Qantas partners with Condor, famous for stripey aircraft, in new frequent flyer scheme

Condor describes itself as “one of the world’s leading leisure airlines” and said it had about 70 destinations.

It is famous in the aviation world for its stripey aircraft and operates an all-Airbus fleet.

Most of its aircraft are narrowbody Airbus A320 family members but it also has A330 widebodies for long-haul flights.

“Adding a world-class carrier like Condor only strengthens our programme and global footprint even further, as our members map out their travel for the year ahead,” Qantas Loyalty and Customer chief executive Andrew Glance said.

“We know how much our members love using their points to travel internationally, especially across Europe,” he said.

Qantas last week reported a $1.55 billion profit for the year to June 30.

“We’ve built one of the largest and most diverse partner airline networks in the world, which continues to deliver more choice and value for our members each year,” Glance said.

Condor chief commercial officer Pierre Dominique Prümm said connecting the two airline networks would offer travellers more choice and seamless access across Europe.

Prümm said the deal would let Qantas frequent flyers redeem their points on Condor flights.

Condor operates an all-Airbus fleet. Photo / Supplied

“By connecting our networks, we are creating new travel opportunities between Australia and New Zealand and our extensive network across Europe and beyond.”

He said Condor had a growing network and modern fleet.

Condor does not fly directly to New Zealand or Australia. But the two airlines said the partnership would help frequent flyers connect through hubs in Asia, South Africa and Europe.

A Condor aircraft in an Eintracht Frankfurt football team-inspired livery. Photo / Condor

Examples of those hubs would be Bangkok, Johannesburg, and Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci International Airport.

Each of those cities offers flights with both Qantas and Condor.

Qantas said its frequent flyer programme had since last year partnered with Hawaiian Airlines and Philippine Airlines.

The Australian carrier said it had also expanded older relationships with Emirates, Finnair, Air France, KLM and Iberia.

A Condor Airbus A320. The airline does not fly directly to New Zealand or Australia but said the new deal would help passengers link up in other continents at hubs where it and Qantas both ply their trade. Photo / Soeren Stache, dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP

The Qantas annual report last week said revenue from its frequent flyer and other loyalty businesses rose to A$1.524b ($1.84b) last year, up from A$1.293b in the prior financial year.

The airline said points earned in the year to June 30 were up 9%.

It said Uber was the fastest-growing partner, with more than one million members now earning points through rides and deliveries.

Other partners in the scheme included Woolworths, Red Energy and David Jones.

Qantas last week said one quarter of Australian small and medium-sized businesses were part of the Qantas Business Rewards programme.

From this month, Qantas frequent flyers can use points to upgrade on Jetstar international flights on Boeing 787s.

Bunnings in Australia joined the programme in July.

John Weekes is a business journalist covering aviation. He also has experience covering consumer affairs, crime, politics and courts.

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