Guidance on Austria trip?

Many rail web sites don't allow you to select your own seats, but the computer will seat you together to the best of its ability. You can't count on either a table or food service. If a bar or bistro car is not shown on the schedule, then the most you can expect would be a cart with coffee, soda, and chips. You're welcome to carry on your own food and beverage from a supermarket or from sandwich shops in the larger stations.

I wouldn't normally choose first class train tickets, as in your price comparison, but also wouldn't argue with the convenience of a transfer for a group of four.

If I get this right, you are arriving at Vienna airport on Sept 1 and want to go directly to Halstatt.

There are direct IC trains from Vienna airport to Attnang-Pucheim at 33 past the hour. At Attnang-Pucheim you transfer to a local train to Hallstatt station (then ferry transfer over the lake). The cost for 4 adults fully flexible tickets is 205.20 EUR 2nd class. Takes about 4 hours. Seat reservations are an extra 3 EUR per person. When you add the reservation, you can select open saloon with a table or a compartment. But you don't get a carriage view and there is a disclaimer that seating can change. I would assume that if you missed your scheduled train, the change to the next train would be free, but you would need to pay another 12 EUR for new seat reservations.

There is snack and beverage service on the IC train. Also, the connecting local train would be unreserved.

You can book the return trip to Vienna with SparSchiene nonrefundable tickets for 76 EUR total for 4, plus 12 EUR total seat reservation.

Honestly, I would save Melk and a castle (?) as a day trip from Vienna as I cannot even imagine trying to do all that you propose after flying all night. You need to be realistic about what you can do on that first day.

First class is Austria is really so overly indulgent, it is laughable. Second class is very, very fine.

So how to get from the airport to Hallstatt? Here's what I would do: take a taxi to Westbahnhof. Get on the Westbahn train to Attnang-Puchheim and buy your tickets on the train for 21.50 Euro per person. Free wifi and someone comes around with a food cart. Then, once you reach Attnang-Puchheim, get on the regional train/ferry for the rest of the journey. Buy your tickets at the station as regional tickets cannot be purchased in advance. Machines can be used in English. Overall, this will cost you about 150 Euro for all 4 of you. I guess that if money is not an option, you could take the private transfer, but, again, I'd skip Melk and the castle.

Getting back from Hallstatt to Vienna, I would buy SparSchiene tickets online at www.oebb.at. As described above, you can include reservations in your purchase. Those tickets should be about 19 Euro a piece.

Food and drink? On regional trains, no. On the Attnang-Puchheim to Vienna line, yes. But really, everyone just buys a sandwich at the station before they get on as it is vastly cheaper and fresher.

Okay. That was just the information I needed to make an informed decision. Thank you all very much! I was mistaken in my initial post, but we are flying all night, arriving in Vienna at 5:00 p.m., and staying one night in city center before leaving the next day for Hallstatt, September 2. So another plus of taking trains is the private transfer was a 9:00 a.m. start, and I am thinking we might want to shoot for an 11:00 a.m. start, just to sleep in if we need. Plus we can't check in until 3:00 I assume, but it's tricky because Stefanie the ferry stops its service to Hallstatt. I need to find out the time exactly that it stops, now that I think of it. So thank you all for the input. Pretty sure we are going to go by train second class and hope we are together to enjoy some wine and scenery!

Since you will spend the night in Vienna, you can commit to the SparSchiene fare of 19 EUR per person plus 3 EUR seat reservation. You should buy on-line now to make sure you can get it. The ferry runs until 6:50 pm and the 10:55 am departure from Vienna Hbf gets you to Hallstatt at 2:47 pm, plenty of time for the 3 pm ferry.

Wow! Now I don't even have to research the ferry hours! Very informative and I thank you very much!