A decision last month by the German Federal Court of Justice meant that the Condor Airlines
long-haul network would no longer benefit from feeder services operated by 
Lufthansa
across its expansive short and medium-haul network in Europe. The agreement, which was essential for Condor’s operation, has been the source of much tension between the airlines for years now.
Lufthansa has wanted to escape the deal with the Frankfurt-based leisure airline since 2020, but has been bound to it by federal courts as a measure to balance and ensure competition in the German aviation market. This was especially frustrating for Lufthansa which launched its own leisure-focused airline, Discover Airlines, in 2021, also based in Frankfurt.
The December decision
A decision by the German Federal Court of Justice in December sided with Lufthansa, ruling that the airline was no longer bound by the so-called Special Prorate Agreement that allowed Condor to market Lufthansa European services to feed its long-haul flights.
Lufthansa offered a new deal to Condor, but this was rejected and on Christmas Eve, the SPA was officially suspended. Existing bookings which include a Lufthansa feeder flight remain valid, though.
Photo: Vincenzo Pace | Simple Flying
It seems that as a result of this, Condor has had to completely rethink its network. Condor is now moving away from North America, which seems largely unviable without the support of Lufthansa’s feeder network.
This is despite the fact that Condor is attempting to create its own; in November, the airline announced that it would begin flights to larger cities in Europe such as to Milan, Rome and Vienna as it attempted to build its own feeder network. It goes without saying that the size of Condor’s city connections is but a shadow of Lufthansa’s well-established European routes.
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Goodbye San Antonio, Phoenix & more…
Condor has decided it needs to suspend flights from Frankfurt (FRA) to smaller, more secondary airports such as San Antonio and Phoenix. According to Cirium schedules data, the airline has removed the following routes from systems this summer.
Condor has described the cuts as a reactionary measure, meaning that certain long-haul flights are no longer commercially viable in the new environment in which it finds itself.
Photo: Minh K Tran | Shutterstock
It is worth noting that Condor was the only transatlantic operator at San Antonio Airport. On this, Dr. Jens Boyd, Commercial Director for Condor said:
“This is not a decision we take lightly. Condor has cultivated strong professional and personal ties with San Antonio and the other affected communities over the years, and we deeply regret the loss of connectivity and service this will cause. We remain committed to exploring all avenues for fair competition, though we recognize that further legal proceedings will take time to resolve.”
San Antonio meanwhile said that it looks forward to eventually resuming transatlantic flights and thanked Condor for their landmark service that began in 2024.It noted that traffic from SAT to Europe increased by 30 percent as a result, reaching 450 passengers daily in each direction.
Related
San Antonio Loses Sole Transatlantic Flight As Condor Airlines Will Exit 4 US Cities
The airport will lose its only flight to Europe.
Aside from the routes that have been axed completely, several will see reduced frequencies compared to the initial plan. This includes flights to Anchorage (ANC), Seattle (SEA), and Calgary (YYC).
More flights elsewhere in the world
With all of this excess capacity, Condor is betting its money on leisure destinations on other continents. It will offer more flights to Mauritius, Johannesburg, and Bangkok. Mauritius’s frequencies will increase from twice weekly to three weekly. Johannesburg and Bangkok will both become year-round now, with flights added in the summer.
Photo: San Antonio International Airport
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, flights to Miami will actually see increases. Cirium data shows that services will increase to four weekly instead of the current three.
