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.

Condor Loses Lufthansa Connections, A Setback For Consumers That Could Spur Smarter Partnerships

For years, Condor relied on a special pro-rate arrangement with Lufthansa that let customers buy one ticket from smaller European cities to Frankfurt and then connect to Condor long-haul flights. That arrangement ended after a series of legal twists. Lufthansa won a legal victory at the end of 2024 before Germany’s Federal Court of Justice (BGH), with the court holding that Lufthansa did not have to provide subsidized lights to Condor. But an investigation by the European Commission early in 2025 threw that divestment into disarray, with the Commission expressing worry about unfair competition. However, the European Commission has now decided to back off and a German court has again given Lufthansa the effective green light that it need not offer discouned flights to Condor.

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.

A Chance For Condor To Grow

But there is a silver lining. Condor has been building a partner ecosystem that can replace Lufthansa in meaningful ways. In North America, Condor already works with Alaska Airlines, giving Mileage Plan members earning and redemption and providing feed at gateways like Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. JetBlue has now deepened ties as well, adding TrueBlue earning and redemption on Condor, which unlocks convenient connections at New York JFK, Boston, and Fort Lauderdale. In Canada, a new codeshare with WestJet improves access beyond Calgary, Toronto, and Vancouver. Outside North America, a reciprocal codeshare with Emirates broadens connectivity over Dubai.

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.

The trouble is, most folks want to go beyond Frankfurt…Condor must find a European partner as well.

Germany is a tough aviation market. Air Berlin failed and Condor will struggle if Lufthansa follows through on pulling the plug. Might IAG or Air France-KLM step in? Perhaps. But as Aegean expands, I wonder if we might see a Condor-Aegean link, despite Aegean being a Star Alliance member and Lufthansa codeshare partner. Could we see the same with Turkish Airlines and smaller carriers like AeroItalia, Neos, and Volotea?

Whatever happens, this strikes me as a pivotal time for Condor to innovate and evolve.

CONCLUSION

Losing Lufthansa feed is a near-term loss for consumers who valued simple, one-ticket journeys through Frankfurt. Connections will be harder and choice will shrink on some routes. Yet the same shock may force Condor to accelerate partnerships and add intra-European routes of its own that ultimately serve travelers better. If Condor leans into Alaska and JetBlue in the U.S., continues to expand with WestJet and Emirates, and secures additional European feeders, customers could regain seamless itineraries and stronger loyalty value without relying on Lufthansa…and that would actaully be good for competition.

image: Condor