Lufthansa Ends Feeder Deal With Condor — What It Means for Travelers

(DÜSSELDORF) As of August 26, 2025, Lufthansa has ended its decades‑old feeder flight agreement with Condor, a break that reshapes how many travelers move between Europe and North America. The decision follows a string of court rulings that cleared the way for Lufthansa to walk away from the Special Prorate Agreement, or SPA, which had given Condor broad access to Lufthansa’s short‑haul network and preferential pricing. The fallout is immediate: fewer one‑stop choices, higher trip costs, and more complex journeys for families and budget‑minded travelers flying between the United States 🇺🇸, Canada 🇨🇦, and Europe.

Legal milestones that cleared the way

The legal green light came on August 20, 2025, when the Higher Regional Court (OLG) in Düsseldorf overturned the Federal Cartel Office’s prior order that had forced Lufthansa to keep providing feeder flight access to Condor. The court found the order procedurally illegal and noted bias within the decision division.

These rulings built on earlier outcomes:

• The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) confirmed Lufthansa’s position in December 2024.
• The European Commission closed its investigation in February 2025 without imposing remedies.
• The OLG Düsseldorf’s August 20, 2025 decision removed the last major regulatory barrier.

With regulators and courts aligned, Lufthansa terminated the SPA, removing the pricing backbone and network reach Condor relied on to fill long‑haul flights.

“The dispute is by far not over,” Condor CEO Peter Gerber said on August 21, 2025, announcing the airline is exploring further legal options. Practically, however, most pathways to restore the old setup appear closed. Lufthansa maintains the termination is lawful and supported by courts and regulators. The European Commission’s inaction signals little prospect of policy rescue unless market conditions shift dramatically.

Consumer impact and route changes

The most visible effects are on Condor’s route map and schedules. Condor trimmed its North America program for 2025, canceling several seasonal routes that had depended on Lufthansa’s feed into Frankfurt.

Key network changes:

• Canceled seasonal routes (Frankfurt): Baltimore/Washington, Edmonton, Halifax, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Antonio.
• Frequency reductions: Anchorage and Calgary drop from five to three weekly flights.
• Remaining core North America routes (Summer 2025): Daily Frankfurt service continues to Miami, New York (JFK), San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver; Portland operates three times weekly.
• New long‑haul markets: Bangkok (5x weekly), Johannesburg (3x weekly), Panama City (2x weekly) — aimed at local demand rather than complex feed.

Operationally, losing Lufthansa’s feeder access means Condor loses a hub‑and‑spoke pipeline from over 100 European cities into Frankfurt. Consequences for travelers include:

• Fewer seamless connections and one‑ticket itineraries.
• Increased likelihood of separate tickets or add‑on segments without protection if an earlier flight is delayed.
• Thinner and harder‑to‑find alternatives that may only appear in some global distribution systems.

Condor is attempting workarounds by operating its own short‑haul feeds from cities such as Berlin, Hamburg, Milan, Munich, Prague, Rome, Vienna, and Zurich, and by selling combinations with other airlines and Deutsche Bahn rail for a surcharge. These fixes are limited in scope and convenience. The bottom line: less choice and higher total trip costs for many passengers.

Why this matters: legal and market context

The SPA dated back decades to when Condor was part of Lufthansa. After Thomas Cook collapsed in 2019, Condor continued independently but still relied heavily on Lufthansa to funnel passengers into long‑haul holiday flights. The dispute over feeder access began in 2022 and progressed through litigation and regulatory review.

Court and regulator timeline (summary):

Analysts note typical effects when a feeder agreement ends:

• Increased operating costs for the carrier losing feed.
• Harder schedule coordination and slower recovery from disruptions.
• Consumers feel fewer one‑stop options and higher trip prices, particularly during holidays and peak weeks (per VisaVerge.com analysis).

Consumer groups and travel advisors echo these concerns: families, students, and budget travelers will find it harder to assemble simple, protected itineraries at competitive prices. Some industry chatter suggests Condor could pursue alliances (including rumored interest in Oneworld), but that remains speculative.

Practical planning tips for travelers

Small changes in planning can reduce risk and cost:

1. Build in extra buffer time if using separate tickets or mixed carriers.
   • Longer layovers reduce the chance of being stranded by delays.
2. Consider rail add‑ons to Frankfurt when offered for a single‑ticket solution.
   • These may cost more and have variable availability by booking channel.
3. Check Condor’s latest schedule — the Summer 2025 timetable was updated on August 24, 2025 and reflects cuts and new frequencies.
4. Compare door‑to‑door costs, including baggage and connection fees.
   • A low long‑haul fare can be offset by expensive separate connections.
5. Watch change and cancellation rules carefully.
   • If your connection isn’t on a single ticket, you bear more risk during irregular operations.

Monitor official airline updates at https://www.condor.com and https://www.lufthansa.com. For regulatory context, see the European Commission’s Competition Directorate and the Directorate‑General for Competition portal.

Important warning: Expect fewer one‑stop choices, higher total prices, and greater disruption risk on unprotected connections. Families and budget travelers will feel the change most, particularly when flying from smaller European cities.

Strategic consequences and next steps for Condor and Lufthansa

From Condor’s perspective:

• The carrier must pivot to markets that fill planes with local demand (e.g., Bangkok, Johannesburg, Panama City).
• Condor faces choices about expanding its own short‑haul flying, buying third‑party feed, or pursuing alliance membership — all costly and time‑sensitive decisions.
• Seasonal route cuts (Baltimore/Washington, Edmonton, Halifax, Minneapolis, Phoenix, San Antonio) show how dependent those services were on the Lufthansa feed.

From Lufthansa’s perspective:

• It retains its home‑hub advantage in Frankfurt and can prioritize its own network without sharing short‑haul capacity or pricing with a direct leisure competitor.
• Regulators and courts have accepted the outcome under current law; no new intervention is foreseen unless market conditions change substantially.

Market outlook and what to watch:

• Condor must create new on‑ramps quickly to keep long‑haul schedules viable.
• Consumers will likely favor simple, protected itineraries, even at higher fares.
• The leisure transatlantic market may see reduced competition and upward pressure on fares where the one‑stop, low‑cost path disappears.

For official regulatory information and airline competition decisions, consult the European Commission’s Directorate‑General for Competition at the Commission’s competition portal. VisaVerge.com has tracked consumer effects alongside court filings and timetables, providing useful context for travelers through the rest of 2025.

In the short term, expect booking screens and itineraries to reflect this shift: fewer through fares, fewer itinerary choices, and tighter connections that increase stress for long‑distance travel. The legal end of the Lufthansa–Condor feeder flight era is already reshaping summer plans and winter holiday bookings.