This is the third year of Austrian's operation out of Mumbai. What has been the performance of the airline in these 3 years in terms of load factor, services offered and flight frequencies?
 Austria offers daily flights from Delhi and five flights from Mumbai with an excellent midnight departure from Delhi and Mumbai with an early morning arrival into Vienna with excellent onward connections to all points in Western, Central and Eastern Europe, New York, Chicago and TorontoWe have had a very positive responsefrom the Indian travel fraternity both from travel agents and the corporate sector. This has resulted in achieving higher load factors year on year. Our Business Class load factors Ex-Mumbai have shown a 30% growth which is a significant improvement over last year.

What are the changes made in the Business Class flight on the Mumbai - Vienna route?
Austrian introduced Lie-Flat beds in Business Class on the Mumbai route on 1st July 2007 complementing the on-board chef, fine dining and the wide selection of Austrian wines. Our Flying Coffee House with over a dozen varieties of coffee served onboard makes Austrian the most preferred carrier amongst our corporate guests. With the introduction of lie-flat beds, our Business Class uplifts on the route have increased by 30% which is heartening indeed.
 

Tell us about the USPs (Unique Selling Points) offered by Austrian to the Indian traveller, including the benefits of being part of the Star Alliance Team?
.In terms of USPs we have an excellent midnight departure from Mumbai with an early morning arrival into Vienna with immediate onward connections to entire Europe especially Central and Eastern Europe and also convenient connections to New York, Washington, Chicago and Toronto. Our weekend departures are preferred by corporate clients and transiting Vienna Airport is always considered a preferred option by most of our travellers. Apart from offering both Western and Indian cuisine, we also provide Jain meals onboard our Mumbai-Vienna-Mumbai route and our flights do cater to our valued clients.

Austrian became a member of the Star Alliance in 2000. Star Alliance is the largest and most awarded airline alliance providing many points of cooperation among its partner airlines. These benefits include the integration of frequent flyer programmes, which allow airline miles to be earned and redeemed with all members of the Alliance; access to all lounges by premium customers; coordination of flight schedules to permit travel with different carriers on a single ticket; special fares and discounts; and seamless customer service processes.

Tell us more about the cuisine offered by Austrian.
 Austrian is now offering an even stronger culinary service on its long-haul Business Class flights. Six-course gourmet menus are created by Austrian and international chefs, and subsequently refined à la minute by a professional chef onboard. Business Class passengers now have the chance to enjoy this exclusive personal service from a top chef on all Austrian long-haul flights. In addition to that, Business Class passengers on long-haul flights are indulged with the Original Viennese Coffee House Service. This means that they can enjoy a selection of 11 typically Austrian coffee variations with their dessert ranging from Großer Brauner and the ever-popular Wiener Melange through to real specialities such the Wiener Fiaker. Austrian Airlines is the only airline in the world to provide this innovative service.
 
 Economy Class passengers receive an exclusive 'Austrian Snack Box' containing delicious Austrian treats on short-haul flights which is a new, high-value service. Together with award-winning Austrian chef, Helmut Österreicher (of Vienna's Österreicher im MAK), a unique in-flight culinary product has been developed that impresses with its high level of quality and seasonal diversity. On all international flights (those between 65 and 150 minutes in flight time), depending on the time of departure, passengers will be served a freshly prepared breakfast or daytime meal in the newly developed 'Austrian Snack Box'. Austrian is also offering a diverse selection of alcoholic, non-alcoholic and hot drinks. On all domestic and 'ultra-short-haul- flights (up to 65 minutes in flight time), passengers in Economy Class will be able to enjoy a 'refreshment service' consisting of sweet and savoury snacks. Coffee, tea and water are also served as refreshments.
 
 A hot meal is served in Economy Class on all short and medium-haul flights with a flight time of between 80 and 150 minutes. Like the cold snacks included in the Snack Service, Austrian has created these in partnership with Helmut Österreicher. The Snack Service is based on fresh and innovative Austrian cuisine and contains a range of pleasant surprises in the shape of typically Austrian delicacies such as tafelspitz, schinkenfleckerln, filling fleischlaibchen and amongst the choice of desserts kaiserschmarrn. The dishes vary according to the day and time of departure with the selection being conceived in such a way that it provides even frequent flyers with a wealth of choice.

Can you elaborate on etix and the Quick Check-in system?
 'etix' is an electronic ticket . It is the fastest and most convenient way to book your flight electronically. With etix there are fewer travel documents to be carried and as such there is no possibility of tickets being lost or stolen. Booking can be done at the Austrian Airlines website or at any participating airport ticket sales office. If the respective fare regulations allow, flights can even be booked as shortly as two hours before departure. Simply provide your credit card or Miles & More number to identify yourself and present this card at check-in. If you don't have a credit card or Miles & More card, you require a photo identification to obtain your etix. Your ticket will be stored electronically in our database and you are issued your boarding pass at check-in. Your ticket receipt with the ticket price including taxes and fees will also be given to you when you book your flight or when you receive your boarding pass. Additionally, you can combine the comfort of etix with the speed and convenience of the Quick Check-in system and get onboard even faster. 'etix' facilities are available at over 60 Austrian and more than 100 Star Alliance destinations. A list of all eligible etix destinations can be found at the Austrian Airlines website.

Have you seen a shift in leisure traffic to Eastern Europe with more countries coming under the Schengen States and what are your strategies to ensure that Austrian is the preferred carrier for Central and Eastern Europe?
 Traffic to Central and Eastern Europe has increased tremendously. Such destinations are being promoted aggressively especially for MICE groups. We also offer special FIT/Group fares for our valued customers.