Condor Airlines

Understand the rules and the process before you get to the airport to eliminate unpleasant surprises. We knew the strict weight restrictions for checked luggage and carry on items so there was no problem. Flying non-stop from Seattle to Frankfurt on a 767 in economy was 10 hours long with 2 edible meals and 3 second rate movies. We could have chosen to upgrade but knowing exactly what to expect we opted to use the money saved in Europe instead of getting a better airline dining experience and 16 cm of more legroom. If you need maximum creature comforts upgrade or chose a different airline. If you like to save. Money for more important things this may be the airline for you. We were satisfied arriving on time both coming and going.

5/8/2013 STR-HRG 12/82013 HRG-STR. Flights on time in Premium Economy middle seat remains free which is the main advantage premium meal is only a little bit better than in normal Economy amenity kit with socks etc. nice. Cabin Crew outbound nice and friendly inbound relay bad: like in former times on eastern European airlines the military style flight attendants. General advice: with a little bit more of extra attendance of the cabin crew the Premium Economy could be a Premium Product.

ANC-FRA Boeing 767. Flight good and on time but comfort and food awful. Overnight flight with no personal lighting meant cabin was very dark and I could not read at all for most of the flight. Main meal served was one of the worse I've ever had. No choice just pasta with dried and pretty solid tomato sauce.

Will never fly with them again. Check in took over 2.5 hours we arrived early huge lines but kept getting bumped out of line as they had to take other passengers who waltzed in late. They would pull them to the front of the line. They did this with 4 flights ahead of us. Hold you in a small lounge in Frankfurt like cattle no air- conditioning boarding is chaotic free for all. Seats terrible narrow and no leg room jammed in like sardines.

Frankfurt to Toronto on July 29 2013. DE1060. We arrived at our destination. Aside from that this airline caused us great frustration at every turn: (1) My wife and I were given incorrect directions and made to wait in unnecessary lines at our transfer. (2) They split up our seats so we could not sit together. (3) They lost our luggage. (4) They botched our missing luggage report. (5) Provided absurdly poor customer service whenever we tried to get help. Air travel is a complicated service and I expect that things will go wrong sometimes. The most important thing for me is how an airline deals with a problem when it arises. I have flown dozens of airlines all around the world and I can honestly say that Condor has been the worst by far. I would not recommend flying with them.

Chose Condor as alternative from Frankfurt into Washington DC via Baltimore instead of Dulles - this is a draw: Baltimore is a smaller and nicer airport but Wash-Baltimore Pkwy has very heavy traffic so 1.5 hrs can be expected Dulles is 0.5h. Booked however because Condor operates B767 which I like better for 2-3-2 seating than B747/777 3-4-3 seating of LH/UA. However seats were awfully cramped legroom merely existing seats not comfortable. Restrooms extremely small few. Flight-Entertainment very poor: TV screens in aisle in poor quality no indiv. screens providing itinerary info for those interested. Food was given no choice but was ok. Flight attendants in first leg were attentive friendly and competent. In second leg however almost harsh. However this leg was packed with difficult pax (tourists many crying babies) so service was certainly not easy for FAs. Yet they were harsh in asking shades be put down in even in full night though light was kept on. Which was a blast because lights didn't need to be kept on for such a long time which drove the many babies mad so the overall unrest increased. Then again the crew were doing a great job with the kids patient. First leg was late on takeoff but caught well up second leg was ahead of time pilots provided a very calm ride. All in all I guess Condor is a classic case of you-get-what-you-pay for and the difference in price is rather marginal than substantial especially destination airport taken into in consideration. Condor seems generally ok but remember they are carrying tourists no frequent flyers so mood/atmosphere differ quite from carriers more business orientated.

Frankfurt to Havana. Picked Condor as approx. $1000 p/p cheaper than flying Air France. Seated in Premium Economy for minimal extra cost. Well worth it for the leg room. Flight Attendant was fantastic. Entertainment was old drop down TV but that wasn't a problem as slept and read. Food and beverages plentiful and served at regular intervals on our 11 hr flight. If flying with them they are very strict on stored and cabin luggage weight which we think is great as people bring on far too much cabin luggage. We witnessed many people having to re-pack or pay the excess fee which is very expensive. This problem is well documented on reviews so we were well aware of this before we booked with Condor so had no problems at all. Condor was very helpful with obtaining our Visa for Cuba which we purchased at their counter at check-in time. Check-in desk was easy to find at the Frankfurt airport after arriving by train. Would not hesitate to fly with Condor again.

YVR-FRA. Crew at Vancouver Airport had no idea what to do. They didn't know where I should get my second boarding pass and send me twice to the wrong place. Wait for more then 1 hour on the line just to drop-off my bag. Flight was late in both ways! Almost missed my connecting flight. Food not very good. Crew onboard were very friendly. But you get what you pay for!

LAS-FRA paid for a sector with Lufthansa onward to my final destination of London when I booked hassle-free on the airline's own site. Check-in at McCarran's new terminal was very pleasant - German ground staff helped me through the process of using one of their automated kiosks then directed me to a counter to pay $100 for my second suitcase. Whilst doing so the agent moved me into an exit row window which was greatly appreciated. After gambling away my last $20 on poker machines at the gate boarding was efficient with zones strictly enforced. Taxied for ages to a far runway while other planes that pushed after us took off without delay from the main runway. Initial ride was bumpy as we climbed over the desert but clear and confident bilingual announcements from the cockpit assuaged even the most nervous flyer's concerns. Dinner was fairly light but enough to satisfy. No seatback entertainment just a kid's movie on the TV monitors above the aisles but I was happy to read and enjoy the view outside. Unfortunately the otherwise-friendly crew were hysterically overzealous about passengers closing window blinds one even reaching across and slamming it shut just inches away from my nose as I enjoyed the sunset. In the end I literally had to tell one to calm down and that I promised to close it before falling asleep which I eventually did. Possibly helped by the extra legroom in the exit row I was very comfortable thanks to the complimentary blanket and pillow. I awoke to a small breakfast snack and drink and before we landed in the rain at FRA on time and disembarked at a remote bussing stand the crew announced the departure gates for Lufthansa flights all over Europe and the Middle East. Lufthansa may no longer own Condor (the tail says "Thomas Cook") but obviously still have close relations which is very beneficial to the customer - my connection (and that of my two suitcases) to my London flight was seamless. For a leisure airline this was an excellent experience and I will go out of my way to fly them again.

Seattle WA to Frankfurt Germany - SEA was confusing it was difficult to find the Condor desk - but once we did it was a smooth process. SEA is always difficult and for that reason I avoid flying in and out of SEA preferring PDX. Anyway the Condor flight was just fine - because of reviews I had anticipated difficulty with size of seats storing carry on food/beverage service. But it was a smooth flight kind and attentive attendants food was very good (surprisingly) beverage service fine - though no coffee refills. All was well for a 10.5 hour flight. Luggage was available almost immediately and customs processing in Frankfurt was very smooth. Same with the return trip - and because we took a train into the FRA airport we could check our baggage in with the new air/rail check in service . I will definitely fly with Condor AIR again - good value!