CHICAGO, 2013-05-21 — /travelprnews.com/ — The Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) today welcomed new air service from Austrian Airlines at O’Hare International Airport. The airline will fly five times a week to Chicago from Austria’s capital city of Vienna. The service will be operated using a Boeing 767, equipped with a completely new cabin featuring new full-flat seats in Business Class, new, modern Economy seats and a new inflight entertainment system.
“Chicago is excited to welcome Austrian Airlines to our global gateway, O’Hare International Airport. Austrian’s new service to Vienna provides a direct connection between two vibrant, world-class cities,” said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. “This route is expected to generate $90 million worth of economic activity for our region and help create new jobs through increased tourism and business opportunities between Austria and Chicago.”
With the Chicago destination, Austrian Airlines will now offer a total of 26 nonstop flights a week to North America, including daily flights to New York Washington, D.C. and Toronto. The Austrian Airlines network flies into and out of Central and Eastern Europe to cities such as Prague, Bucharest, Sofia and Belgrade.
“We are very pleased to be back in Chicago and operating at O’Hare,” said Karsten Benz, Austrian Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer. “Vienna is known for great classical music, concerts and traditional architecture. We hope many Chicagoans will visit our beautiful city, which also provides a gateway for a wide range of destinations into and out of Central and Eastern Europe.”
“I want to thank Austrian Airlines for choosing Chicago to be its Midwest connection to Vienna,” said Rosemarie S. Andolino, CDA Commissioner. “New air service is always a plus for travelers at O’Hare and fosters continued growth at Chicago’s airports.”
From Chicago, Austrian Airlines will offer transfer connections to other destinations across the U.S. through its partnership with United Airlines including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Las Vegas, Denver and Seattle.
Austrian Airlines has previously served Chicago, most recently in the years 2007 and 2008. Austrian Airlines has been part of a transatlantic joint venture with United Airlines and Air Canada since July 2011. As a result, Austrian Airlines has been able to strengthen its market position on transatlantic flights in the last year.
About Austrian Airlines
Austrian Airlines is Austria’s largest carrier and operates a global route network of 130 destinations. That route network is particularly dense in Central and Eastern Europe with 41 destinations. The company’s hub is at Vienna International Airport. Austrian Airlines is part of the Lufthansa Group, Europe’s largest airline group, and a member of the Star Alliance, the first global alliance of international airlines.
O’Hare currently serves approximately 196 destinations, including 55 international and 141 domestic destinations. Approximately 50 percent of O’Hare’s traffic is connecting.
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