A little-know budget airline is flying its new Airbus A330neo between the US and Germany, with business class going for as low as $1,199 one-way — see inside

Thu, 02/16/2023 - 05:49

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Travel

• German budget carrier Condor flew its new Airbus A330neo across the Atlantic for the first time on Monday.
• The historically leisure-focused airline is set on improving its premium products, like business class.
• I toured the jet at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport and was thoroughly impressed.

If you've never heard of German low-cost airline Condor, you might be surprised to hear it has been around since 1955 and was the first leisure carrier to fly the iconic Boeing 747.

Source: Condor

The airline has been flying to the US for years, and, by summer 2023, will have a strong network of 17 routes across North America to places like Seattle, Toronto, and San Francisco.

Currently, Condor has narrowbody fleet of Boeing 757, Airbus A320, and Airbus A321 planes...

Source: Condor

...and a widebody fleet of Airbus A330-200, A330neo, and Boeing 767-300ER aircraft, though the company plans to have an all-A330neo long-haul fleet by 2024.

Source: Condor

While the carrier has historically sported an all-white fuselage with varying tail designs, the livery was changed in April 2022 to resemble beach towels.

Source: Condor

The eye-catching stripes — which come in blue, green, red, yellow, and beige — represent the carrier's leisure business model.

But, the company has started to focus more heavily on the corporate traveler, and is revamping its business class product to lure in more premium customers.

"We have to build awareness and we have to improve the product recognition that is in the market," Condor's director of sales for the Americas, Mikko Turtiainen, told media at an event at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport on Monday.

I toured the carrier's A330-900neo, which will be the airline's long-haul workhorse, to see what passengers can expect — take a look.

Condor's A330neo is new to the fleet, favored for its 20% better fuel efficiency and lower operating costs compared to older A330s.

The first of 18 aircraft was delivered to Condor on December 19, and flew for the first time from Frankfurt to Mauritius in East Africa on December 27. But, Monday's flight was the plane type's first trip across the Atlantic.

Source: Aviacionline

The jet arrived around 2:30 p.m. at JFK's Terminal 7. The airline previously operated out of Terminal 1, but has since taken over the space left behind by British Airways, which moved to Terminal 8 in November.

American and British Airways are joining forces at New York's biggest airport to streamline their partnership — see inside the new Terminal 8

The aircraft is split into two sections: business class…

…and economy. There are 216 economy and 64 premium economy seats — the latter offering more perks like extra legroom and a footrest.

However, both sections feature 13.3-inch seat each screens, and the regular bells and whistles of coach, like a sturdy tray table and a seatback pocket…

…as well as an adjustable headrest and power ports, including both USB and USB-C.

Turtiainen said wifi packages will be available throughout the jet, which can be tailored to the traveler's needs, whether it be texting, emailing, or streaming.

I thought the economy products were nice. I think the 35 and 30 inches of pitch in premium and regular, respectively, would make the seven-hour trek to Germany bearable.

But, the true luxury lies at the front of the jet in business class. The 30 Skylounge Core seats are made by French manufacturer Safran and are also seen on carriers like Taiwan-based Starlux.

Source: Safran

According to Condor, introductory fares start at $1199 one-way, which is a pretty good deal considering a roundtrip business flight on Lufthansa from New York to Frankfurt is $5,400 in June.

Source: The Points Guy

Having flown on Condor's old business class back in 2019, I had high hopes for the new product — and I wasn't disappointed.

The cabin is laid out in a 1x2x1 configuration, so all passengers have direct-aisle access.

Moreover, the seats have a partial shell for added privacy…

…and myriad other features, like table and storage space…

…a universal power outlet and USB-A/C ports…

…full lie-flat capabilities at the touch of a button…

…plenty of legroom…

…a large tray table that drops from below the TV and stays out of the way when sleeping…

…linens, a coat hook, and a reading light…

…an adjustable headrest…

…and a 17.3-inch TV. There is a section with larger screens, but more on that later.

All seatback entertainment screens have a 4K display and Bluetooth connectivity.

The Bluetooth was a shocking perk for a leisure airline, especially since I've only seen the option on a handful of other carriers, like United Airlines.

Condor has special a front row section — four "Prime Seats."

These seats take business class one step further by adding the option for travel companions or colleagues to sit in the pod together.

This is achieved by designing the footrest to double as a seat — and it even comes with a seatbelt so travelers can safely sit and talk without turbulence forcing them back to their original lounger.

Moreover, the tray flips down from the side rather than from under the TV, allowing passengers to enjoy a meal together as well.

And, unlike the normal seats there is a divider between the middle section seats for added privacy, though groups of four could take advantage of the quad-like setup.

In addition to the extra space, Condor's Prime Seats also feature a large 24-inch screen — seven inches bigger than regular business class.

Meanwhile, the extra seat is larger than the regular business class footrest. This means when the lounger is in a lie-flat position, travelers have more leg space to spread out.

To also aid with sleep, the Prime Seats come with added perks, including upgraded amenity kits, pajamas, and slippers.

Passengers hoping to snag a Prime Seat will first need to purchase regular business class and pay for the upgrade on top, which starts at $215 one-way.

Source: The Points Guy

These flying offices, which are typically located in the first row, are becoming more common as airlines continue to focus heavily on creating a robust business class product over first class.

American Airlines is ditching first class on long-haul flights because customers simply 'aren't buying it'

Qatar Airways was amongst the first to create one with its QSuite quad-seating arrangement, which was unveiled in March 2017.

I toured the 'world's best' business class on Qatar's Boeing 777-200LR and I see why people fork out thousands of dollars to experience it

Since then, a handful of carriers have implemented their own version, like JetBlue Airways' Mint Studio…

I flew JetBlue's new London to New York route in Mint business class. It's a premium leisure traveler's dream but some kinks need to be ironed out.

…and Virgin Atlantic's Retreat Suite.

Virgin Atlantic just flew its first-ever A330-900neo on a brand new route from London to Florida — take a look inside the swanky jet

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Transportation, Travel, News, Features, Business Visual Features, Airlines, Aviation, Condor, Airbus, A330neo, Business Class, Germany, New York-JFK

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A little-know budget airline is flying its new Airbus A330neo between the US an…