With my feet kicked up, a soft blanket wrapped around me and a signature Condor Spritz cocktail in my hand, traveling in Condor’s business class felt like a vacation before I even got to my destination. And that’s how you know an airline has done business class right — it’s the thoughtful, small touches that remind guests that they are officially out of office and in vacation mode.
Travelers will notice these little details as they settle into their seats; there are hooks to hang their jackets and a place for their shoes (which they can swap for Condor’s cozy and cute pinstriped slippers). Amenity kits, also navy-and-white striped, are packed with essentials such as lip balm, face moisturizer and a toothbrush. Instead of a tiny toothpaste tube, we were gifted eco-friendly toothpaste tablets in plastic-free packaging — a novel sight on a flight and a first for me.
The German airline’s signature pinstriped design was introduced in 2022 and functions as a throughline of the onboard experience, from the wallpaper and pillows to the exterior of the planes, which are striped in green, blue, beige, yellow or red. The theme is everywhere clients look; if in-flight turbulence twists a client’s tummy, they can even reach for a green-and-white pinstriped throw-up bag.
Onboard Experience
Condor’s A330neo business class is a 1-2-1 layout, with 30 seats in a staggered setup where every passenger gets direct aisle access. Seats are lie-flat with a reclining area of 78.3 inches in the sleeping position, and they come with an optional mattress topper for added comfort. I opted not to use mine since it seemed to trap heat, but I did take advantage of the USB-C port and universal outlet to charge my laptop without an adapter.
Dinner service was, as it should be, a true highlight and a multicourse event. There was smoked duck breast with cucumber and eggplant; marinated salmon with a pistachio-honey pesto; a Greek salad; and red-pepper hummus that was perfectly spicy and tart. From the breadbasket, I recommend trying the garlic bread, as well as the traditional Bavarian pretzel, which can help set the mood for landing in Frankfurt, Germany, the airline’s hub.
Condor’s business-class seats come with an optional mattress topper for added comfort.
Credit: 2026 CondorLater, dessert offered the choice of a cheese plate or an opera chocolate cake, although most guests opted for both. Passengers paired their dual desserts with a digestif or an espresso, complete with a foamy crema and made from Illy coffee beans. Logistically, I loved that while meal service was in full swing, I could push my table forward with my plate and drinks intact and still have plenty of room to walk into the aisle whenever I felt like it.
In-flight entertainment options included a decent number of movies and television shows, but clients should not expect films currently in (or that have just left) the box office. Though if their destination is Germany and they want to brush up on their language skills, they are in luck —many titles are German (they can be watched with English subtitles). And if clients don’t want to be woken up for breakfast, they can enable sleep mode on their television and call it a night.
Routes and Logistics
Since I flew to Frankfurt via New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (on my way to Berlin), the long-haul portion felt relatively short, coming in under 8 hours. Once in Frankfurt, I took a bus to my connecting flight.
If clients are coming from further west, travel advisors should note that Condor operates daily flights from Los Angeles International Airport’s Tom Bradley International Terminal during summer and five flights per week during the winter. Clients traveling from Southern California might also connect on Condor’s partner, Alaska Airlines, via Seattle. And, thanks to a new interline agreement with American Airlines, travelers have more choices than ever for getting to Europe with Condor. (Although Condor isn’t part of a global airline alliance, it works with several partners, including JetBlue and Emirates, through codeshare and interline agreements.)
Condor planes feature colorful, pinstriped exteriors.
Credit: 2026 CondorLove whimsy as much as I do? Part of the fun of flying Condor is guessing which color your plane will be when it shows up. The pinstripe exterior colors are randomly selected, so passengers never know which hue they will be flying until right before boarding. For example, the plane I flew to Frankfurt was striped in blue, while the short-haul plane to Berlin was pinstriped in pink, a nod to Breast Cancer Awareness.
Turns out, a pink-striped plane, plenty of room to get cozy and an espresso with crema is all I needed to land in Berlin feeling ready for a full day of exploration and new experiences. Whether on a short hop or a long-haul flight, Condor has a knack for making the journey a little more vibrant.
