PITTSBURGH – Citing strong market performance and high business and leisure travel demand, Condor Airlines has announced that it will expand nonstop flights from Pittsburgh International Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, for the 2018 season.
Condor will begin twice weekly service – Mondays and Fridays – on May 18, 2018, more than a month earlier than this year’s June 23 start. It will end service on Sept. 14, 2018, two weeks later than this year’s last arriving flight on Sept. 1. The third weekly flight – on Wednesdays – will run from June 27 to Sept. 5, 2018.
Jens Boyd, Director of Long Haul and Revenue Management, said Condor is pleased to provide Pittsburgh with additional flights to Frankfurt, along with access to important connections throughout the airline’s European network.
“We are happy to increase our frequency from Pittsburgh to Frankfurt with this additional flight and being able to offer our customers a smart choice for their transatlantic travels three times a week. Our Condor flights still are the only nonstop service from Pittsburgh to Germany and the bookings so far clearly showed that the Pennsylvanians love our service. With our partner carriers we provide seamless connections to cities like Prague, Venice, Berlin, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and in total more than 100 destinations in Europe,” said Jens Boyd, Director Long Haul & Revenue Management Thomas Cook Group Airlines. “Condor’s recent growth was particularly strong in the US and Canada as European destinations pop up on more and more Americans’ travel lists. Our network consists of 17 destinations in North America today, such as Seattle, New Orleans, Vancouver and the new addition of Phoenix, which will be launched in summer 2018.”
Tickets are on sale now at www.condor.com, through a travel agent, or by calling toll free at 1-866-960-7915.
Airport and local business leaders said they are pleased with the airline’s decision to expand quickly.
Numerous businesses, universities and organizations in Pittsburgh including Covestro, SAP, Bosch, Siemens, Aldi and more cite ties to Germany. County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said expanded service on Condor will help businesses continue to flourish in our region.
“These additional flights are important because they offer expanded opportunities for business travelers and tourists from Europe to see first-hand and experience everything that our region has to offer,” Fitzgerald said. “This is another big step forward for the airport and for Pittsburgh.”
“We’re thrilled that Condor has decided to expand so soon. Our community has responded well and supported these flights,” said Allegheny County Airport Authority CEO Christina Cassotis. “Germany is an important destination for this region and the demand shows the strength of our market.”
Paul Overby, Board Chairman of the German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter, said it’s a positive sign and no surprise that the Germany flights are performing well. “We are very encouraged by Condor's announcement of expanded service. The airline's route is critical to our members, who are clamoring for even more. Year-round service is our goal, and we will keep working to put passengers on this flight.”
The aircraft flying the route, a Boeing 767-300, is the first wide body aircraft (two aisle, 259 seats), to serve Pittsburgh International Airport in more than a decade, and the first time Pittsburgh and Germany have been connected with nonstop service since 2004. The plane also carries palletized cargo, creating additional cargo, high-value manufacturing, and logistics opportunities for the region.
Condor offers business, premium and economy classes on the Frankfurt flight. All passengers receive complimentary checked baggage, beverages, meals and in-flight entertainment. Condor’s Business Class features lie-flat seats, a personal in-seat, premium touch-screen entertainment system, power outlets at every seat and gourmet, five-course meals with complimentary wine, beer and cocktails. Business Class passengers also have access to priority check-in and PIT’s common-use lounge. Premium Class features seats with added legroom, leg rests and adjustable headrests, a premium in-flight, in-seat entertainment system with an extended program, USB ports at every seat, premium meals and complimentary beverages.
About Allegheny County Airport Authority:
Allegheny County Airport Authority, which manages Pittsburgh International Airport and Allegheny County Airport, is committed to increasing air service, improving customer service and inspiring growth in the Pittsburgh region. Its 2016 Annual Report detailing growth and improved financial position can be found at flypittsburgh.com/AR16.
Pittsburgh International Airport serves more than 8 million passengers annually on 16 carriers. During the past two years, the airport has increased its nonstop destinations more than 80 percent to include 68 airports. Air Transport World named Pittsburgh International its 2017 Airport of the Year. Travel + Leisure has again named Pittsburgh International a Top 10 Domestic Airport in 2017. In addition, TripAdvisor ranked Pittsburgh International Airport a Travelers’ Choice Favorite for Shopping in 2016.
About Condor:
Condor Flugdienst GmbH has been flying its guests to the most beautiful holiday destinations in the world since 1956. The traditional airline is a 100 percent subsidiary of Thomas Cook GmbH. On an annual basis, more than seven million passengers fly with Condor to about 80 destinations in Europe, America, Africa and Asia. The route network of the holiday airline includes over 230 destinations through cooperations with airlines in the destination areas. Condor was merged with the airlines Thomas Cook Airlines UK, Thomas Cook Airlines Belgium and Thomas Cook Airlines Scandinavia in October 2013, to form the Thomas Cook Group Airlines. All companies within the Thomas Cook Group plc. are united under a common symbol: The Sunny Heart. To express their common identity, the aircraft of the Thomas Cook Group Airlines show the sunny heart on their aircraft trails. The sunny heart also shows that Condor is putting its heart into every flight. The fleet of the Thomas Cook Group is comprised of 94 modern and environmentally friendly aircraft, of which 44 aircraft are from the Condor fleet: nine Airbus A320s, seven Airbus A321s, ten Boeing 757-300s and eighteen Boeing 767-300s. The aircraft are maintained by the airlines’ own technical companies. The holiday airline has won numerous awards in recent years, including for the third year in a row, the award for being ‘Germany’s Most Popular Airline’.
CITING STRONG MARKET PERFORMANCE, CONDOR DOUBLES NONSTOP GERMANY FLIGHTS IN 2018
