We went to Athens in the business class of the A321. I was curious to check out the short haul business class offered by Condor. The route between Frankfurt and Whitehorse was previously reviewed by me.
The airline is taking delivery of A330-900neos with a new business class and has a cool new livery.
How was the business class? Let's look at it.
On our date, there was only one nonstop flight between Athens and Cologne. We got a good deal even though airfare is high. We booked the next flight.
The Dusseldorf to Athens flight arrives at 10:15AM.
Economy tickets start at $136 per person, while business class starts at $226 per person. Business class was well worth it because we had a lot of checked luggage with us.
I was curious if we would have the cabin to ourselves since we were the only people in business class.
You can earn and redeem Mileage Plan miles for travel on Condor if you choose to do so.
The reality of air travel this summer is not good at European airports. On the morning of our departure, I looked at the schedule of flights from Dusseldorf. There were 31 flights in and out of the airport between 6 am and 6:30 am We decided to show up at the airport early in the morning. There are some pictures of the airport at that time.
People didn't know what they were lined up for. The lack of queue management astounded me. People had to create their own lines since there was no one to tell them where to go.
When I saw the lines at the check-in desk, I was happy we paid the premium.
The business class queue was moving quickly with a single agent. We only had to wait for 30 minutes, which was less time than other passengers had to wait.
I was happy to see that the new branding is already being used at airports.
If we didn't have priority security access, the line would have taken a long time. We were able to visit the Hugo Junkers Lounge via priority pass.
The security checkpoint was a short walk from gate B78. Business class was invited to board first, despite the fact that boarding was supposed to start at 5:35AM.
The first bus to fill up was about 10 minutes after our flight left the remote stand. We arrived at the plane at 6AM.
We got a condo in the new home. As far as I can tell, the new livery of Condor is the boldest and craziest one I have seen. It was more enjoyable in person than in pictures.
The registration code of the plane we were flying was eight years old.
There are 220 seats on the A321s. Economy class seats with a blocked middle are usually found in the business class in Europe. Normally there is a curtain between cabins, but not this time. The center seat had a headrest that said "Business" and "Your Space", which meant that the seat remained empty.
The legroom in our seats was terrible. My knees were touching the seat in front when I was sitting as far back as possible. This was an economy seat.
The first row of seats had amenities on the center seats, and the second row didn't, but the first row had a headrest that said "business class"
The flight attendant told me about it. She apologized and said that she would make you comfortable wherever you wanted.
The bulkhead had excellent legroom, and we were very happy about that. The legroom in the short haul business class is terrible.
We took one of the window seats in the first row because the entire first two rows were only for us.
I appreciated that the overhead consoles had reading lights as well as individual air nozzles, which is useful on a European airline given how warm the cabins are.
The cabin wasn't very nice. The A321s don't have any power ports or wi-fi, so make sure you have your own entertainment to keep you occupied, and that your electronics are charged before you get on.
The pillows on the seats were very comfortable. Most airlines only offer these on request in business class in Europe.
A pouch with a wipe and travel organizers were also present. It is a cool idea to offer that on a plane. This is sponsored by the company that sells these.
The boarding process was chaotic as the flight attendant had to ask everyone to put on a mask. masks aren't required at airports in Germany There were announcements about needing masks, but so many passengers boarded without them.
The captain told us that we needed to wait another 10 minutes before we pushed back, as we only had a departure slot at 6:40AM.
A manual safety demonstration was performed after we pushed back at 6:30 AM. We took a taxi to the runway where we would be leaving.
The sexy plane is called the Condor.
Birds are careful near the runway.
It took over 20 minutes for the seatbelt sign to be turned off as we climbed out.
Business class passengers get a free hot meal. The tray liner was brought out about 30 minutes after the plane took off.
I ordered a coffee and a bottle of water. You get cups like in the economy in the regional business class.
Our breakfast was brought out a short time later. An English breakfast and some muffins were part of the package.
Eggs, potatoes, turkey sausage, and turkey bacon were part of the breakfast. There was also a dessert with muffins. This was a decent airplane breakfast, and it tasted better than I was expecting.
The only ones in business class were looked after by the purser. Water and coffee were given to us. She joked that she couldn't let us off the plane without serving us at least a few more calories, so she gave us a small box of chocolates.
The flight attendant was lovely, kind, and funny, and just seemed a bit less serious than on the airline. Part of the buy on board menu is below. Drinks are free in business class, but I don't think you can get more food for free.
The front of the A321 cabin had a bathroom. Since there is no curtain between economy and business, there is one downside to the business class setup.
Since we were both in window seats, this wasn't an issue. If you are sitting in an aisle seat, you might not be happy.
The captain told us that we would soon be starting our descent. The cabin was ready to land a few minutes after the seatbelt sign was turned on. The views approaching Athens were incredible.
We arrived at the airport at 10:30AM. We had a taxi that took us to the terminal from our remote stand.
The remote stand made it possible for us to look at our beautiful A321.
Our bags arrived in under 5 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise.
Business class on short haul flights is a great value, with priority airport services, a decent meal, and unlimited drinks. We were the only ones in business class and we paid a reasonable premium for that. If you want to fly business class on a short haul plane, you should book the bulkhead.
It is exciting to see that Condor is becoming more competitive with Lufthansa. When the A330-900neos enter service, I can't wait.
What did you think about flying in the regional business class?
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