austrian Airlines’ warm-water destinations are also in great demand. Mauritius, Male and Cancún will be served again this year and offer a sunny change from the cold winter months in Europe. With Porto, Marseille, Tromsø, Vilnius, Seville, Rovaniemi and Kittilä, Austrian Airlines is also offering a whole range of new destinations this year.

Culinary WOW moment with Miss Rosy 

A special culinary WOW moment awaits Business Class passengers on long-haul flights between 22 December 2023 and 1 January 2024. In addition to the usual culinary offerings from Austrian Airlines and Do&Co, these passengers will receive a refreshing aperitif called Miss Rosy as an amuse bouche. This is a long drink based on a regionally produced Schilcher vermouth. The vermouth from a young Styrian winegrower is refined with tonic, lemon and fresh rosemary and offers a festive start to the culinary journey with Austrian Airlines.

“The Christmas season particularly emphasizes the unifying element of air travel. Every year, Austrian Airlines flies people home from all over the world. Our new destinations such as Marseilles, Porto and Vilnius offer even more opportunities to fly with Austrian Airlines. We are also rounding off our range with our vacation destinations and offering a sunny change from winter with our warm-water destinations during the vacation season. In total, we are expecting around 430,000 passengers around Christmas and New Year’s Eve this year, who will be treated to Austrian hospitality from the moment they board,” says Austrian Airlines COO Michael Trestl.

15% more passengers than in 2022

This year, Austrian Airlines is expected to transport even more passengers for Christmas and New Year’s Eve than last year. Around 130,000 passengers are expected on the Christmas weekend alone and around 100,000 on the New Year’s Eve weekend. Bookings are 15 percent higher than in the previous year, which means that the number of passengers is expected to be significantly higher.

 Bremen and Tbilisi to be served from summer 2024

The new year also brings new destinations for Austrian Airlines. The 2024 summer flight schedule will be expanded to include the destinations Bremen and Tbilisi. The route network in Germany is being expanded with Bremen. From May 6, 2024, the destination will once again be served four times a week. Next year, Austrian Airlines will also resume flights to the Georgian capital Tbilisi, thus offering another direct connection from Vienna to the region south of the Caucasus in addition to Yerevan. The resumption of the flight to Tbilisi will begin at the start of May 2024, from when this route will be flown three times a week. In addition to the additional destinations of Bremen and Tbilisi, there is also another change in the 2024 summer flight schedule, as Bari will now be served twice instead of just once a week. “We are also expanding our route network in the 2024 summer flight timetable and thus the range on offer for our guests. Demand and the desire to travel are increasing, which is why we are constantly expanding our flight destinations. Whether flying from Vienna to the Bremen Town Musicians or to the beautiful Georgian old town on the Kura River, Austrian Airlines will continue to take our passengers directly from Vienna to their destination in the coming year with the usual Austrian hospitality,” says CCO Michael Trestl.