Austrian Airlines is starting to firm up its Winter 2021 long-haul programme, and it seems that leisure destinations are in the hot-seat for the season.
Let’s take a look.
Austrian Airlines Boeing 777-20ER departing Chicago O’Hare – Image, Economy Class and Beyond
The airline has announced the first of its long-haul flights, operating to Cancún twice a week from the 24th of October.
Planned operation is as follows:
OS061 DEPART VIE 10:40 ARRIVE CUN 16:10 Thursday & Sunday OS062 DEPART CUN 18:05 ARRIVE VIE 11:30+1 Thursday & Sunday Commences: 24th October 2021 Operates Thursday & Sunday Booked Equipment: Austrian Airlines Boeing 777 Data: Austrian Airlines
This will be the first time the airline has operated a direct flight to Cancún since 2006.
As well as Mexico, Austrian Airlines is chasing after the leisure market with plans to expand flights on its route to the Maldives, serving Malé three times a week. Cape Town will also rejoin the network, operating two flights a week, and finally, Mauritius will also be reintroduced to the flight schedule flying up to three flights a week.
Austrian Airline plans to utilise its Boeing 777 fleet on this route.
In Quotes
Chief Commercial Officer Michael Trestl said
“People are longing for vacations, long-distance travel and the sea. That’s why we will be focusing on attractive long-haul destinations in the coming winter flight schedule to satisfy our passengers’ desire to travel. I am confident that by then many people worldwide will have been vaccinated that travel will once again be possible without severe restrictions.”
Counting on Leisure Traffic
Interestingly in the press release, one of the first line in it was “Vacation offensive in the cold season”. That sums up what airlines are chasing at the moment. With long-haul business traffic still subdued (and seemingly expected to be so for some time to come), airlines are counting on customers wanting to travel to either get away from a hard year and a bit of being grounded, be it for leisure or family purposes (let us not forget that families have been separated due to these travel bans).
It’ll be interesting to see what other long haul destinations Austrian add for the winter season, depending of course if we have another wave hit…
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