How to Book Award Flights on Condor With Alaska Airlines Miles

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Update: One or more card offers in this post are no longer available. Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers. I recently shared that Alaska Airlines is now partners with German budget airline Condor.  And you can now earn and redeem Alaska Airlines miles for award flights on Condor between the US and Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.

More options for redeeming miles is always great news!  And booking Condor award flights on the Alaska Airlines website is a straightforward process.

But using miles to fly on Condor might not be a good deal for everyone.  It depends on your home airport and what level of service you want.

I’ll show you how to search for and book Condor award flights with Alaska Airlines miles.

Use Miles to Fly on Condor

Condor is a low-cost German airline that operates non-stop flights from Frankfurt to these destinations in the US & Canada:

• Austin
• Anchorage
• Baltimore
• Calgary
• Halifax
• Las Vegas
• Minneapolis
• New Orleans
• Portland
• Pittsburgh (starting June 23, 2017)
• San Diego
• Seattle (Condor also flies from Seattle to Munich)
• Toronto
• Vancouver
• Whitehorse

If you live in a smaller city served by Condor, it’s nice to have a new option to fly across the Atlantic!  And Alaska Airlines travelers arriving on Condor flights to Frankfurt and Munich can connect to more than 75 other destinations across Europe, Africa, and Asia.

Many folks might also use these flights as a launching point for a dream European vacation.  And because of Europe’s great railway network, Frankfurt is only a short ~4 hour train ride to other European cities like Paris and Amsterdam.

Keep in mind, Condor is considered a budget airline, which means you’ll pay extra for things like seat assignments, upgraded on-board meals, and premium entertainment.  For example, you can expect to pay the following amounts on a transatlantic coach flight:

• ~$40 (or more) to select a coach seat
• ~$120 (or more) to select an emergency exit seat
• ~$13 (or more) for a 3-course, premium meal or special meal (standard hot meal is included free)
• ~$7 for premium seat-back entertainment (limited TV and movies included free)

Although Condor coach flights to the US include 1 checked bag (up to 23 kg) and 1 piece of hand baggage, you’ll have to pay additional fees for almost everything else.  So be sure to calculate the total cost before making your booking.

Note:   Advanced seat assignments, premium food, and premium entertainment are included with Business Class award flights.

Condor On-Board Experience

Condor gets mixed reviews on TripAdvisor.  Some folks say the airline is reasonably comfortable and comparable to coach flights on other airlines.

Others complain about the seat pitch, which is 30 inches on Condor.  That said, airlines like United Airlines and American Airlines aren’t much better (typically 31 inches).

Note:   Seat pitch is an indicator of legroom.  For example, Million Mile Secrets team member Scott is 6’2″ and most times finds a seat pitch under 31 inches uncomfortable.

But because Condor is a low-cost airline, there are fewer freebies once you get on the airplane.

Condor’s Business Class is less impressive than other airlines.  Condor’s fleet has angled-flat seats and less luxurious treatment than you might get on some of Alaska Airlines’ other partners, like British Airways or KLM.

Condor Award Flight Prices

Alaska Airlines charges a reasonable number of miles for Condor award flights.  The pricing is similar to what Alaska Airlines charges for other partner award flights to Europe and beyond.

For example, for award flights on Condor, you’ll pay:

• Continental US to Europe– 25,000 to 40,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Northern Africa– 35,000 to 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 65,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Southern Africa– 40,000 to 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 70,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• Continental US to Middle East– 35,000 to 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, 65,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class

To compare, here’s what you’ll pay for a one-way coach award flight to Europe on other Alaska Airlines partners:

• Air France / KLM – 32,500 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• American Airlines – 20,000 to 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (depending on season), 50,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• British Airways – 32,500 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, 60,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• Emirates – 47,500 Alaska Airlines miles in coach, 105,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class
• Icelandair – 27,500 to 45,000 Alaska Airlines miles in coach (based on demand), 55,000 Alaska Airlines miles in Business Class (prices to Iceland only are slightly less)

One-way Condor coach award flights to Europe are priced at the low, medium, or high level.  Awards start at 25,000 Alaska miles plus ~$19 in taxes and fees, but could cost more depending on your travel dates.

The best way to determine your specific award costs is to search for flights on the Alaska Airlines website.  There are plenty of award seats available!

How to Search for Condor Award Flights

Searching for award flights on Condor is simple!

Step 1.   Navigate to Alaska Airlines Website and Enter Flight Details

Visit Alaskaair.com and enter your origin, destination, travel dates, and number of passengers.

Be sure to check “Use Miles” to search for award flights!

I usually search for award flights one way at a time, to make things simpler.  And you do NOT need to be logged-in to your Alaska Airlines account (free to join!) to search for awards.

Step 2.   View Available Flights

Alaska will show a list of available award flights for your itinerary and dates.  You can filter by airline and number of stops to narrow down your results.

For example, there are plenty of available award seats for 2 adults between Seattle and Frankfurt this summer.  And the taxes and fees are very low!

In this case, connecting can save you miles.  For example, connecting through Portland (PDX) saves you 10,000 Alaska Airlines miles per person.

Step 3.   Expand Your Search

If your dates are flexible, Alaska Airlines makes it easy to view a range of dates.

Across the top of the screen, you can view award prices for dates +/- 3 days from your original search.  Or, select the “Calendar” option to view a broader range of dates.

The calendar view shows the lowest available price on each day in your chosen month.   And you can apply filters if you prefer to see Business Class awards only.  Or only non-stop flights on Condor.

I found more available transatlantic award flights on Condor compared to other airlines.  Maybe because folks haven’t caught on to the new partnership yet!

Step 4.   Select Flights and Book

Once you’ve found the flights you want, you can select them and book as you normally would for any other Alaska Airlines award flight.

If you prefer to book by phone, call Alaska Airlines at 800-252-7522 any time.  But remember you’ll be charged a non-refundable telephone booking fee of $15 per ticket in addition to other taxes and fees.

Compare the Cash Price Before You Book

Because Condor is a budget airline, it’s often possible to find cheap paid fares between the US and Europe.  If you find a sale fare, you might be better off saving your Alaska Airlines miles for another use!

For example, it’s not uncommon to find one-way flights from the East Coast to Europe for ~$400 or less.  Business Class flights can often be found for less than $1,000 one-way.

Just remember to include the price of add-ons like seat selection and meals!

Also, remember Alaska Airlines does NOT allow you to combine partner airlines on an award booking (but you can combine 1 partner with flights on Alaska Airlines).  So if you don’t live in a city served by Condor or Alaska Airlines, you’ll have find your own way to a city that is!

So if you want to travel from Seattle to Barcelona, you can only use Alaska Airlines miles on the Condor flight from Seattle to Frankfurt.  This means that you’ll need to book a separate flight from Frankfurt to Barcelona, because Condor does not fly there.

But if you want to visit the Spanish island of Mallorca, you could book Seattle to Frankfurt (layover) to Palma De Mallorca on a single award flight with Alaska Airlines miles.  This is because Condor operates flights from Frankfurt to Mallorca.

Note:   Flights operated by Condor’s partner Thomas Cook Airlines can NOT be booked using Alaska Airlines miles.  For a list of Condor’s European destinations, visit Condor’s website.

Earning Alaska Miles on Condor Flights

If you’re flying Condor on a paid ticket, you can credit the flight to your Alaska Airlines account to earn frequent flier miles.  Condor flights earn Alaska Airlines miles based on the class of service and distance flown.

Here’s what you’ll earn:

You can also credit Condor paid flights to Miles & More, the frequent flyer program for airlines like Lufthansa, Brussels Airlines, and SWISS.

Earn Alaska Airlines Miles

If you want more Alaska Airlines miles, you can sign-up for the Bank of America Alaska Airlines cards (personal and small business) to earn 30,000 Alaska Airlines miles after spending $1,000 on purchases within the first 90 days of opening your account.

Or transfer flexible Starwood points to Alaska Airlines at a 1:1 ratio, and earn a 5,000 mile bonus for every 20,000 Starwood points you transfer.

You can also earn bonus miles by shopping through the Alaska Airlines shopping portal and dining rewards program.

Bottom Line

It’s exciting that Alaska Airlines is now partners with German airline Condor.  And using Alaska Airlines miles to book Condor award flights is a terrific new option for flights to Europe and beyond!

Currently, there are plenty of available award seats to Europe on Condor using Alaska Airlines miles.  Pricing is comparable with other Alaska Airlines partner flights to Europe.  And it’s easy to search for and book awards directly through the Alaska Airlines website.

Keep in mind, Condor is a budget airline, so you’ll pay additional fees for seat selection and premium food and entertainment.

Have you flown Condor?  I’d love to hear about your experience!