Can you imagine finding yourself halfway around the world from your intended destination while travelling?

With over 14,000 kilometres between Austria and Australia, most travellers would never dream of mixing up a trip to either of the two.

At this point you might be asking: ‘What’s with the odd hypothetical scenario?’

Well, you see, a rumoured ad at a European airport plunged many on social media into a wave of confusion.

‘If you're having a bad day, just remember that the airport in Salzburg, Austria has a counter for people who flew to Austria instead of Australia,’ the caption on the post featuring the ad read.

It turns out, people across the world were tricked into thinking that those who accidentally fly to Austria instead of Australia were met by a dedicated desk airports overseas.

Rumoured ad at a European airport was allegedly dedicated for those who flew to Austria instead of Australia. Image source: X/@AshVerseX.

'Sorry this is Austria, not Australia! Need help? Press the button,' the billboard read.

One video specifically gained 4.9 million views in just two weeks.

The rumour has spread so wide and was believed by many that Austria’s Salzburg Airport had to officially deny it.

In a post on October 30 at their official Facebook account, Salzburg Airport wrote: ‘Is there really a switch at Salzburg Airport for passengers who mistaken Austria for Australia?’

‘This curious question has come to us very often the last few days and went viral on social media. Requests from Washington to Sydney have sparked our info points.’

‘But to be clear: No, such a switch has never existed!’

The rumoured helpdesk at Salzburg Airport for passengers who have mistaken Austria for Australia. Image Credit: Facebook / Salzburg Airport - Flughafen Salzburg.

The airport then explained that the ad that caused confusion was the brainchild of a company that advertised at the airport.

Though the airport applauded the creative misunderstanding saying: 'In any case, we would like to congratulate the creative minds behind this ingenious advertising idea.’

'We look forward to all guests who want to go on vacation in our beautiful region and land at Salzburg Airport!'

The Deputy Head of Public Relations for Salzburg Airport, Susanne Buchebner, reiterated that no such counter exists and she had never heard of anyone flying to Salzburg by mistake instead of Australia.

Users on social media commented on the rumours with one saying: 'If I accidentally booked to go to Austria instead of Australia, I'd be too embarrassed to even go to that counter.'

While another shared: 'A friend brought us a mug that says “there are no kangaroos in Austria” last time he visited home.'

Some Austrians chimed in on the conversation and shared their personal experiences with one saying: 'You won't believe how many of my online orders get sent to Australia instead of Austria.'

'I was born in Austria and let me tell you the number of times I've said I'm from Austria and people jump straight to taking about Melbourne and kangaroos,' another shared.

You can watch the video below:

Source: TikTok/@nomatheexplorer. ​

Meanwhile, one user wondered: 'Now, I wanna know if Australian airports have a counter for people trying to go to Australia.'

Key Takeaways

• An ad at a European airport sparked a global rumour that there is a dedicated desk at an Austrian airport for passengers who accidentally travel to Austria instead of Australia.
• The false claim has been widely circulated and believed on social media, with one video gaining 4.9 million views.
• Austria’s Salzburg Airport, the centre of the hoax, had to officially deny the existence of such a desk.

Members, have you ever experienced anyone who confused Australia and Austria? Share your stories with us in the comments below!

 

[Petra]

hahahaha Just when I thought at my age I've seen and heard it all,

 

[featherfour]

I did once order something from overseas, and I'm happy to say that it arrived safely, despite the fact that the person sending it had addressed it to "Vienna Austria" instead of Victoria Australia

 

[Veggiepatch]

I did once order something from overseas, and I'm happy to say that it arrived safely, despite the fact that the person sending it had addressed it to "Vienna Austria" instead of Victoria Australia

That made my morning! Hilarious!

 

[Caron]

Not quite the same ,but similar, I was questioning a phone company about why my internet in Adelaide, South Australia was not working. Her reply was that I should not expect to recieve any sort of phone coverage or the internet when I lived in the Antarctic.

 

[Bob in Benowa]

Can you imagine finding yourself halfway around the world from your intended destination while travelling?

With over 14,000 kilometres between Austria and Australia, most travellers would never dream of mixing up a trip to either of the two.

At this point you might be asking: ‘What’s with the odd hypothetical scenario?’

Well, you see, a rumoured ad at a European airport plunged many on social media into a wave of confusion.

‘If you're having a bad day, just remember that the airport in Salzburg, Austria has a counter for people who flew to Austria instead of Australia,’ the caption on the post featuring the ad read.

It turns out, people across the world were tricked into thinking that those who accidentally fly to Austria instead of Australia were met by a dedicated desk airports overseas.

View attachment 33745

Rumoured ad at a European airport was allegedly dedicated for those who flew to Austria instead of Australia. Image source: X/@AshVerseX.

'Sorry this is Austria, not Australia! Need help? Press the button,' the billboard read.

One video specifically gained 4.9 million views in just two weeks.

The rumour has spread so wide and was believed by many that Austria’s Salzburg Airport had to officially deny it.

In a post on October 30 at their official Facebook account, Salzburg Airport wrote: ‘Is there really a switch at Salzburg Airport for passengers who mistaken Austria for Australia?’

‘This curious question has come to us very often the last few days and went viral on social media. Requests from Washington to Sydney have sparked our info points.’

‘But to be clear: No, such a switch has never existed!’

View attachment 33746

The rumoured helpdesk at Salzburg Airport for passengers who have mistaken Austria for Australia. Image Credit: Facebook / Salzburg Airport - Flughafen Salzburg.

The airport then explained that the ad that caused confusion was the brainchild of a company that advertised at the airport.

Though the airport applauded the creative misunderstanding saying: 'In any case, we would like to congratulate the creative minds behind this ingenious advertising idea.’

'We look forward to all guests who want to go on vacation in our beautiful region and land at Salzburg Airport!'

The Deputy Head of Public Relations for Salzburg Airport, Susanne Buchebner, reiterated that no such counter exists and she had never heard of anyone flying to Salzburg by mistake instead of Australia.

Users on social media commented on the rumours with one saying: 'If I accidentally booked to go to Austria instead of Australia, I'd be too embarrassed to even go to that counter.'

While another shared: 'A friend brought us a mug that says “there are no kangaroos in Austria” last time he visited home.'

Some Austrians chimed in on the conversation and shared their personal experiences with one saying: 'You won't believe how many of my online orders get sent to Australia instead of Austria.'

'I was born in Austria and let me tell you the number of times I've said I'm from Austria and people jump straight to taking about Melbourne and kangaroos,' another shared.

You can watch the video below:

Source: TikTok/@nomatheexplorer. ​

Meanwhile, one user wondered: 'Now, I wanna know if Australian airports have a counter for people trying to go to Australia.'

Key Takeaways

• An ad at a European airport sparked a global rumour that there is a dedicated desk at an Austrian airport for passengers who accidentally travel to Austria instead of Australia.
• The false claim has been widely circulated and believed on social media, with one video gaining 4.9 million views.
• Austria’s Salzburg Airport, the centre of the hoax, had to officially deny the existence of such a desk.

Members, have you ever experienced anyone who confused Australia and Austria? Share your stories with us in the comments below!

I remember when Austria joined the Euro Community and CNN had a talking head commenting with an Australian flag in the background. On the subject of confusion - a friend who was a Fokker Friendship captain landed at Richmond in Queensland with a very confused Italian passenger whose intended destination was Richmond, Victoria.

 

[Bellclare]

I rang Coles to complain about the number of trolleys being left for weeks in the main street of Richmond, NEW SOUTH WALES. The head office desk put me through to the store manager who listened sympathetically. I mentioned that trolleys were even found at the end of the street where the heritage church was and he agreed that that was unacceptable. We discussed the trolleys being left under the heritage trees in Church St that came off the main street and how difficult it must have been to roll the trolleys over the roots sticking up out of the footpath. It was only when I mentioned the funeral director's frontage having trolleys there sometimes that the manager questioned me more closely. Turned out, the help desk had put me through to the manager at Coles in Richmond in VICTORIA! We then had an interesting discussion about how similar the 2 Richmond's were to each other. Then, of course, I had to ring the Coles help desk again while making certain to get onto the Coles, Richmond NSW manager. Ahh, the joys of being community minded!

 

[Veggiepatch]

That's funny and unacceptable at the same time. Tell the manager to send those trolleys down to Dandenong, Victoria. Whenever I go shopping, I have to go the Woolies or Aldi as Coles don't have ANY trolleys1

 

[Ezzy]

I did once order something from overseas, and I'm happy to say that it arrived safely, despite the fact that the person sending it had addressed it to "Vienna Austria" instead of Victoria Australia

How wrong they can be. Hope you bought a scratchie to celebrate your good luck.