Comparing Condor Airlines’ regular and Prime business-class seats

Quick take: Condor Airlines provides a great way to fly between North America and Europe, with decent award availability.

Pros

• Sharp cabin design and competitive seats
• Service is friendly and efficient
• Typically good award availability using Alaska Airlines miles

Cons

• Entertainment system’s remote control is tricky
• Seats could offer a little more privacy
• Some long-haul routes are seasonal or do not operate daily, which can make timing difficult

Condor Airlines is not really a household name in the U.S., despite its relatively robust route network that includes flights from several U.S. gateways to its main hub in Frankfurt.

If you’ve seen a Condor Airlines jet, however, it’s unmistakable, thanks to the airline’s bold, striped livery that was introduced back in 2022 as a rebranding for what was once a low-cost leisure airline.

Part of that rebrand included the advent of new business-class cabins and seats that went into service in 2023. Since then, I’ve been hankering to fly the German carrier to experience it for myself.

I finally had the chance this past June when I found an award ticket from Los Angeles to Johannesburg via Frankfurt, all in Condor Airlines’ new business class, using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles.

Not only did I get to fly the new business-class seats, but I also splurged on one of the airline’s business-plus “Prime” seats at the front of the cabin to see if the experience really felt that different. It did.

Here’s what you need to know about flying Condor Airlines business class and how to make the most of the experience.

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How much does it cost to book Condor Airlines business class?

How much it costs to book Condor Airlines business class depends on your origin and destination.

My ticket from Los Angeles to Johannesburg via Frankfurt would have cost $5,470. Instead, I was able to redeem 110,000 Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan miles plus $96 for my ticket, yielding a value of about 4.9 cents per mile redeemed — not bad considering TPG’s July 2025 valuation of Mileage Plan miles is 1.5 cents apiece.

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For my Los Angeles-to-Frankfurt flight, I paid an extra $300 for one of the Business Prime seats. It would have cost $240 to do so on the flight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg, which is about the same length, but I just kept a normal seat assignment for that leg since I wanted to compare the experiences.

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After boarding was complete on my flight from Los Angeles, the flight attendants announced that there was one business-class seat left, to which you could upgrade from economy for 899 euros ($1,056), and one premium economy seat, which was available for 179 euros ($210). So, that could be interesting if you decide you want to splurge at the last minute. There was no such offer on my Johannesburg flight.

Checking into and boarding Condor Airlines business class

Condor Airlines business-class passengers can enjoy the following priority services at the airport.

At Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Condor Airlines’ check-in desks are in Terminal 2. There were separate lines for economy, premium economy and business class, but the agents were taking folks on a first-come, first-served basis, periodically checking if there were business-class passengers waiting so they could be given priority.

Passengers were directed to head upstairs through security in Terminal 1 and then to a cordoned-off area to wait for a shuttle to the west gates at Tom Bradley International Terminal. I waited about 10 minutes in line before a shuttle arrived, and then the ride took about 10 minutes.

It’s circuitous, but it is actually faster than walking all the way to Tom Bradley and then having to walk through the underground passage from the main terminal to the west gates from there.

Condor Airlines has an agreement so that its business-class passengers can access Air France’s lounge at LAX, which we covered when it opened. It is located two levels up from the main concourse and features plenty of food and other amenities

Condor Airlines operates out of Terminal 1 at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), and its business-class passengers can access several Lufthansa business-class lounges, as well as the Luxx lounge.

I went to the Lufthansa business-class lounge nearest to my gate (B44) and had it practically to myself for the first few hours of the afternoon. There was a small selection of food, including chicken curry, asparagus soup and various snacks, including a selection of soft pretzels, plus German wines, beers and an extensive array of spirits.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

I mostly hunkered down to work, though, and then grabbed a quick shower before my flight to Johannesburg.

How comfortable is Condor Airlines business class?

There is a single, large business-class cabin at the front of Condor Airlines’ Airbus A330-900neos with 30 seats arranged in seven rows of four seats, each in a 1-2-1 pattern, plus a pair of Business Prime seats in Row 1.

These are Safran’s Skylounge Core seats, and each is 21 inches wide between the armrests (though the back cushion is just 17.5 inches wide) and reclines to a lie-flat bed that’s 78 inches long.

The four Prime seats in the front row are more private and spacious. These are the same width as the other seats, but instead of having a footwell, they have an open ottoman that’s 28 inches wide and 27 inches deep, giving you much more sleeping space.

The ottoman even has a seat belt so someone can join you for a meal or drink.

As for the rest of the cabin, seats on the sides are alternately closer to the aisle or to the window, while those in the middle are closer together in odd-numbered rows and farther apart in even rows.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Unfortunately, there are no privacy dividers between center seats (except for the Prime ones in Row 1), so if you’re not traveling with a companion, you could end up sitting rather close to a stranger.

The most private seats are the A and K ones along the windows in the even-numbered rows, so I’d suggest those for solo travelers.

All seats in Condor Airlines’ business class are upholstered in handsome indigo-colored fabric with blue-and-white striped headrests that play on the airline’s livery, along with a little stencil of the carrier’s logo. They also have faux-wood siding and brushed metal accents that create a pared-down, sophisticated look.

Though they do not have doors, the seat shell forms a privacy shield from the aisle that extends about 10 inches from the seatback.

Along the wider armrest is a set of buttons to maneuver the seat into preset positions and one for the seatback ambient light. Unlike those on some other airlines, these were not terribly sensitive, so I didn’t accidentally elbow my seat into movement.

Embedded in the armrest is a corded remote for the entertainment screen, a universal power plug and both USB-A and USB-C ports. There are also an open shelf for stowing personal items and a bottle of water, and a hook for holding the provided noise-canceling headphones. This open compartment has an ambient light and a small reading light next to the seat’s headrest.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

With normal business-class seats, the table slides out from under the entertainment monitor. In the Business Prime seats, the table flips down from the side of the seat and then slides backward and forward, which is handy.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

In lie-flat mode, the bed measures 6 feet, 6 inches, and the footwell in regular seats is 17 inches wide by 12 inches high, so there was plenty of room for my feet, though turning over was a challenge. The airline provides a breathable mattress pad in both Prime and regular business-class seats, which is nice because the seat cushions are firm, along with a blanket and a pillow.

As mentioned, the Business Prime seats have open ottomans rather than footwells, so that makes sleeping a bit more comfortable. The ottoman is 20 inches away from the seat cushion in upright mode, so you don’t need to have long legs in order to prop your feet up.

Business Prime seats also have a small stowage compartment near their entrances, and there are 18 inches of clearance to the aisle, making it easy to get in and out.

There are plenty of overhead compartments for passengers to use, too, including some that run down the middle. Unfortunately, there are no individual air nozzles, so you are subject to the flight attendants’ temperature controls, but they kept the cabin comfortably cool on both my flights. The manual window shades (as opposed to digitally dimming ones) also helped keep out the heat.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

Finally, there are three lavatories available to business-class passengers. One is behind the cockpit, past the forward galley. The other two are at the rear of the cabin. There is no galley back there, though, so if you are in Row 8, you’ll be quite close to them. There were Rituals products in them for passengers to use, but there were no other frills to speak of. On the downside, neither the sink nor the toilet was touchless.

Amenities in Condor Airlines business class

Set up before boarding, each business-class seat had a mattress pad, a full-size blanket and a medium-size pillow, along with a pair of striped slippers.

I also found a pair of noise-canceling headphones hanging from a seat-side hook along with ear covers, and they functioned well on both flights.

The Prime amenity kit came in the form of a cotton pouch and contained:

• A dental kit with a toothbrush and toothpaste
• An eye mask
• A pair of branded socks
• Rituals “Jing” lotus-jujube products, including hand cream, body mist, lip balm and face moisturizer

There was also a faux-leather travel organizer and a gadget bag that was a cute touch.

When I was just in a standard seat for the second leg of my trip, the amenity kit I was given was made from recycled paper and contained most of the same items, except for the Rituals face moisturizer and body mist. Instead of a small organizer, I was given a cute waterproof beach bag.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

As a Business Prime passenger, I was offered a pair of pajamas shortly after boarding (and heard a few other passengers asking where their pajamas were, though only Prime passengers receive them).

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ERIC ROSEN / THE POINTS GUY

Business Prime passengers also get a personal snack basket at their seats. Mine included:

• Haribo “Travel Parade” gummies
• Peanut M&Ms
• Paprika-flavored Pringles
• Joe & Seph’s salted caramel popcorn
• Pick Up! chocolate cookies
• A Nu fruit smoothie drink

The entertainment system at my Business Prime seat was a 24-inch 4K screen (compared to 17.3 inches at regular business-class seats), which is pretty much at the top of what you’ll find in business class these days.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

It was loaded with over 200 movies, including “A Complete Unknown,” “Conclave” and “Moana 2,” and TV shows, such as “Hacks” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” plus music and meditation options.

One major issue I found with the system was that the remote control did not work in the Prime seat. Its surface functions like a mousepad where you can click on various items, but I had no control over where the cursor was on the screen. I just ended up using the monitor itself as a touchscreen, which was simple enough in the regular seat.

In the Prime seat, however, that was more difficult given the larger footprint and how far the screen was from the chair. Still, once a movie was playing, I could use the remote to start and pause it. The remote in my normal business-class seat worked just fine, though it was easier to reach the touchscreen, too.

If you have your own headphones with Bluetooth capability, you’ll probably just want to pair them with the entertainment system.

Wi-Fi was available on both my flights, with two possible paid options:

• Messaging up to 100 Kbps for 7 euros ($8)
• Full-flight text, email and social media up to 1.2 Mbps for 20 euros ($22)

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

As a Business Prime passenger, I was given a full-flight Wi-Fi voucher and was able to connect easily. I clocked speeds of 1 Mbps on the flight to Frankfurt, which was handy for emailing, but far slower speeds on the flight to Johannesburg, during which I paid for the full-flight Wi-Fi.

How was the food in Condor Airlines business class?

As boarding got underway on my first flight, which began a little late, attendants came through offering passengers sparkling wine, orange juice or a drink of choice to enjoy along with a ramekin of nuts.

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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY

About 30 minutes into the flight, during what would be dinnertime in Los Angeles, flight attendants came back through offering two rounds of drinks before dinner began.

Just over an hour into the flight, the appetizer course was served from a trolley on a single tray that included:

• Bell pepper cream cheese dip
• Compressed tomato and mozzarella with balsamic and smoky bresaola
• Marinated tuna with yellow beet and tarragon dressing
• Mixed green salad with celery and balsamic dressing

Passengers could also choose from a bread basket with garlic, bread, pretzels, a seedy wheat option and focaccia. The starters were light and flavorful, and it was nice to have a large variety of tastes.

The main courses included a choice of:

• Beef tenderloin with grilled vegetables, roasted potato wedges and red wine jus
• Shrimp with broccoli, saffron rice and tomato-bell pepper jus
• Ravioli stuffed with mascarpone and artichoke with mushroom sauce, baby spinach, roasted tomato and Parmesan cheese

These were served individually, and orders were taken as flight attendants worked their way through the cabin. I chose the tenderloin, and it was decent but not memorable.

Finally, for dessert, there was:

• A cheese course with dill havarti, cheddar and goat cheese served with a selection of bread
• Lemon tartlet

I actually tried both, as did most of the other passengers around me.

As for drinks, the menu highlighted the airline’s signature Condorpolitan cocktail with vodka, lychee, lime zest and cranberry.

The inflight wine selection included:

• Pol Hensler Grande Reserve Champagne
• Motzenbacker brut rose
• Te Awa sauvignon blanc
• Vom Haus gruner veltliner
• Studio by Miraval rose
• Motzenbacker Wild und Rot red wine
• Lynx Wine Estate petite sirah and zinfandel blend

The Champagne was nice up in the air; crisp but with body. I also enjoyed the German red wine, which was light-bodied and fruity without being cloying. Aside from wine, there was a selection of Bitburger and BrewDog beers, spirits like Bombay Sapphire gin and Johnnie Walker Black Label whisky, various sodas and juices, and Illy coffee and Messmer teas.

Ninety minutes before landing (at around noon, Frankfurt time), the cabin lights gradually came on and flight attendants came through with breakfast service. This started with a selection of beverages, and then meals were handed out on a single tray from a trolley with all the following:

• Fresh melon and pineapple
• Italian salami, cream cheese and cheddar
• Bread rolls and croissants with a choice of butter, jam, honey and Nutella
• Omelet with ham and cheese in tomato sauce

I wasn’t too hungry, so I only pecked at the food, which was salty, though a hot cup of coffee hit the spot.

The service flow was much the same on my second flight, though meal service started around 90 minutes into the flight. I had hoped it would be a bit faster to maximize time to rest, but there were still 7 1/2 hours to go by the time meal service wrapped up.

It started with a selection of small plates:

• Chili cream cheese dip
• Lemongrass prawn with carrot, green asparagus and yuzu mayo
• Italian burrata with tomato, green pesto and basil
• Chicken Caesar salad
• Eiskeller, montagnolo and sheep’s cheese with date-sesame-honey chutney

That’s a lot of dairy on one plate, so while I enjoyed it, if you can’t have milk products, you might want to consider ordering a special meal.

The three choices of mains were:

• Chicken breast filet with polenta gnocchi, artichokes, bell pepper and lemon cream sauce
• Salmon filet over five-grain rice with egg, spinach, edamame, red ginger and teriyaki sauce
• Pasta with wild garlic, cheese sauce and spring onions

I thought the chicken sounded best, and it was flavorful but also very creamy, and the polenta was quite filling. For dessert, there was cheesecake (more dairy!) with raspberry and mint.

About an hour and 45 minutes before landing, breakfast service began and wrapped up an hour before arrival.

Items were served on a single tray with the following:

• Fresh fruit with Bircher muesli
• Ham, Gouda and radish cream cheese
• Pastries with jam, honey or Nutella
• Omelet with herbed potato cubes and pepperonata

Meal service was the same in both regular and Prime business class. You’re probably just more likely to get your first choice of main course since they take orders from the front of the cabin to the back.

Was Condor Airlines’ Prime business-class seat worth it?

Having flown back-to-back flights in Condor Airlines business class, the first in one of the Prime seats and the second in a regular seat, I think paying the upcharge for Prime can certainly be worth it.

On my set of two flights, it would have cost $240 to $300 per leg. That’s not cheap, but it’s not too expensive either, considering the length of the flights, how much larger the Prime seats are and the extra goodies you get, like pajamas, the snack basket, a nicer amenity kit and free Wi-Fi.

That said, the normal seats are certainly comfortable enough if you want to save your money.

Would you recommend Condor Airlines business class?

After spending nearly 24 hours in the air with Condor Airlines, I would recommend the airline’s business class without hesitation. The seats are comfortable, the amenities are decent and the entertainment systems provide plenty of distraction. The food-and-beverage selection was just fine, too.

Being able to use good airport lounges in both Los Angeles and Frankfurt also had a big, positive impact on my trip, especially because I had a nearly seven-hour layover.

What set the experience apart for me, however, was the service. All three flight attendants overseeing the business-class cabin on my first flight were so warm and cheerful. They seemed genuinely excited to show off the cabin and seats and were proactive about offering drink refills, menu suggestions and more, in perfect German and English. The same was true of the crew on my second flight. They were polished, congenial and on hand immediately for any requests. Both crews made an already good experience even better.

In addition to the comfortable seats and commendable service, the main reason I’d recommend Condor is that it’s a great use of Alaska Airlines miles to get to and from Europe (or beyond) at reasonable redemption rates without paying high taxes and fees. I’m going to keep my eye out for more award tickets so I get to experience the airline again.

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