Condor adds nonstop Frankfurt service to several US cities
May is just a few days away, and it's going to be a month when one European carrier makes major changes to its U.S. flight schedule. Over the next few weeks, German leisure carrier Condor is going to add a long list of direct flights between Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) and several U.S. cities as the airline expands its U.S. flight schedule.
Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the largest U.S. airport that will begin direct service on Condor to Frankfurt. The airport reminded travelers of the upcoming flights in a tweet over the weekend.
LAX officials tweeted about the new service, although it's worth noting that the photo the airport used of a Condor jet did not include an aircraft decked out in the Condor's new brightly-striped livery unveiled earlier this month.
As part of its service expansion this summer, Condor is also adding nonstop flights between Frankfurt and both New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and San Francisco (SFO).
The airport is also returning service it had suspended to Portland, Oregon (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Phoenix/Sky Harbor (PHX), Boston/Logan (BOS), Minneapolis/St. Paul (MSP) and Baltimore/Washington (BWI).
The move follows a resumption of the airline's service to Seattle/Tacoma (SEA), Las Vegas (LAS), Anchorage (ANC) and Fairbanks (FAI). Service to these airports had been suspended during the pandemic.
Condor's vice president and area manager for North America, Mathias Freiss, cited unprecedented "pent-up demand" from U.S. travelers as a driving force behind the changes.
The first airport to add service to Frankfurt during the month of May will be JFK Airport in New York, with service starting May 6. Service between Frankfurt and LAX begins May 24 – shortly before Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of summer and the season's anticipated travel surge.
Related: 4 reasons you should visit Germany in the summer
Booking your trip
If you're considering travel to Germany this summer – and paying your trip outright without miles – Condor's initial service might be a relatively affordable way for you to get there.
I checked flights from some of the cities where this service is starting up, and the prices are certainly less than you could often end up paying.
It looks like seats are available on Condor's first flight from JFK to Frankfurt on Friday, May 6. The round trip, with a return on May 12, goes for $539. Of course, you'll want to be sure you're fully up to speed on what fees might be associated with your trip, and what size carry-on bag your particular ticket allows, regardless of the class of service you're in.
Meanwhile, a round trip from LAX to Frankfurt on the first day of service – May 24 – with a return a week later goes for $759. The outbound, nonstop service is a flight close to 12 hours, with the return flight lasting about 12 and a half hours.
Getting into Germany
U.S. travelers who are fully vaccinated are able to get into Germany, under the country's current COVID-19 protocols. Meanwhile, travelers who are not fully vaccinated can only get into the country if they can demonstrate "an important need to travel." The German Foreign Ministry updates its COVID-19 restrictions and guidance here.
Related: A country-by-country guide to coronavirus reopenings
Bottom line
Travel from the U.S. to Europe is expected to surge this summer after two years where COVID-19 made things highly unusual. Airlines, like Condor, are taking notice of this demand.
This additional service is going to mean many more routes between the U.S. and Germany are operating by the time summer officially kicks off.
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