Hi all. We will be arriving in Vienna on an Aegean flight coming from Athens on May 9th. Arrival time is supposed to be 9:35 am. Once we get there we need to train to Hallstatt. My question is if I book advanced tickets through OBB website what happens if we have a flight delay and get in late or if we are on time and are able to make an earlier train? Are we stuck with the time on the ticket if I pre book ? If I don’t pre book am I going to be looking at a much more expensive ticket? I would appreciate some guidance on the best way to do this as well as the best/fastest way to get to the train station from the airport.
Posted by
1917 posts
You can go directly from the airport's train station (Flughafen Wien Bahnhof) to Hallstatt (Hallstatt Bahnhst). You have to change trains at least once.
Your best option is departing from the airport at 10:33am (RJ640), changing at Attnang-Puchheim at 1:08pm (R3418). The layover for changing is 9 minutes, but it should happen at the same platform.
For this connection OeBB offers a super saver ticket (2nd class), called Sparschiene, for €20. The regular fare (2nd class) would be €60. There is no need for 1st class, but it is highly recommended to buy a seat reservation (€3). This kind of ticket is bound to the selected train(s). If you miss the train at the airport, your ticket is void, and you get no refund. If you miss the connecting train, you are entitled to use the next train.
If you buy regular tickets you may take any train you like. Nevertheless you should buy always a seat reservation. If you decide to go with another train as originally planned you have still the possibility to buy a seat reservation online on short notice.
There are a lot of train connections to Hallstatt per day, but most of them require 2 or 3 changes.
Check on a flight monitoring portal (e.g. flightaware.com) the history of your specific flight, to check a possible propensity for delays.
Posted by
OP
Kennewick, Wa
63 posts
Thank you wmt1. So if I buy regular fare tickets with a seat reservation for the 10:33 train from the airport would I be able to take a later train if I missed the 10:33 due to a flight delay?
Posted by
Los Angeles
4412 posts
this is a good primer (just beware the bus schedules are outdated but easily found online)
https://www.bigboytravel.com/europe/austria/hallstatt/gettingtohallstatt/
Posted by
1917 posts
So if I buy regular fare tickets with a seat reservation for the 10:33 train from the airport would I be able to take a later train if I missed the 10:33 due to a flight delay?
Yes, you will only lose your seat reservation. When you have figured out what the next train connnection will be you can try to buy online new seat reservations (note: plural because of more changes). The RailJet (RJ or RJX) trains start at Vienna International Airport so they will be empty. The majority of passengers will alight at Vienna main train station after a ride of 15 minutes, so there is a chance that you can find seats which are not reserved.
I looked up the Aegean flights of the past days and they all were on time. I would buy the cheap tickets. The train station is right underneath of the airport's arrival hall, just walk down the ramp. After having passed customs it is a walk of less than 5 minutes.
If you want to be prepared, i.e., having a plan B, look up the available train connections on https://www.oebb.at/en/ using the station names I gave you in italics. So you can decide which connection appeals to you most as an alternative. Do not select a train connection which includes a train bearing a WB designator. WB means Westbahn which is a different train company requiring to buy tickets seperately.