Condor operates three daily services between Zürich and Frankfurt, in addition to several holiday destinations it serves nonstop from Zürich. To be honest, I wasn’t quite sure what to think when they rolled out their current stripes livery and corporate identity. I must admit, though, that it’s starting to grow on me. When the need arose for me to travel to Frankfurt, I figured this was my chance to finally give them a try.

I arrive at Zürich Airport just after 15h. The airport seems very quiet today, but I’m also wondering if perhaps I’m still a bit early for the evening rush. Or maybe it’s just me, but it generally seems to me that there are fewer people travelling.

Zürich Airport is currently one big building site. In addition to the works preparing for the demolition of the A pier, they’re also working landside on expanding the retail space. Still, I can’t complain. It may not look pretty. Other than that, though, the passenger experience is still pleasant and very easy in Zürich.

Check-In

Condor checks in on row 5 of Check-In 2, which is located on the mezzanine level right as you step off the footbridge that connects the terminal to the railway station and retail space. There are three counters open for check-in, two for Economy and one for Business Class.

The young lady at check-in is friendly and efficient. She checks in my heavy suitcase (17 kg), issues my boarding pass and gives me instructions for the airside lounge.

The Zürich Airport Merhaba Lounge

Condor uses the Merhaba lounge in Zürich, which is, of course, very unfortunate because it is, without a doubt, the worst lounge at Zürich Airport. It’s cramped, ugly, and the staff are as incompetent as they are rude. I enter the lounge and step up to the reception desk, holding my passport and boarding pass out to the three lounge dragons. They give me a fleeting glance and then decide to ignore me in favour of bitching about their colleagues at the Aspire lounge next door. Eventually, I just walk off into the lounge to find a seat – or rather, to check if there might be a seat. Which is, of course, when one of the Witches of Eastwick decides to get off her broomstick long enough to give me a good dressing down for entering without showing my boarding pass… There are QR codes pasted around the lounge stating that “we’d love to hear from you”, inviting patrons to participate in an online survey. Something tells me somebody is really, really not going to enjoy hearing from me very soon.

The food options in the lounge are somewhat limited but okay. The drinks selection is a bit odd though. There is a fridge stocked with all sorts of unusual soft drinks but no sparkling water or a Coke Zero.

Boarding

At 16h00 I decide to leave. The staff do not seem to be in any hurry to clear away the dirty dishes or wipe down tables, so…

The flight is boarding from gate A 63, which is at the root of the pier. Unfortunately, I can’t really get a clear shot of my aircraft because of the airbridge. On the positive side, I was hoping I would get either the red or green stripes!

The boarding process is very orderly. First it’s the preboarding for passengers needing assistance, and then it’s group 1 for all Business Class passengers. This is one of the most pleasant boarding procedures I’ve experienced in a long time! No rushing, no pushing, no shoving. Just… nice!

The Cabin & Seat

There are four rows of Business Class for a total of 16 seats. However, while the load in Economy Class looks quite healthy, there are only four passengers in the Business Class cabin.

Inside, the stripes theme continues on the headrest covers. It’s a surprisingly nice looking cabin. The middle seat on each row of three is blocked. Although in this case, every passenger up front has the whole row of three to themselves. The seat pitch is excellent on the first row.

We push back just a few minutes ahead of schedule and make our way to the threshold of runway 28 for departure. The flight time is announced as 35 minutes.

Once we’re airborne, we make a 180 degrees left turn that brings as back over the city of Zürich. We continue flying on an eastward track and then make a left turn to point us north just before we reach Lake Constance.

The Service & Crew

The crew on this flight are great. The purser is a gentleman in his thirties, I would guess. He’s friendly and polite. He also seems relaxed, which I think contributes to the pleasant atmosphere in the cabin. There is no service while we’re still on the ground.

The Meal – Afternoon Snack

As soon as the fasten seatbelt sign is off, the meal service begins. There is a choice of salami or cheddar bagel. I go with the latter and I’m pleasantly surprised. Not only is the bagel quite substantial, it’s also rather nice, with a thick, rich onion chutney and veggies.

By the time the meal service is done, we’re already in the descent. The crew clear everything away and hand out small boxes with a dark and milk chocolate praline. All in all, it’s a nice, satisfying snack.

Arrival in Frankfurt

We land in Frankfurt on time. The airport is unusually quiet. We taxi for quite some time until eventually, much to my surprise, we pull onto a contact stand on the A pier. I was expecting an open stand. The wait for my suitcase is about ten minutes, which is very good.

Conclusion

I like it! This was a really great flight. Perhaps it’s because I wasn’t sure what to expect, so the standard was set pretty low. It also helped that the aircraft was nearly empty up front, with loads of space to spare. But it wasn’t just that. I think the atmosphere on board and the attitude of the crew made for a very pleasant trip. And for a flight of only 35 minutes the meal service was not bad at all.