Lufthansa Group ends cut-price staff travel deals with Condor

Lufthansa Group has cancelled duty-travel agreements with Condor for its subsidiary airlines, according to internal documents. The move extends a split that started when Lufthansa ended its own arrangement with the rival carrier.

The agreements let employees book discounted business travel on each other's flights. Lufthansa cancelled its own deal in August, and since September Condor staff have been unable to use the My ID Travel booking system to buy reduced-rate Lufthansa trips, with the restriction applying in the other direction as well. At the time a Condor spokesperson said the company regretted the decision, noting that such arrangements are common practice in the industry even between competing airlines.

A Lufthansa spokesperson said the reciprocal use would in future be limited to private travel. The reason for ending the discounted business trips, the spokesperson said, was that the agreement had been used in a markedly unbalanced way over a longer period, so its basis of mutual benefit no longer held.

Other carriers in the group were initially unaffected, and their flights remained bookable at reduced rates. That has now changed. The group has cancelled the corresponding duty-travel ID agreements between Condor and Eurowings, Swiss, Discover Airlines, Brussels Airlines and Austrian Airlines.

The booking options between Austrian Airlines and Condor end on 30 September. For Eurowings, Swiss, Discover Airlines and Brussels Airlines, discounted bookings are possible for the last time on 31 October.