You Can Now Fly to Europe in a New (More Affordable) Business Class With German Low-Cost Airline Condor

Condor, a Frankfurt, Germany–based low-cost carrier known for planes painted with bright yellow, red, blue, green, or beige stripes (to replicate the look of beach towels), is expanding its service from the United States this summer. And with a greater number of more affordable transatlantic flights comes an upgraded in-flight experience as well, thanks to new planes launching this year on Condor’s long-haul routes.

Here’s what you need to know about flying to Europe with Condor this summer.

Where is Condor flying this summer?

All Condor flights from the USA initially fly to the carrier’s Frankfurt hub. From there, travelers can connect to more than 100 destinations throughout Europe, either on Condor or one of its partner airlines, including Lufthansa, SAS, and Aegean Airlines. All of these routes have been available since summer 2022, although this coming season will have a higher frequency of flights.

U.S. cities with Condor flights to Frankfurt include:

• New York (JFK) – Up to seven flights a week as of May 1
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Up to seven flights a week as of May 1
• Seattle (SEA) – Up to seven flights a week starting May 1
• San Francisco (SFO) – Up to seven flights a week as of May 1
• Las Vegas (LAS) – Service three times a week as of May 2
• Anchorage (ANC) – Service three times a week starting May 18
• Phoenix (PHX) – Service three times a week starting May 18
• Portland, OR (PDX) – Service three times a week starting May 19
• Baltimore-Washington (BWI) – Service three times a week starting May 20
• Boston (BOS) – Service three times a week as of May 22
• Minneapolis (MSP) – Service three times a week starting May 22
• Fairbanks (FAI) – Service once a week starting June 15

How much do Condor flights cost?

Most of Condor’s economy transatlantic fares range from roughly $800 to $1,600 round-trip, depending on departure and arrival cities (these were summer fares that we found by searching on the Condor website). Expect to pay an additional $120 each way for premium economy seats. Condor’s transatlantic business-class fares start at around $2,000 round-trip.

Condor isn’t part of a major airline alliance group, but the airline partners with Alaska Airlines and JetBlue in the United States. Currently, travelers can earn and spend Alaska miles on Condor flights but not JetBlue flights.

Courtesy of Condor

What are Condor planes like?

This spring, Condor rolled out 16 new Airbus A330neo planes that will serve its transatlantic routes. With the launch of the new aircraft, Condor is bringing new premium service to its U.S. flights. Previously, Condor’s transatlantic flights operated on Boeing 767 planes. The biggest difference with the new planes is a revamped business class—formerly, the seats were in a two-two-two configuration, with seats that didn’t lie flat. Now business class has a roomier one-two-one configuration with fully lie-flat seats.

Here’s a breakdown of the new planes.

Business class

All 30 business-class seats are lie-flat and have direct access to the aisle. The seats include a coat hook, personal storage cabinet, cocktail table, and a 17.3-inch entertainment screen. There are also four business-class “Prime” seats (with rates starting at an additional $199 each way) in the front row of the plane, with added amenities like a visitor’s seat, a 24-inch screen, complimentary pajamas, and a personal basket of snacks.

Courtesy of Condor

Premium economy

The 64 premium economy seats have an extra five inches of legroom when compared to economy (35 inches of pitch total), a footrest, and a greater recline.

Economy

As with business and premium economy, the remaining 216 economy seats also feature USB A/C charging ports and 4K (ultra high-definition screen resolution) seatback screens with Bluetooth capability for in-flight entertainment. A separate dedicated water bottle storage pocket is attached to the regular seatback pocket.

Another benefit of the Airbus A330neo is that is more fuel efficient, consuming less fuel per passenger than older planes at just a half gallon per passenger per 62 miles flown, Condor reports. In fact, it’s the first aircraft in the world that is already certified to meet the EPA’s 2028 carbon emissions reduction targets.

Condor dates back to 1956, but the airline experienced a renaissance of sorts in spring 2022 when it unveiled its new candy-striped planes—a concerted effort to rebrand as a desirable vacation option. Last year, as international travel began to significantly rebound after the pandemic slump, Condor added three U.S. routes to its network: Boston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

The airline is one of several transatlantic low-cost carriers that either launched, relaunched, or expanded its long-haul service between the United States and Europe in the past year, offering some welcome relief to travelers experiencing sticker shock when booking international airfares. Other examples of airlines offering more affordable alternatives to Europe include JetBlue, which recently unveiled flights to Paris and Amsterdam, no-frills Icelandic carrier Play, French Bee (with low-cost flights to Paris), Spanish carrier Level, and Scandinavian upstart Norse Atlantic Airways.