Condor has lost access to Lufthansa feeder flights in Germany, a change that will hurt consumers in the short term even as it may ultimately push Condor toward better partnerships.
In the short term, this will likely be bad for travelers. Without the Lufthansa feed, many one-stop itineraries become two separate tickets, which means no through check of bags (or at least not without hassle), more risk during irregular operations, and fewer schedule choices from secondary cities into Condor’s long-haul bank at Frankfurt. Even Condor service from Frankfurt to cities like Berlin, Rome, and Zurich, the practical impact would be network trims, fewer seasonal options, and thinner frequencies. Less connectivity will raise the total trip cost even when the long-haul fare looks similar, because the added positioning flight and time buffer negate the savings…it will become very inconvenient to travel on Condor to points beyond its Frankfurt hub.
These partnerships matter because they can restore much of what consumers are losing: single-ticket itineraries, through-checked bags, coordinated schedules, and usable loyalty currency on both sides of the Atlantic. Longer term, Condor is also signaling interest in a deeper anchor partner or even an alliance alignment. If Condor cements a broader U.S. partnership and adds more European feed through non-Lufthansa carriers, the customer experience could improve even over the current Lufthansa arrangement.
A great solo travel tip spotted this week on Live and Let's Fly.
