For this week’s Meal of the Week, we return to Austrian Airlines for a surprisingly delicious Wiener Schnitzel from the carrier’s buy-on-board menu.

Meal Of The Week: Wiener Schnitzel On Austrian Airlines

On my recent Austrian Airlines flight from Vienna to Zürich, I pre-ordered a hot meal from the carrier’s Austrian Melangerie menu.

What else would I order on Austrian Airlines but Wiener Schnitzel?

Yes, I realize a proper Wiener Schnitzel is made with veal. Austrian uses chicken onboard, describing the dish as:

Golden-brown chicken schnitzel with parsley potatoes

The price was €13.80, though I received a 10% discount for pre-ordering.

Presentation was hardly glamorous. The schnitzel and potatoes were served together in a cardboard box, but sometimes you have to look beyond the presentation. The chicken was tender, the breading remained surprisingly crisp, and the parsley potatoes were a nice accompaniment.

Most importantly, it tasted very good.

My son and I shared it and polished off the entire meal. For a short intra-Europe economy class flight, I thought the portion and quality were quite reasonable.

I’d happily order it again.

Five Minutes Too Short For A Wiener Melange…

I had also hoped to try the Julius Meinl Wiener Melange, a €5.20 coffee served with milk foam in a proper ceramic cup on a silver tray.

Alas, Austrian only offers the Melange on flights of at least 80 minutes and our Vienna to Zürich flight was apparently five minutes too short according to the flight attendant.

Too bad.

Next time…

CONCLUSION

Austrian Airlines may charge for food in shorthaul economy class, but at least it offers something more interesting than simple junk food. The Wiener Schnitzel was tasty, reasonably priced, and quintessentially Austrian.

Even from a cardboard box, this was a very satisfying meal.

My Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago.