Update: Read my full Condor Business Class 767 Frankfurt To Whitehorse review.
Hello from Whitehorse! Yesterday I took a transatlantic flight on Condor, which was a bit nostalgic for me. Growing up I’d always fly Condor nonstop between Tampa and Frankfurt (in economy, of course), so to fly this airline for the first time in two decades brought back a lot of memories.
Condor often has excellent business class fares and is also an Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan partner, so nowadays they’re a great airline to fly if you want to earn Alaska miles. So, what was the 8hr30min flight from Frankfurt to Whitehorse like?
Condor’s business class on this version of the 767 consists of a total of 18 seats, spread across three rows in a 2-2-2 configuration. The cabin is in fairly good condition when you consider that they’re still flying the same 767s that I flew as a kid.
Condor unfortunately has angled seats in business class, and it’s a pretty steep angle. So in my opinion the product is uncompetitive compared to most airlines offering flat beds, though I don’t necessarily think they’re trying to compete in the market, given their good fares. I was really tired so was able to nap for about 90 minutes, but otherwise it’s unlikely that I would have been able to sleep.
How was the soft product? There was a basic amenity kit, a pillow, and a blanket that was too thick for my liking.
The meal service was surprisingly good, though. To start there were drinks and then packaged roasted cashews. The first tray consisted of rabbit mousse, sushi, and salad.
For the main course I ordered the cod with polenta and vegetables.
Then there was a cheese course.
Lastly, for dessert was a mascarpone berry cake.
Service was acceptable, I’d say, but that’s about it. The crew went through the motions, but they weren’t particularly friendly or warm. It definitely felt like a step down from Lufthansa in that regard.
Most of the excitement regarding this flight didn’t involve the actual onboard product. First of all, we boarded a plane and had a mechanical delay.
They decided they couldn’t fix it, so we were bussed back to the terminal. They quickly found us a new plane, bussed us out to it, and once on the bus parked in front of the plane, they were apparently having mechanical issues with that plane as well. So we were on the bus for nearly 30 minutes, but I guess they fixed it, because we were then allowed to board. We left almost three hours late, but arrived under two hours late.
Then there’s the awesomeness of the route we flew. Seriously, it’s not every day you go this far North on a transatlantic flight!
I’ll have a full trip report soon, and in that I’ll have more on the actual experience of arriving in Whitehorse, since that was super interesting.
So all things considered I don’t think Condor is competitive with most business class products, and that’s simply because of the seats. However, given how cheap fares often are and that you can earn 300% miles not factoring in elite bonuses with Alaska Mileage Plan, I’d probably fly them again.
Nobody will read this now but last year we flew San Diego to FRA and then FRA YVR. The difference in soft product was incredible! Food out of San Diego was awful - food out of FRA was great. Flying west an angled seat is better than lie flat and I am looking forward to our FRA YYC flight tomorrow.
Always have a soft spot for Condor. One of my first Germany flights was SFO-FRA in 1978 on a 747-200. Had to stop in MSP for fuel. 495 coach seats.
The crew was a step down from Lufthansa in warmth? Didn't know that was possible!
I'm excited to see the remainder of your report. Condor Business Class looks pretty good!
Never again. I flew from SAN to FRU when Condor offered the service last year. Thank goodness Lufthansa now fly the riute.
The Business class seats were terrible and the food was not much better. But what can on expect from a tour company that should not be offering a regular scheduled service
This looks like the old Lufthansa business experience in every way. The 2012/2013 angle flat seats with mediocre service and boring food. Luckily LH has seriously improved, but Condor seems to have modeled after that
@RD - Thanks, and holy moly! By my math a round trip from YXY-FRA would yield almost 46,000 Alaska miles. Not bad!
Condor started flying PHX to FRA this past May. It's the only other direct transatlantic route besides BA to LHR. I'm assuming it's the same experience as this flight...?
I flew Condor's 767 in Premium Economy BWI-FRA earlier this summer. It's reasonably priced, so that we could afford it for our family of 4, and the extra legroom is worth it. The food is upgraded as well. Note quite business class, but an upgrade from eco food for sure.
@Traveler: tiny footwells in fashionable modern business class products are the great unreported weakness of both the airlines that feature them as well as the cottage industry of bloggers like Lucky who promote them for a living.
I almost feel bad for complaining, since the airlines generally put out good products overall, and bloggers like Lucky do really good work - not to mention the fact that we lead very lucky lives if we're...
@Traveler: tiny footwells in fashionable modern business class products are the great unreported weakness of both the airlines that feature them as well as the cottage industry of bloggers like Lucky who promote them for a living.
I almost feel bad for complaining, since the airlines generally put out good products overall, and bloggers like Lucky do really good work - not to mention the fact that we lead very lucky lives if we're able to fly these products even once in our existences.
That being said, it's weird how few reviews of, say, Swiss 77w business class seats - especially those "thrones" that everyone raves about - mention the fact that putting the seat into bed mode is tantamount to locking half of your body in a coffin. In those moments, I'd take a Condor angled-flat seat in a heartbeat.
@ Justin, but this is a summer seasonal flight, when you cannot see northern lights.“
I’ve seen northern lights in the summer several times. Once, on Mackinaw Island in July it was even doing some moving and sort of strobe effects.
The first time I saw them I was hitchhiking across Canada and actually asked to be let out of the car at a campground because I was going across the country WAY faster...
@ Justin, but this is a summer seasonal flight, when you cannot see northern lights.“
I’ve seen northern lights in the summer several times. Once, on Mackinaw Island in July it was even doing some moving and sort of strobe effects.
The first time I saw them I was hitchhiking across Canada and actually asked to be let out of the car at a campground because I was going across the country WAY faster than I wanted. I saw the sky and asked the owner (this was in Saskatchewan) if it was the northern lights which he affirmed. This was in July.
@Lucky - Can you tell us what the price for this particular flight was? Or a ballpark estimate?
Thanks.
@lucky Does Condor have a lounge in FRA?
For those asking, this is a summer tourist flight. There are just that many German tourists wanting to rent motorhomes and drive around the Yukon...
I don't think Condor is trying to compete with mainline/legacy business class products. They are a leisure airline that has a higher class that it markets as business. No one should expect it to be on par with Swiss/Lufthansa/Air France business class. Air Transat's club class would be a fairer point of comparison.
I'm sure it is a million times nicer than the 30" pitch seats in the back. Condor has summer service doing YHZ-FRA...
I don't think Condor is trying to compete with mainline/legacy business class products. They are a leisure airline that has a higher class that it markets as business. No one should expect it to be on par with Swiss/Lufthansa/Air France business class. Air Transat's club class would be a fairer point of comparison.
I'm sure it is a million times nicer than the 30" pitch seats in the back. Condor has summer service doing YHZ-FRA that would give me a good jumping off point for another Europe trip, but I refuse to be crammed in like a sardine in their Y product for a TATL flight. And I'm too cheap to pay to fly upfront. So next time it will probably be Icelandair.
An angled seat isn't great in business class but still potentially better, if tall, to the ones with footwells too small to accommodate two feet.
The main course looks like pac-man eating a ghost
Used to fly Condor often to get to FRA when they ran - or perhaps they still do - charters from the States No business class then, but I was also a lot younger,
Do they still have those great camphor laden towels to wake everyone up before arrival?
@ Justin, but this is a summer seasonal flight, when you cannot see northern lights.
I flew Condor FRA-ANC this summer. It was way too hot, they needed to turn down the heat. Was it the same on FRA-YXY?
@Justin- Thanks! Interesting that they have been able to create a big enough market in such a remote location.
@Jorge Alaska’s earning chart for Condor flights in business class awards 100% of the base miles flown, an additional 100% bonus for the cabin of travel (business in this case), and an additional bonus of 100% of the miles.
In the case of MVP gold, in addition to the 300% of miles flown earned, you also get an additional 100% bonus for that status making your earning 400% of actual miles flown.
@DCJoe: My understanding is that there are a lot of international tourists (from both Asia and Europe) that come to Whitehorse to view the Northern Lights. I know for many Japanese, viewing the Northern Lights is seen as a bucket list item, and Whitehorse has done a good job over the decades of marketing itself as one of the key places to watch them.
I have to say I have never paid much attention to Condor, but when I accidentally saw a review on another blog and saw the food - I was quite impressed. Sure its not going to be QR or SQ standard in overall product, but that is reflected in the price - but the food really is what sells it to me, would be willing to give it a try given the value it represents and how cheap fares in business can be...
DCJoe — https://www.cbc.ca/cbcdocspov/m_features/eight-reasons-why-german-tourists-flock-to-canadas-yukon-every-year
Can you explain the 300% bonus, and what this would look like for Alaska MVP Golds?
Also, welcome to Whitehorse! You should buzz down to Juneau on Alaska Seaplanes. It’s spectacular weather for flying!
Lucky, do you know what drives this flight from a demand standpoint? Is it tourism from Europe? General trade for the region? Seems kind of random.
I flew Condor a few years ago from BWI to FRA, connecting on Lufthansa to BCN. I needed a one way fare, and they had a good business class one way fare. I didnt love the seats, but was very impressed with the food and the in flight entertainment. It was good value, and I appreciated it.