Travelling and corona

Passengers whose flight was cancelled due to the current situation or was rebooked to a significantly later date, and who do not wish to make use of the rebooking option, can of course ask for a refund.
This also applies to passengers who are in possession of tickets with reimbursable fares, irrespective of the status of the flight concerned. Requests for refunds can be made using our online form or via our Service Centre.

If you booked via a travel agency, please contact your local representative there.

However, we ask you for your understanding that there will be longer processing times due to the high number of requests.
If you have already requested a refund, no further contact is required. We have increased our capacities and are processing all applications.

Please always check the ​status of your flight and the current travel and entry restrictions of your final destination immediately before the start of your planned journey, as well as any possible transit locations, because these may change at short notice. 

You will find information about international entry restrictions at ​​iatatravelcentre.com. You will find information for Austrian nationals on the website of the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs. You can find information about entry to Austria on the website of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

We have changed our fare structure in order to offer you more flexibility for future bookings.

All tickets can be rebooked free of charge until the end of December 2020, irrespective of the fare you booked. This applies to new bookings worldwide for short, medium and long-haul flights.

The autumn and winter are the classic seasons for colds and flu, and they are very difficult to distinguish from a Covid-19 infection. This means that we need to focus even harder on protecting the health of our passengers and employees. Most especially now, during these times of Covid-19, a sense of personal responsibility is required in all of us more than ever before.

So protect yourself as well as others. Pay attention to cold and flu symptoms and, if in doubt, do not take the flight. At check-in, confirm to us that you are fit to fly health-wise and that, to the best of your knowledge, you have not contracted Covid-19. Furthermore, we have taken many measures – from contactless boarding to the compulsory use of masks on board – to protect your health while travelling. This also includes our staff having to classify boarding passengers with severe cold symptoms as “not fit to fly”. To protect all other passengers and employees, they will be excluded from the flight.

Therefore: please stay at home if you have any symptoms of a respiratory tract infection, of a cold or of flu symptoms, such as fever, a cough, chills, shortness of breath or loss of smell and taste. Use our free, flexible rebooking options and postpone your trip.

However, a mild cold or a slightly runny nose should not prevent you from travelling – as long as you do not have a fever. Just ask yourself whether you would like to sit next to a person on this flight with the symptoms you have.

Passengers are obliged to wear a mouth-and-nose covering on board Austrian Airlines aircraft and at Vienna Airport.
All passengers are asked to bring their own protective masks with them – just like on other forms of public transport.
Face shields, scarves and masks with a valve are not permitted on board.

Please protect yourself and your fellow travellers!

Only take your trip if you feel healthy. Check your health status for the classic Covid-19 symptoms, such as fever, cough, breathing difficulties, loss of smell and taste, and also for the existence of other symptoms of an influenza-like infection.

Please confirm at check-in that you have not been in contact with a case of Covid-19 within the previous 14 days; also that you are not awaiting an outstanding test result and have not tested positive yourself.

All customers are also asked to check the current travel and entry restrictions of their final destination as well as any possible transit locations before the start of their planned trip since these may change at short notice.
Information on international immigration restrictions can be found at ​iatatravelcentre.com.

Information for Austrian citizens can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of European and International Affairs. Information on entering Austria can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

Due to changed security control procedures at the airport please allow more time for this process.
Restrictions may occur throughout your trip due to the enhanced hygiene and safety regulations, for example longer waiting periods at airport security controls.

When selecting or allocating seats, the rule is that passengers who do not live in the same household must spread out as far as possible throughout the aircraft.
However, where capacity allows, no passenger will be prevented from keeping the neighbouring seat free.

Right at the start of the Corona crisis, Austrian Airlines was already increasing the frequency of cabin cleaning. This will, of course, continue when flights are resumed.
In addition to the standard cleaning after every flight, more frequent deep-cleaning is now also taking place.
This mainly includes cleaning all the tables, armrests, seat belts and door handles.

Of course, water and soap are always available as well in the lavatories on board for passengers to wash their hands.
Special filters ensure that the air on board is cleaned continuously during the flight. The standard of these devices is equivalent to that in clinical operating theatres; as a result, the air on board is cleaner than the air you breathe on the ground. Furthermore, the airflow in the aircraft is from top to bottom. This means that any distribution of air between the seat rows is unlikely.

Passengers are also obliged to wear masks at Vienna Airport, where enhanced cleaning operations are also in place. There are so-called “sneeze guards” (Plexiglass panes) attached to the check-in, boarding and information desks.
Floor markings help to maintain safe distancing.
There are also hand sanitisers available for passengers along the entire route to the aircraft.

Boarding will in future take place in groups. This allows the aircraft to be boarded separately in smaller groups. Contactless boarding is also possible at Vienna Airport via Quick Boarding gates. At these gates, boarding passes are read by a scanner. Contact with an employee thus becomes unnecessary.

In these special times, we, along with our joint venture partners, are making every effort to ensure that you feel comfortable and safe on board.

All the measures that our partners have taken for you and those you should personally observe on the connecting flight and in the transfer airport can be found in the following links - so that you can continue to fly safely:

At Vienna Airport, there is the opportunity to do a molecular coronavirus/Covid-19 test (PCR test).

Persons currently entering Austria are subject to various regulations due to the Covid-19 pandemic. For example, entry from certain countries requires mandatory PCR testing. Any quarantine obligations can also be avoided with such testing.

Passengers departing from Vienna can prove that they are coronavirus-free with this health certificate when entering another country. Although its validity is dependent upon the entry regulations at the destination in question. 

It is strongly recommended that you inform yourself about current travel and entry restrictions at your final destination and at any possible transit locations before commencement of travel.

You will find further information about the procedure, costs and accessibility of the Corona/Covid-19 PCR test at Vienna Airport at www.viennaairport.com/coronatest.

Our Austrian Schengen Business Lounge in Terminal 3 at Gate F is has now reopened. A delicious treat before your flight – from 05:30 a.m. to 08:00 p.m.

In the Austrian Airlines lounge, the obligatory use of masks must be strictly adhered to, as in the entire airport terminal and on board. Mouth and nose coverings may only be removed when seated at table.