A one-way ticket between Bangkok (BKK) and Montreal (YUL) with a stopover in Vienna (VIE) costs 60,000 Aeroplan points in economy class and 87,500 Aeroplan points in business class (pricing between the Pacific and North American zones, in the 7,501 to 11,000 mile range):

Lufthansa Group airlines (Lufthansa, SWISS and Austrian Airlines) tend to release last-minute seats to Star Alliance partners. These seats are then offered at an excellent price in Aeroplan points.

This Austrian Airlines flight was particularly special for me, as it was my very first experience in business class!

Check out our tutorial at the end of this article on how to earn Aeroplan points, whether you’re reading this from Canada, the U.S. or anywhere else in the world.

At Bangkok-Suvarnabhumi airport and with your business class ticket, you have a choice of four lounges before departure (or more than a dozen if you have a Priority Pass or DragonPass). Austrian Airlines flights depart from Terminal 1.

Personally, I visited the EVA Air and Turkish Airlines lounges. Both are quite small and not particularly remarkable, but I still preferred the cosy atmosphere and choice of food in the EVA Air lounge.

The boarding gate was crowded in Bangkok, but a designated line for business-class passengers eased the process.

Once in Vienna, if you have a connecting flight, the lounges available are the Austrian Airlines Business Lounges. Depending on your final destination, you’ll find the lounge in either the Schengen zone or the non-Schengen zone.

For the Bangkok-Vienna segment, the aircraft used was a twenty-year-old Boeing 777-200ER.
The business class cabin has seven rows, alternating between a 1-2-1 and 2-2-2 arrangement.

For solo travellers, the best seats are A and K in rows 1, 3 and 5: these are the “throne” seats with more personal space.

For the shortest segment between Vienna and Montreal, the aircraft used was a Boeing 767-300ER from around the same years.
However, the age of the cabin was more noticeable on this aircraft than on the 777.

The small business-class cabin has six rows in a 1-2-1 configuration. This cabin has no throne seat.

All in all, there’s very little storage space around the seat. It’s difficult to store anything at foot level, so all bags have to go into the upper compartments. There’s only one pocket for magazines and one for a bottle.

The seat adjusts with electronic controls. An auxiliary lamp is located on the side, as well as international plugs for charging devices.

The entertainment screen is a good size, with a decent selection of movies and shows.

Once transformed into a bed, the seat offered a decent length for me, but being of small stature, I imagine that an average-sized person might feel cramped. Leg and foot space is also quite limited. On the other hand, the pillow and blanket were comfortable.

The comfort kit isn’t particularly impressive. In a gray shoe bag, you’ll find earplugs, a mask, socks and lip balm. The package doesn’t inspire luxury, and neither do the headphones provided.

For this midnight flight from Bangkok, Austrian Airlines offers two types of dinner service. For passengers who want to maximize their rest time, the express formula consists of a cheese plate and a fruit platter, served quickly.

The full menu features a cold starter, a hot entrée, a choice of main course and dessert. Meals are carefully presented, and passengers can accompany their meal with a selection of Austrian or international wines.

Around 90 minutes before landing, a hearty breakfast is served, followed by Austrian Airlines’ famous coffee service.

On the second flight, I unfortunately missed the first service. I had fallen asleep shortly after takeoff, and the cabin crew didn’t want to disturb me. As soon as I woke up, a flight attendant prepared a meal for me, including a sandwich, chips and a small dessert.

For the second course, I enjoyed a salad, a good beef dish and a cheese platter. My meal was accompanied by an excellent Austrian sparkling wine.

On both flights, I found the service courteous and attentive from the cabin crew. The chef on-board makes the experience even more special, and the quality of the food is excellent.

What sets Austrian Airlines apart from other airlines is its menu of specialty coffees, inspired by Viennese tradition. For example, you can order the popular Einspänner, an espresso topped with a mountain of whipped cream.

If hard product is to match soft product, Austrian Airlines will have to modernize its fleet with aircraft such as the Boeing 787 and Airbus 350.

The easiest way to earn Aeroplan Points is to sign up for one of these Aeroplan credit cards. Not only will you earn Aeroplan Points as a welcome bonus, but you’ll also earn Aeroplan Points on all purchases made with your Aeroplan credit card.

Aeroplan’s most popular credit card is the TD^® Aeroplan^® Visa Infinite* Card, whose current welcome offer is as follows:

Note that you can also earn Aeroplan Points through the American Express Membership Rewards program.
You can transfer your American Express Membership Rewards Points into Aeroplan Points at a rate of 1:1. So 10,000 Membership Rewards points = 10,000 Aeroplan points. Many Membership Rewards credit cards are available in Canada.

In my opinion, one of the best American Express Membership Rewards credit cards is the American Express Cobalt^® Card. With this credit card, you get 5 points per dollar for grocery purchases, convenience stores and spending at restaurants and bars. And don’t forget the gift card trick, where you can also earn 5 Points per dollar at many stores, including Amazon, SAQ, Ikea, Netflix and more.

Here is the welcome offer currently available for this card:

If you are not fortunate enough to be able to earn Aeroplan Points through a credit card or partner points program, there are two other ways to earn Aeroplan Points:

• By transferring Marriott Bonvoy points into Aeroplan points: 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points = 25,000 Aeroplan points
• By purchasing Aeroplan points (buy during promotional periods)

Buying Aeroplan points can make sense. In many cases, the cost of this purchase will be equivalent to what you would have paid for an economy flight. Except that you can travel in business or first class!