Condor to standardise short- and medium-haul catering by flight duration

Condor is restructuring its catering and service standards on short- and medium-haul flights, according to internal staff communications. Flight duration will now determine what passengers receive on board, the airline said, replacing a patchwork of offerings that built up as its route network grew more complex.

The carrier traced the inconsistencies back to changes made in late 2024, when it lost access to Lufthansa's feeder network. In response, Condor launched its own short-haul city routes from Frankfurt in March 2025 to feed its long-haul operations. That shift changed the passenger mix on many flights, putting holidaymakers, business travellers and other segments on the same aircraft.

By early 2026, Condor management acknowledged that the solutions adopted hastily at the time no longer worked well. Routes such as Frankfurt-Palma and Frankfurt-Barcelona are similar in length and flown with the same aircraft type, yet had different onboard products, the airline said. To address this, it launched an internal effort called Project One X in November 2025, run by its product management team, with the aim of simplifying cabin operations and cutting costs.

Condor tested revised offerings on selected flights and gathered feedback from passengers and crew before finalising a new standard, detailed in an August 2026 staff memo. Among the changes, free water will no longer be provided on the shortest flights starting in September. Business Class service is also set to change, though the airline did not specify all details publicly. Condor described the changes as an effort to make its onboard experience more consistent across similarly timed routes operated with the same aircraft.