Wednesday newsletters always feature a hotel or flight review.
A few weeks ago, I enjoyed a relaxing holiday in the Riviera Maya, Mexico, where I stayed at the area’s top three luxury resorts. I will publish my trip reports over the coming weeks:
- Review: Condor A330neo Business Class from Frankfurt to Cancun (today)
- Review: Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya
- Review: The St Regis Kanai Resort, Riviera Maya
- Review: Rosewood Mayakoba, Riveira Maya
- Review: Condor A330neo Business Class (Prime Seat) from Cancun to Mexico
Today: Review of Condor’s A330neo Business Class (Frankfurt to Cancun)
I recently flew in Business Class onboard a brand-new Condor Airbus A330-900neo (A330neo) from Frankfurt (Germany) to Cancun (Mexico). Based in Germany (with Frankfurt as a hub), Condor is one of world’s largest leisure airlines. The airline was founded in 1955 as “Deutsche Flugdienst GmbH” and was a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa from 1960–2000. In 2000, the Condor shares held by Lufthansa were gradually acquired by the Thomas Cook Group. Condor managed to survive the collapse of Thomas Cook in 2019 and has been flying as a successful independent carrier since then.
Condor recently replaced its aging Boeing 767 fleet by brand-new, state-of-the-art Airbus A330neo aircraft, hereby introducing a new brand identity and a new excellent Business Class product with a 1-2-1 staggered layout. My experience during my Condor flight from Frankfurt to Cancun was excellent, with a visually appealing cabin, great Business Class seat, delicious food and an enthusiastic crew. Condor has upped the flying game by offering an elevated Business Class product and now outshines its former mother company Lufthansa (which has to catch up to compete head-to-head with them).
Have you ever flown in Condor’s new Business Class onboard the Airbus A330neo? If so, what was your experience? Leave a comment.
- Trip: Frankfurt (FRA) to Cancun (CUN
- Airline: Condor
- Aircraft type: Airbus A330-900neo
- Aircraft registration number: D-ANRF (delivered to Condor in 2023)
- On time departure:11 am (yes)
- On time arrival: 6 pm am (yes)
- Miles: 5340 miles (8590 km)
- Flight time: 11 hours
- Seat: 8A
- Class: Business Class
In this review (more information & photos below my YouTube video):
- Lounge at Frankfurt Airport
- Condor A330-900neo
- Business Class cabin
- Business Class seat (+ best & worst seats)
- Amenities & bedding
- Meals
- Entertainment
- Onboard internet
- Other inflight experiences
- My verdict (score)
1. LOUNGE AT FRANKFURT AIRPORT
Currently, Condor doesn’t have its own lounge at Frankfurt International Airport – its home airport. Instead, Condor’s Business Class passengers have access to the Lufthansa lounges which are located all over Frankfurt Airport. It’s kind of weird and ironical how Condor sends its Business Class passengers to the lounges of its biggest competitor. However, I assume that Condor will create a new ground experience at Frankfurt in the coming years, offering a lounge product that matches its recent rebranding and that really sets its apart from the rather mediocre Lufthansa experience.
Prior to my flight to Cancun, I made use of the Lufthansa Business Class lounge near gate B24 in Terminal 1 (non-Schengen area), which is close to the Condor boarding gates. The lounge is located up a spiral staircase, one floor above the terminal’s main concourse. Boarding passes are checked by a security point at the bottom of the staircase. The lounge itself is quite large and has the size of a donut: the food stations are placed at the center of the donut while the seating areas make up the outside of the donut. The far end of the lounge features feature a large space with high tables (equipped with power outlets) and small work cubicles.
The lounge, with its neutral color palette, has a contemporary decor, and offers a combination of designer seats and more comfortable loungers. Large floor-to-ceiling windows allow for plenty of daylight but there is no view to speak of, since there is another building between the windows and the tarmac.
I visited the lounge during the morning hours, and the food offerings were quite decent. The buffet offered plenty of cold and hot items, such as salads, sandwiches, broccoli cream soup and scrambled eggs to name a few. In addition, some Lufthansa staffers walked through the lounge with trolleys and handed out small bites (e.g. Wiener schnitzels) to guests, a highly appreciated gesture. Wine offerings were limited, although there was not shortage of other alcoholic drinks, including German beers.
2. CONDOR A330-900NEO
Over a time span of less than two years, Condor phased out a total of 16 B767 aircraft and successively replaced them with 16 brand-new A330-900neo aircraft. The A330neo features Airbus’ award-winning Airspace cabin, providing passengers with a high level of comfort, ambience and design. This includes offering more personal space, larger overhead bins, a new lighting system, and the ability to offer the latest in-flight entertainment systems and full connectivity.
All Condor Airbus A330neo aircraft feature a remarkable striped livery, which is inspired by parasols, bath towels and beach chairs, matching Condor’s reputation as a unique leisure airline. The stripes come in five colors – yellow, red, blue, green and beige – which the airline says “stand for the facets of the diversity of Condor’s guests, employees and the multitude of opportunities to discover the world with Condor”. The fuselage also features the carrier’s name in lower case, while the aircraft tailfin is painted with a refreshed version of the Condor signet.
Condor’s A330neo aircraft feature 310 seats in Economy Class (216), Premium Economy Class (64) and Business Class (26 seats + 4 Prime Seats).
3. BUSINESS CLASS CABIN
Condor’s A330neo aircraft feature 30 lay-flat Business Class seats, which are all located in one cabin in the plane’s front section. The seats are arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout with direct aisle access for all passengers. The staggered configuration means that the footwell of each seat is to the side of the seat in front, so it minimizes the pitch required for each seat.
The center of the cabin features 8 rows of paired seats, perfects for couples or friends traveling together, while the Business Class seats on the side along the windows are spread over 7 rows and the best choice for solo travelers. The window seats in the even numbered rows are closer to the windows since they have their console on the aisle side, while the window seats in the odd numbered rows are closer to the aisle since they have their console on the window side.
The four Business Class seats in the front row of the cabin (2A, 1E, 1F, and 2K) offer even more space, a bigger bed, a “visitor” seat, an extra-large 24 inch 4K screen, and other exclusive benefits. Since they do offer an even further elevated travel experience, they are called Prime Seats. Reserving one of the premium seats comes with an extra fee: a Prime Seat can be booked by passengers with a Business Class ticket from an additional EUR 200 (approximately $214 USD) per route. I was seated in a Prime Seat on the return journey (Cancun to Frankfurt) and I’ll soon publish a separate trip report about this experience.
The color concept of the Business Class cabin is marina blue throughout, which compliments the dark wood seat panels and leather upholstering. Condor’s signature striped design theme continues within the cabin, with striped seat covers as well as a striped bulkhead wall, prominently displaying the gold-colored Condor logo. The sophisticated color palette, the striped design elements, as well as the Airbus A330neo’s mood lighting features (which includes a rainbow scheme) creates an upscale ambience.
4. BUSINESS CLASS SEAT (+ BEST & WORST SEATS)
Condor’s Business Class seat is a customized version of Safran’s Skylounge Core product and has a pitch of 44 inches (112 cm) and a width of 48 cm (19 inches).
One side of the seat features a console comprised of a small storage area, a reading light, a headset hanger, and a cocktail table. Around the cocktail table are three charging outlets, including USB-A, USB-C, and AC, as well as a handset for the inflight entertainment. The seat controls – which are easy to use – are also located on this side of the seat, on a backlit control panel inside the armrest.
In front of the seat is a 17 inches 4K monitor, which can be navigated via a touch screen or remote control (more on that below). The tray table is placed directly under the TV, and released upon the touch of a large button. Below the TV is a tapered footwell, which becomes part of the flat bed when the seat is fully reclined; the full-flat bed has length of 79 inches (2 m). As I mentioned earlier, the four seats in the front row (Premium Seats) have an extra-large 24 inch 4K monitor as well as more bed space.
One of the seat’s few negatives is its lack of storage, except for a small unsecured space under the footwell and a small storage box in the console.
What are the best Business Class seats on Condor’s A330neo?
- The best seats are the Premium Seats in the front row (sine they offer more space, a bigger bed, a “visitor” seat, an extra-large 24 inch 4K screen), but these seats can only be reserved by paying an extra fee.
- The best seats for solo travelers are the ‘true’ window seats in rows 2, 4, 6 and 8.
- The best seats for travel partners are the paired seats in the planes’ center.
What are the worst Business Class seats on Condor’s A330neo?
- The seats in rows 1 and 8 are located close to the galley, which may be bothersome to some passengers (because of more noise and light in this area).
- The solo window seats in rows 3, 5 and 7 are closer the aisle (since they have their console on the window side) and therefore do not feel very private.
Click here for a seat map of Condor’s Airbus A330-900neo aircraft.
5. AMENITIES & BEDDING
Passengers traveling in Business Class onboard one of Condor’s long-haul flights receive the following amenities:
- Condor’s Business Class amenity kit is presented as a cardboard container and mainly consist of sustainable materials, such as socks made from 100 percent recycled PET, earplugs in a paper package, and a viscose sleep mask based on bamboo fibers. The kit also includes toothpaste and a bamboo toothbrush with nylon bristles, lip balm and and a facial moisturizer.
- On all long-haul flights operated with the new Airbus A330neo, a mattress topper is available for even more lying comfort. This consists of a seven-layer system and was specially developed for the seats in the new Condor Business Class.
- A fluffy pillow.
- A high-quality 78 inches (2m) long, 51 inches (85 cm) wide blanket.
- A pair of striped slippers.
- Noise-cancelling headphones are provided; the seats are also equipped with bluetooth audio, so passengers can also use their own headphones.
- Passengers in the Prime Seats get some extra goodies, such as pajamas and a welcome snack basket (containing Haribo gummy bears, peanut M&Ms, Pringles, chocolate crackers, and salted caramel popcorn).
6. MEALS
During the flight, two meals were served: a lunch after takeoff and a light dinner about two hours prior to landing. All meals tasted excellent, were nicely presented (especially the starter), and were comprised of decent portions. An unexpected highlight was the ultra-cute airplane-shaped salt & pepper shaker, which was offered with the starter.
For lunch, I choose the following selection from the menu:
- An aperitif (drink of choice), served with warm nuts and a bag of Italian crackers.
- Duo of starter: roast beef with lemon pepper, porcini mushroom tiramisu, herbed mayonnaise + Norwegian Ikarimi salmon pickled with wild blueberries, couscous salad. The starter was served with bread, bell pepper cream cheese dip, and a baby green salad with tomato, cucumber, cream herbs dressing.
- Main course: braised beef, parmesan potatoes, brasserie vegetables, truffle jus.
- Mölltaler mountain cheese: Fourse d’Ambert blue cheese, farmer gouda with red pesto
- Dessert: Gianduja chocolate tartlet
During the flight, several salty and sweet snacks were available in the galley, and an ice-cream was also served mid-flight (when we reached the shores of Canada).
A light dinner was offered two hours prior to arrival, and consisted of a salad, chicken Thai curry, and cheesecake.
7. ENTERTAINMENT
Condor offers an extensive in-flight entertainment selection, which can be navigated by remote control or by directly touching the screen. The program includes 250 movies and 160 series, which are displayed on a high quality 4K personal screens. The seat’s Bluetooth function allows the usage of personal wireless headphones.
8. ONBOARD INTERNET
Condor offers high-speed broadband internet on its Airbus A330neo aircraft. Two packages are available for purchase:
- With FlyConnect Chat (7 euros), you can send text messages via your smartphone or tablet throughout the flight with no time limit.
- With FlyConnect Surf (20 euro), you can surf online, send text messages, get up-to-date with your e-mails, stream music and use your VPN client throughout your flight with no time limit (max 1200 kbps).
9. OTHER INFLIGHT EXPERIENCES
# CREW: The Condor cabin crew on this flight was courteous, friendly and efficient. The service was warm and personal, attentive but not intrusive.
# LAVATORY: There are two lavatories, one at the front and one at the rear of the Business Class cabin, enough for 30 seats. The lavatories are stocked with Korres amenities and feature walls decorated with beige and white stripes.
10. MY VERDICT
- Cabin design: 9/10
- Seat comfort (upright): 8/10
- Seat comfort (bed position): 8/10
- Seat privacy: 8/10
- Food (quality): 8/10
- Food (quantity): 9/10
- Amenities: 8/10
- Inflight entertainment : 9/10
- WiFi: 9/10
- Service: 9/10
- Overall experience: very good 8.5/10
*** Follow me on Instagram, Youtube, X or Facebook for a daily moment of travel inspiration ***
