Condor Is Moving Its US Flying Toward Bigger Cities
With the Lufthansa tie-up over, the German leisure airline is adding partners and a Chicago route in 2027. Smaller US stops are in question.
Condor, the German leisure airline known for its striped planes, is changing where it flies in the US. The Frankfurt-based carrier used to serve a host of secondary American cities in summer, such as Anchorage, Baltimore and San Antonio. It is now shifting toward larger cities and new partnerships, after its tie-up with Lufthansa ended.
"If you have such a huge long-haul fleet at Condor and you have the geographic situation in Germany, obviously you can't operate long-haul fleets without feed," CEO Peter Gerber said at the Routes World conference in Frankfurt on Oct. 21. Feed means passengers connecting from shorter flights onto long-haul routes.
Partners and a new route
The biggest new partner is American Airlines. The two carriers announced an interline agreement in September. It lets travelers book both airlines on one ticket and have checked bags transferred between flights. There are no reciprocal frequent flyer benefits for now. Connections are possible at Boston Logan, Los Angeles, New York JFK and, from May, Chicago O'Hare.
Condor's only US addition next year is daily flights from Frankfurt to O'Hare, running from May 14, 2027, through Sept. 12, 2027. The airline will use an Airbus A330-900 with 30 business class, 64 premium economy and 216 economy seats.
Condor also has an interline agreement with Southwest Airlines. Members of Alaska Airlines' Atmos Rewards and JetBlue's TrueBlue programs can collect and use points when flying Condor. Such deals let Condor reach more travelers without flying to every destination itself.
Why the strategy changed
Condor became a hub-and-spoke leisure airline when Lufthansa moved to end a long-standing agreement that sent connecting passengers to Condor through Frankfurt. A legal battle followed and lasted until 2025, when a court ruled in Lufthansa's favor.
Condor is now working to link Frankfurt with what Gerber described as "the most important O and D destinations." This year it added flights from Frankfurt to Barcelona, London Gatwick and Venice, according to Cirium schedules. He also admitted a limit: "We will never be able to build up the broadness of the Lufthansa network." Asked about long-haul growth, he named Latin America, especially Mexico, as a significant opportunity.
On the sidelines of the conference, Gerber said that without connecting passengers from Lufthansa, Condor must focus on larger US markets. Nonstop flights between Europe and mid-size US cities like San Antonio may be coming to a close. Anchorage and Portland, Oregon, will keep their flights, according to Cirium schedules.
That does not mean every secondary city goes. Alaska Airlines, a longtime Condor partner, has major hubs at both Anchorage and Portland.
Source: The Points Guy