Condor is a popular airline out of Germany that offers a range of international flights. While we we do enjoy flying, sometimes things don’t go as planned! What started out as a normal trip home from Europe for the holidays completely changed as we faced a few hurdles with our booking. If you’re flying from Frankfurt to New York, changing your Condor Airlines flight, or simply want to learn about our experience, look no further! Here is a complete review of our travel day with Condor Airlines.
Complete Review of Condor Airlines
Booking Our Fight from Prague to New York
Whoops did we say Prague? Yes, when we originally booked our flight home we planned to spend the 10 days prior enjoying the magical Prague Christmas markets. We used the tool Skyscanner to find a cheap deal as we always do.
After an increase of Covid cases lead to a state of emergency (and the Christmas markets being cancelled) we decided to push our trip till the spring and stay in Spain.
Unfortunately, Condor doesn’t currently have a decent cancellation/refund policy. We have had to change so many travel plans recently and have always been able to get a credit or change our departure dates.
Somewhere between finding the flight and booking it, we failed to verify exactly what the policy was. Always be sure to check that when searching for your own flights!
→ 11 Best Ways to Save Money on Flights with Skyscanner
Switching Route From Frankfurt to New York
After taking into account the small refund we would receive we decided to just switch our flight and pay the change fee.
Original Flight: Prague to New York Via Frankfurt
New Route: Barcelona to New York Via Frankfurt
Obviously, paying the extra $200 USD each wasn’t great! Still, it certainly could have been worse if we lost the total value of our tickets.
→ If you’re interested in flying with Condor Air you can check the latest prices and routes here!
Planning For Our Condor Airlines Flight
Even tho we left from Barcelona instead of Prague, we were actually on the same flight for the second leg of our journey. Meaning we were always going to have a layover and be traveling from Frankfurt to New York. The reason why we’re mentioning this in our Condor Airlines review is because of the constantly changing requirements.
In the pandemic world of travel, it’s so important to keep up to date with all the documents you need. When we left the United States we need a negative covid test within 72 hours of our flight. However, before we returned it was moved up to 24 hours.
We actually booked an appointment at the airport covid testing center in Malaga Spain for the day before our first flight to Barcelona. Things move surprisingly fast now and we got the results within 20 minutes.
Spain to United States Full Travel Breakdown
First Day of Travel
- Malaga Airport Covid Test
- 2 pm Flight from Malaga to Barcelona
Second Day of Travel
- 3am wake-up call!
- 6am Flight from Barcelona to Frankfurt
- Layover at Frankfort Airport
- 11am Flight Frankfurt to New York (JFK)
- Train to City
- 2 Hour Train to Western Massachusetts
Starting the LONG Travel Day
I don’t care what is going on… A 3am alarm is never fun to deal with! We love traveling and feel a euphoric excitement about it. However, 3am is rough no matter how you slice it. We showered and jumped on the airport 4am shuttle making it to the Barcelona Airport about 2 hours before our flight.
Check-in went smoothly. We actually both checked a bag which was crazy and something we never try and do. Typically we travel very light and normally the 8kg weight limit isn’t an issue.
Yet, returning to the U.S. for the holidays and having our bags stuffed with gifts we knew that they would be heavier than usual. Also, we had a free checked bag with our Condor flight so it worked out.
Condor Flight 1: Barcelona to Frankfurt
While we booked our flight with Condor Airlines the first leg of our trip was on its partner airline Lufthansa! Lufthansa has an amazing reputation and while we slept most of the whole flight it was still nice.
They gave out hand sanitizer wipes, small water bottles, and even German chocolates! Two hours later, we woke up from a sleepy haze and looked out the window to see a foggy Frankfurt. While this isn’t technically part of the review of Condor Airlines, know that if you fly Lufthansa you might be in for a treat.
3 Hour Layover in Germany
If you didn’t know, Frankfurt is the largest airport in Germany! Now can’t express this part enough in our Condor Airlines Review. Make sure you have enough time to transfer, especially if you are leaving the EU! We had three hours and honestly if we had anything less we would have been stressing!
Frankfurt International Airport is MASSIVE! Luckily, we found our way to the B terminal and got to our gate with time to spare. So how did we use our extra time do you ask? With a German currywurst of course! We love German food and would’ve been so devastated passing through without having some.
Condor Airlines Review Tip: If you find yourself in Terminal B in Frankfurt there is a small outside deck overlooking the runway. Technically, this is a smoking area but it was pretty empty when we were there having our meal.
Boarding Our Condor Airlines Flight
The flight was completely full and with the U.S. regulations everyone who didn’t start their trip in Frankfurt had to go through a document screening. The following was checked before our Frankfurt to New York flight:
- Passport
- Boarding Ticket
- Covid Vaccine Card
- Negative Covid Test
- Travel Attestation Provided Condor Airlines
Our flight ended up boarding about 30 minutes late. We knew our seats were in the middle section of economy class which we HATE. Nevertheless, after paying extra to change the flight we didn’t want to dish out even more money to choose different seats.
Flying Condor Airlines Review
We should start out this section of the review of Condor Airlines by noting the plane was very nice and modern. Although we appreciated the leather seats and new television screens, every seat was completely full. Not ideal during a pandemic, but traveling during the holidays it’s something you should expect.
Next was where we were truly surprised! On Condor Airlines you have to pay for movies and entertainment. As a budget airline for an international flight, this was one thing I hadn’t seen before. Sure it’s common to see snacks and alcoholic drinks for charge, but usually you get some free movies on such a long flight.
Condor Flight Meals and Service
We did however get a free meal on our Condor Airlines flight. The food was basic, but good. The German potato salad and Chocolate pudding are two things we love anyway so it was nice to have that treat.
During food service, the meal and non-alcoholic drinks were included with the flight. However, if you wanted beer, wine, or hard liquor you had to pay. Over the course of the flight, the guy sitting next to us ordered 6 mini bottles of red wine.
Needless to say, he was having himself quite the party! I wonder what his review of Condor Airlines would be? Haha!
Final Condor Airlines Review Thoughts
Even with the late take-off, cancellation fee, charges for movies, etc… Our flight made it safely to New York! So would we take a Condor flight again?
It was difficult to enjoy the experience from the start because we ended up paying a lot for the flight. The cost to change mixed with the extra high holiday rates ended up being more than we expected.
Clearly the Covid-19 pandemic and extra paperwork to enter the United States is not the airline’s fault. For that reason, we would be happy try try them again in the future for international flights. We’re always willing to give it another chance for the right price though!
Have any questions about our review of Condor Airlines or want to give your own Condor Airlines Review? Leave us a comment below!
Safe Travels,
Brigitte & Jake
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