Condor

Condor: Germany’s holiday airline — and the rule that can halve your payout

Condor has been flying Germans to the sun since 1955 — the country’s classic leisure airline. From Frankfurt and other German bases it runs short and medium-haul routes across the Mediterranean (Spain, Greece, the Canaries, Turkey, Egypt) and long-haul holiday flights to the Caribbean, the Maldives, Mauritius and Mexico on its striped Airbus A330neos. As an EU (German) airline, it’s covered by EU 261/2004 both leaving and entering the EU — so the flight home from the Caribbean is a €600 claim too.

Condor is also a carrier that reroutes disrupted passengers, often via partner airlines, especially in peak holiday season. That helps you get there — but it triggers a rule most travellers have never heard of: EU 261 lets an airline pay half the compensation if its replacement flight gets you there close enough to your original time. On a long-haul Condor claim, €600 or €300 can come down to a single number.

The 50% rule: full payout or half?

The case to watch: a rerouted Frankfurt → Punta Cana that lands 3.5 hours late pays €300, but at 4 hours late it’s the full €600. Half an hour is worth €300 per passenger.

What your Condor claim is worth

The base amount is set by the great-circle distance of your route:

Condor’s Mediterranean routes sit in the €250–€400 bands; its long-haul holiday flights to the Caribbean, Indian Ocean and Mexico are all €600. Two traps catch holidaymakers out, both shown below — try a few:

Two things every Condor holidaymaker should know:

• Gran Canaria (~3,200 km) is €400, not €600 — the Canary Islands are part of Spain and the EU, so the flight is intra-EU and capped at €400.
• Hurghada (~3,320 km) is €400, not €600 — Egypt is non-EU, but the flight is just under 3,500 km, so it stays in the middle band. Distance, not nationality, sets the figure.

Only the true long-haul routes — Punta Cana, Cancún, the Maldives, Mauritius — clear 3,500 km to a non-EU country and reach €600.

Delays, cancellations and the return flight

• Delays. Reach your destination 3+ hours late for a reason within Condor’s control, and you’re owed €250–600 (subject to the rerouting reduction). Measured at arrival.
• Cancellations. A refund or rerouting, care, and — unless 14+ days’ notice or extraordinary circumstances — the per-passenger compensation on top.
• The return is covered too. Because Condor is an EU carrier, your flight back to Germany from a non-EU sun destination is covered just like the outbound.

Real example. A Frankfurt → Heraklion flight (about 2,116 km) arrives 3.5 hours late after a technical fault. Within Condor’s control, 1,500–3,500 km → €400 per passenger, plus the meals you were owed while waiting. Check a delayed flight →

Real example. A Cancún → Frankfurt flight is cancelled and rebooked the next day. Covered, because Condor is an EU carrier flying into the EU; over 3,500 km → €600 per passenger, plus a hotel and care. Check a cancelled flight →

How to claim from Condor yourself

1. Gather your evidence — booking reference, boarding passes, flight number and date, Condor’s stated reason, your original vs actual arrival times, and any receipts.
2. Confirm it qualifies — arrived 3+ hours late (or cancelled with under 14 days’ notice, or denied boarding); the cause wasn’t extraordinary; check whether a rerouting reduction applies.
3. Work out the amount from the distance to your final destination — €250, €400 or €600 — then apply the half-rule if relevant.
4. Submit Condor’s claim form. Use Condor’s EU 261 complaint form, citing EU 261/2004, the flight and the arrival delay.
5. Escalate if refused. Germany’s enforcement body is the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA); for a free resolution you can use the travel conciliation body SÖP (renamed Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr in 2025) — or hand the claim to a specialist.

Real Condor scenarios

• Rerouted long-haul. Frankfurt → Punta Cana rebooked, arrives 3.5 hours late → €300 (halved); at 4 hours, €600.
• The Canaries cap. Frankfurt → Gran Canaria 4 hours late → €400 (intra-EU, not €600).
• The Egypt trap. Frankfurt → Hurghada 5 hours late → €400 (just under 3,500 km, so not €600).
• Return from the sun. Cancún → Frankfurt cancelled and rebooked → €600 each, because Condor is an EU carrier.

See real won cases and verdicts →.

Condor at a glance

Founded in 1955, Condor is Germany’s oldest and best-known holiday airline, led by CEO Peter Gerber and owned by the investor Attestor, which took control after the Thomas Cook collapse in 2019. It flies a renewed Airbus fleet — A320neo and A321neo on the Mediterranean routes, the striped A330-900neo on long-haul — from Frankfurt and other German bases, carrying around 8.5 million holidaymakers a year. Its mix of sun routes is exactly why the distance bands trip people up: the Canaries and Egypt look long but pay €400, while the Caribbean and Indian Ocean reach €600 — unless the rerouting rule trims it.

Why hand your Condor claim to Refundio

The 50% rerouting reduction, the €400 Canaries/Egypt traps, and peak-season disruption make a Condor claim fiddlier than it looks. Refundio buys your claim and pays you upfront, usually within days, works out the right amount including any reduction, and takes Condor on itself. No win, no fee.

Check your Condor claim in 2 minutes →

Frequently asked questions

Condor rerouted me onto a later flight. Does that reduce my compensation?

It can. EU 261 lets an airline pay half if it reroutes you and the replacement gets you there within a set window of the original time — under 2 hours (short-haul), 3 hours (medium) or 4 hours (long-haul). A rerouted Frankfurt–Punta Cana flight landing 3.5 hours late pays €300; at 4 hours or more, the full €600. A later arrival — or no rerouting — keeps the full amount.

How much compensation does Condor pay?

€250 up to 1,500 km, €400 for 1,500–3,500 km, €600 long-haul over 3,500 km to a non-EU country. The Caribbean, Maldives, Mexico and Mauritius routes are €600. But the Canary Islands are capped at €400 (they’re EU), and Egypt routes like Hurghada are just under 3,500 km, so €400 too.

Is my Condor flight home from the Caribbean or the Maldives covered?

Yes. Condor is an EU airline, so EU 261 covers it both ways. Your flight back to Germany from Punta Cana, Cancún or Malé is covered, even though it departs a non-EU airport — and these are the €600 band.

My flight to Gran Canaria was nearly 3,500 km — isn’t that €600?

No — €400. The Canary Islands are part of Spain and the EU, so it’s an intra-EU flight, capped at €400 however far. The €600 band needs a flight over 3,500 km to a non-EU country.

How do I claim compensation from Condor?

Use Condor’s official EU 261 complaint form, citing the regulation, your flight and the arrival delay. If refused, escalate to Germany’s LBA or the SÖP/Schlichtungsstelle Reise & Verkehr — or hand it to Refundio.

How long do I have to claim from Condor?

In Germany, generally up to three years (to the end of the year of the flight). Older flights are often still claimable.