With the timetable change that took place on December 12, 2021, the private railway company Westbahn brought a counterpart to the airlines' premium economy class to the rails with Comfort Class. The "Second-Class-Plus" can be used with the Austrian climate ticket at no extra charge.

So far, no railway company in Austria has come up with the idea of ​​bringing a “premium economy” onto the rails. With the commissioning of the new Stadler Kiss III railcars, the Westbahn dared to take this step. The competitor ÖBB also has three transport classes in the Railjets, but none that is explicitly located between first and second. 

But who is actually willing to pay a surcharge for a little more comfort on the Vienna-Salzburg route and that with a railway company whose “wood class” is on par with the first class of other carriers? Regular customers who want to offer a little more and if they have the climate ticket, the upgrade is even free of charge. You can also reserve your preferred seat free of charge on the Westbahn website. The obvious strategy of the Westbahn is to offer more comfort to frequent travelers and to everyone who could become one.

“Premium-Eco” with the climate ticket at no extra charge

Can that work? Apparently yes, because a test drive carried out by Aviation.Direct, which Westbahn only found out later and therefore had no opportunity to prepare for this report, showed that the Comfort Class is extremely well utilized. All seats were not only reserved, but also used by passengers. As usual with train journeys, there were boarding and alighting stops at the intermediate stops, but the “Premium-Eco” was always full. The vast majority of passengers had the so-called climate ticket Ö. The rest treated themselves to an upgrade.

The Comfort Class of the Westbahn is arranged in groups of four at tables. For families in particular, this is a plus point compared to normal large-capacity cars, because parents not only have their children in view at all times, but snacks or board games are no problem at all. If the Uno, Kniffel or Mühle are too boring for you, you can use the free wireless LAN. In this context, it should also be mentioned that it is also easy to work on the laptop at the tables, because subjectively there is more free space available. Perceived even more subjectively: the portable computer feels more stable. The power supply is also no problem through the sockets.

Baggage areas ensure a rapid flow of passengers

An interesting phenomenon could be observed when boarding, because the passengers put their suitcases in the luggage racks immediately after the entrance to the Comfort Class and only took hand luggage about the size of a woman's handbag with them. This ensures that boarding and deboarding go ahead quickly and that the aisles or seats are not blocked with suitcases. For a deposit (1 euro coin), the piece of luggage can also be chained so that thieves don't stand a chance.

What is generally noticeable on the trains of the Westbahn: Trash cans, like in Austria devices that are called for the disposal of waste, are looked for in the trains in vain. They simply don't exist, because the train attendants regularly go through and collect empty bottles, old newspapers and so on and hand the garbage bags to their colleagues at the stations for final disposal. For reasons of hygiene, there are small rubbish bins in the toilets, which are traditionally gender-segregated on the Westbahn. However, these are not intended for classic travel waste.

A few years ago the Westbahn caused a sensation with smoking chambers. Anyone who expects to meet these must be disappointed. It is true that these existed in the first generation of Kiss trains and that you were actually allowed to smoke there, but that has long been “expressed” in the truest sense of the word. The Austrian legislation changed, so that the smoking chambers of the Westbahn, which were never transport compartments anyway, became non-smoking areas. In times of Corona and FFP2 mask requirements, smoking areas in public transport are unthinkable anyway and will always remain history on the Westbahn.

Climate ticket holders can also collect “cashback” for drinks

In principle, the Westbahn has a bonus program, the credit of which is based on how much you paid for the ticket. This is not so easy with climate ticket holders, because they do not need an additional ticket and receive a free upgrade to second-class plus including seat reservation on-top. However, this customer group does not look through the fingers.

According to Westbahn, the points credited for air-conditioning tickets are based on the kilometers traveled. That is also the reason that you can only collect bonus points if you have saved the climate ticket in the customer account and use the so-called relax check-in via smartphone on board. Otherwise the computers on the Westbahn will not even know where to get on and off. Those who prefer to travel “anonymously” can simply get into Standard Class and show the train attendants the physical climate ticket.

As a holder of the climate ticket, you will be credited 26 Westbahn points on the following day for the Vienna-Salzburg route. The financial equivalent is 2,60 euros, as one point is worth ten cents. In other words: Air-conditioning ticket passengers in Comfort Class, for which they receive a free upgrade including seat reservation, receive a “cashback” of 2,60 euros on the Vienna-Salzburg route. 

The point balance can be used to purchase tickets, but also for upgrades to First Class. In the course of January 2022, an additional option is to come, namely drinks can be paid for with bonus points at the vending machines on board. To do this, you will scan a QR code from the customer account on the device and then the drink will be paid for with points. This seems to be particularly interesting for commuters, because many points quickly accumulate on regular trips. Incidentally, you don't need your own app for the Relax Check-In, you just have to scan a QR code that is on the tables in the Comfort Class using your smartphone browser. If this does not work, the seat number can also be entered manually.

Conclusion: Westbahn has brought an innovation to the rails

When traveling by train, it is very difficult to judge whether a seat is comfortable or not, because this is very subjective. The Westbahn started about ten years ago with the claim to be able to offer a little more comfort for less money. The fact that climate ticket holders are offered seats in the “Premium Economy” at no extra charge is a clever move in terms of customer loyalty. 

In fact, it is quieter, cozier and more spacious than in the “normal second class” of other railway companies. Both as a family and as a business traveler, you will quickly appreciate the Comfort Class of the Westbahn and, for example, after switching to the “normal second class” in Salzburg, you will quickly feel like you have been transferred from a Maserati to a tractor. That is why it will be particularly exciting with which offers the Westbahn is looking for Admission of the Munich trains will advertise for climate ticket customers. With the Comfort Class, the private provider has succeeded in creating a small innovation and imitation by other railroad companies is really desirable in the interests of the passengers.

Finally, for the sake of transparency, attention is drawn to the fact that the Westbahn did not provide a ticket for this trip report and also did not exert any influence on the content. Aviation.Direct did not ask for a free ticket either. The company only found out about the test drive on the Vienna-Salzburg route afterwards. The Ö Klimaticket, which anyone in Austria can buy and use, was used for the journey. This new network card is an integral part of the product test.