CAT boss says sorry for chilly terminal

The chief manager of a train service connecting Vienna International Airport (VIA) and the capital’s city centre in just 16 minutes has apologised after customers were forced to wait in the cold.People using the City Airport Train (CAT) to get from Vienna’s Landstraße station to the airport complained about the terminal being unheated for several hours yesterday afternoon (Weds) when subzero temperatures were registered in the city. They were also forced to take their luggage with them on the train since the CAT’s check-in system was not working. The train service, which started operating eight years ago, is popular for its quick check-in option meaning that flight passengers must not bother with their luggage at the airport.CAT co-chief Elisabeth Landrichter apologised for yesterday’s inconveniences. The businesswoman explained that a technical error led to the breakdown of the terminal’s heating system and its luggage check-in system.Only last month, Landrichter said the decision to spend 250,000 refurbishing the service’s trains was based on the assumption that customers “expect a first class service.”The seven-days-a-week train service recorded more than one million customers last year. This means that the CAT had a market share of around 15 per cent. The service is in competition with specialised airport taxi transfer companies, regular cabs, coach firms, individual car traffic and slower but cheaper train connections on the 18-kilometre route.