One other week brings one other new companion for Southwest Airways.
The Dallas-based airline on Tuesday introduced it should staff up with German leisure service Condor Airways in a brand new partnership.
Like all of Southwest’s new partnerships, this tie-up with Condor will begin small — however ought to ultimately supply Speedy Rewards loyalists new connectivity to Europe.
Southwest and Condor: What to know
Primarily based in Frankfurt, Condor is understood for its colourful, striped planes and affords a robust on-board expertise on transatlantic flights. That features a bona fide lie-flat business-class expertise up on the entrance of its planes, which TPG’s Eric Rosen tried out earlier this 12 months.
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As a part of the brand new Southwest-Condor partnership, you can ebook itineraries that includes connections between the 2 carriers. The partnership will deal with journeys between Condor’s Frankfurt Airport (FRA) hub in Germany and half a dozen U.S. gateways, together with:
- Boston Logan Worldwide Airport (BOS)
- Las Vegas’ Harry Reid Worldwide Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles Worldwide Airport (LAX)
- Portland Worldwide Airport (PDX) in Oregon
- San Francisco Worldwide Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma Worldwide Airport (SEA)
Joint itineraries on the 2 carriers will launch on Jan. 19, and prospects with a Southwest-Condor connection will see their checked luggage switch from one airplane to the following similar to on any connecting itinerary.
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What to learn about reserving
From the outset, you can ebook these joint Southwest-Condor journeys solely by means of Condor’s web site and sure third-party websites like Expedia.
Nonetheless, Southwest plans to start out providing companion bookings by means of its personal channels in 2026.
And, Southwest has made clear: It hopes to ultimately permit its loyalty members to earn and redeem factors by means of its worldwide companions. If and when that occurs with Condor, it might supply a serious new alternative for Speedy Rewards members to get to Europe — and even hook up with Africa.
Southwest’s rising checklist of companions
It is value noting that Southwest already has a partnership with Icelandair — which additionally has a robust presence in Europe. This previous 12 months has additionally seen the service launch interline agreements with Taiwan’s China Airways and EVA Air, in addition to Philippine Airways.
Backside line
Condor appears a pure match to companion with Southwest in Europe, with its heavy deal with leisure vacationers — and the truth that, like Southwest, it is not a part of any main international airline alliance, and thus does not have deep ties to any of its high rivals within the U.S.
That stated: Southwest is not truly the first U.S. airline that Condor has teamed up with. The service has partnered with Alaska Airways for years, and the service’s Atmos Rewards program already affords companion award redemptions on its flights.
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