On 11 November Austria’s flag carrier updated its travel-advice portal to issue a stark reminder: from 2 April 2025 all visa-exempt European nationals—Austrians included—must hold a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before boarding flights to Britain. Non-European visa-exempt travellers fall under the scheme even earlier, on 8 January 2025.
The ETA is a fully digital permit linked to the traveller’s passport, valid for two years (or until the passport expires) and costs £10. Applications are submitted via the UK Home Office app or website and should be filed at least 72 hours before departure. Airlines are liable for carrier-liability fines if they transport passengers without valid authorisation, so check-in agents will need to confirm ETA status alongside Advance Passenger Information.
![Austrian Airlines Warns Passengers to Obtain UK ETA Before 2 April 2025]()
Why does this matter for Austrian businesses? Vienna–London remains one of Austrian Airlines’ top corporate routes, with finance, life-sciences and tech firms sending weekly commuters. Mobility managers should integrate ETA verification into online booking tools and capture the two-year ETA expiry date in traveller profiles to avoid frantic last-minute applications. Recruiters flying candidates to UK interviews after April must also factor in the three-day lead time.
The UK government argues that the ETA will enable more pre-arrival risk screening while eventually shortening e-gate queues. Austrian passport holders currently clear Heathrow in about 15 minutes on average; officials claim the new system will preserve that performance. Nevertheless, failure to obtain an ETA will result in boarding denial—an expensive mistake for time-critical trips. Corporate comms teams should therefore launch awareness campaigns before the Christmas travel rush.
The ETA is a fully digital permit linked to the traveller’s passport, valid for two years (or until the passport expires) and costs £10. Applications are submitted via the UK Home Office app or website and should be filed at least 72 hours before departure. Airlines are liable for carrier-liability fines if they transport passengers without valid authorisation, so check-in agents will need to confirm ETA status alongside Advance Passenger Information.
Why does this matter for Austrian businesses? Vienna–London remains one of Austrian Airlines’ top corporate routes, with finance, life-sciences and tech firms sending weekly commuters. Mobility managers should integrate ETA verification into online booking tools and capture the two-year ETA expiry date in traveller profiles to avoid frantic last-minute applications. Recruiters flying candidates to UK interviews after April must also factor in the three-day lead time.
The UK government argues that the ETA will enable more pre-arrival risk screening while eventually shortening e-gate queues. Austrian passport holders currently clear Heathrow in about 15 minutes on average; officials claim the new system will preserve that performance. Nevertheless, failure to obtain an ETA will result in boarding denial—an expensive mistake for time-critical trips. Corporate comms teams should therefore launch awareness campaigns before the Christmas travel rush.
