Condor, the German leisure carrier with the candy-striped tails, is quietly reworking its entire US playbook — and the changes will decide which American cities keep a nonstop link to Europe.

For years, the Frankfurt-based airline ran summer routes to mid-size destinations like Anchorage, Baltimore and San Antonio. That model relied on Lufthansa feeding connecting passengers to Condor's long-haul flights through Frankfurt. When Lufthansa moved to end that long-standing deal, a legal fight followed — and in 2025 a court ruled in Lufthansa's favour. Condor suddenly had a fleet of long-haul aircraft and no guaranteed stream of connecting traffic.

The answer, according to CEO Peter Gerber, speaking at the Routes World conference in Frankfurt in October, is to concentrate on bigger US markets and build new partnerships. "If you have such a huge long-haul fleet at Condor and you have the geographic situation in Germany, obviously you can't operate long-haul fleets without feed," he said.

The centrepiece is Chicago. Condor will launch daily service between Frankfurt and O'Hare from 14 May to 12 September 2027, using an Airbus A330-900 with 30 business class seats, 64 in premium economy and 216 in economy. It's the airline's only new US route next year.

Backing this up is a new interline agreement with American Airlines, announced in September. It lets travellers book both carriers on one ticket with checked bags transferred, connecting at Boston Logan, Los Angeles, JFK and, from May, Chicago. It's not a full alliance — no reciprocal frequent flyer perks yet — but it widens Condor's reach considerably.

Not everything secondary is disappearing. Anchorage and Portland keep their Condor flights, largely because both are Alaska Airlines strongholds — and Alaska's Atmos Rewards members can earn and redeem points on Condor. JetBlue TrueBlue members have similar earn-and-redeem rights, and there's an interline deal with Southwest too.

At home, Condor is building its own mini-hub: new Frankfurt routes to Barcelona, London Gatwick and Venice launched this year, gathering connecting passengers the Lufthansa deal used to supply. Gerber is realistic about limits — "we will never be able to build up the broadness of the Lufthansa network" — and flags Latin America, particularly Mexico, as the likeliest next long-haul frontier.

For travellers, the practical takeaway is this: if you live near a big hub — especially Chicago from May 2027 — Condor becomes a genuinely useful budget-friendly way to reach Germany in a modern A330neo, with a well-reviewed lie-flat business class bookable through Citi or Chase points. If you're in a smaller city that isn't Anchorage or Portland, don't count on that summer nonstop returning. And the partner sweet spot matters: pairing an Alaska, JetBlue or American domestic flight with a Condor transatlantic leg on a single ticket can undercut legacy-carrier fares significantly.