Some passengers traveling on Condor this summer are in for a treat, at least relatively speaking.
In this post:
Condor is leasing Airbus A330s for long haul flights
German leisure airline Condor currently operates long haul flights exclusively with Boeing 767s. That’ll be changing in the coming months. Condor is in the process of taking delivery of four former Etihad Airways Airbus A330-200s, which will join the carrier’s fleet on a short term basis.
The planes will each feature a total of 262 seats, including 22 business class seats and 240 economy class seats. The planes will have the registration codes D-AIYA, D-AIYB, D-AIYC, and D-AIYD.
As of now, Condor has scheduled these planes on the following long haul routes:
- Between Frankfurt (FRA) and Seattle (SEA) 6x weekly as of May 15, 2022
- Between Frankfurt (FRA) and Punta Cana (PUJ) 3x weekly as of May 16, 2022
- Between Frankfurt (FRA) and Toronto (YYZ) 3x weekly as of May 16, 2022
Based on current scheduling, it seems that we should expect A330s on some other routes as well. Furthermore, it’s expected that these planes will operate some short haul routes prior to starting long haul service, but the schedule for that hasn’t been finalized.
For passengers in business class, this will represent a huge product upgrade. Condor’s current Boeing 767 business class consists of angled seats in a 2-2-2 configuration.
Meanwhile Etihad’s Airbus A330 business class consists of staggered fully flat seats with direct aisle access, in a 1-2-1 configuration.
In economy it’s more of a wash. The Condor Boeing 767 is in a 2-3-2 configuration, which many people enjoy in economy. The Etihad Airbus A330 is in a 2-4-2 configuration, which is also still quite favorable compared to A350s, 777s, 787s, etc.
Why is Condor leasing Airbus A330s?
Condor’s decision to lease Airbus A330s isn’t just about adding capacity, but there’s another bigger motive. In mid-2021, Condor placed an order for 16 Airbus A330-900neos, which will be delivered to the airline starting in the fall of 2022.
This is an exciting development for the airline, as Condor is completely refreshing its long haul fleet, and also introducing an all new onboard product. The airline is also taking delivery of these planes quickly, with all deliveries expected within a period of around 18 months.
Part of the motive for leasing A330s is to start getting crews trained on the plane, so that the airline won’t have any issues transitioning crews as the A330-900neos join the carrier’s fleet. Given the quick delivery timeline of those planes, they’ll need pilots to be ready to go almost immediately.
While there are differences between the A330-200 and A330-900neo, they share a common cockpit, so transitioning between the two planes will be easy.
Bottom line
Condor is expected to begin Airbus A330 operations this spring, using four leased former Etihad A330s. These planes will be used on long haul flights, and will represent a significant upgrade for the passenger experience, especially in business class. If you are going to fly Condor business class this summer, it could be worth seeking out the routes operated by A330s.
All of this comes ahead of Condor taking delivery of 16 Airbus A330-900neos, which are expected to join the carrier’s fleet as of the fall of 2022.
What do you make of Condor leasing Airbus A330s?
I flew this aircraft in economy round trip Seattle Frankfurt. I consider the seats in this aircraft to be substantially inferior to the 767 seats. The aircraft lacks a premium economy option. The pitch of the economy seats is too close, by far. The entertainment system is outdated. Condor needs to re-do the interior immediately.
Flew on one of them and it was not very comfortable, so I wouldn't call it a treat.
Is there Wi-Fi on these planes?
There was no wifi on our flight. The audio on our entertainment system didn't even work.
It can only be good for all of us if Condor has a competitive product. Forces Lufthansa to up their game. Eurowings Discovery is a bad joke and the fact that LH mainline has hardly any holiday destinations left makes Miles and More less and less attractive
I'm still wondering how they plan to fill any of these, seeing as they've lose LH's feed at FRA.
Granted, they still have international codeshares with the likes of AS, for feedstock, but will those be enough, without the help at home base?
What is the latest on that? Ends in May?
Just booked a flight with AS Miles for SEA-FRA in Nov 2022, and the seatmap on Condor's website still shows the Etihad layout.
They will perform training flights between Frankfurt and Palma de Mallorca.
Palma is massively improving plane wise, between the LH 747-8 last summer, the Condor A330s, and the start of its UA Newark flights this summer
YES!!! I have SEA-FRA flight booked in J this summer! I've had multiple flights in the Condor 767 J, so this is a really cool opportunity to experience something new.
I didn't see how premium economy is changed - as the Condor PE was just a regular coach seat with a bit more legroom
I booked it with Lufthansa on the 747-4 for April. The aircraft is now „downgraded“ to a A-340-3…
…I still hope that they change it to one of the former Phillipine Airways planes. If not, consider yourself lucky: you will have a more comfortable seat on Condor than we will have at Lufthansa
Whoohoo, had yyz-fra booked in business with Alaska miles may 20, returning May 27. What great timing
I want to go to Punta Canada haha
@ Thetime -- Hah, whoops. Fixed, thanks!