Condor Business Class A330-900 (MIA-FRT)

Condor is a great option for getting directly to Europe from Miami, and is available to book using Alaska Airlines points. There was  pretty wide open availability for business class and premium economy during my dates. I snagged a business class seat for 55,000 points. A great value for a nearly ten hour red eye flight. 

Check in at MIA

Check in at Miami International Airport was easy and straightforward. The counter was located near door 19 and while there was a line for economy passengers, the dedicated business class lane only had one person being helped so another agent was available to help me immediately. He offered a ‘first class’ upgrade for around $250. These seats are larger than regular business class seats and they have a picture posted at the front of their desk of it so I assume this is a pretty regular offer. 

I checked in my bag and expected that there might be some kind of problem since I could not get my boarding pass online. However, there didn’t seem to be any issues, perhaps just verification of my passport was needed. The agent checked my bag, printed my boarding pass, and gave me instructions to get to the gate and the lounge. 

Lounge Access

The lounge access was provided by the Avianca-TAP Air Portugal lounge and I fully detail its offerings in my lounge review. This was unexpected as online Condor says it is partnered with the Turkish Lounge in Miami. This is probably not just not updated since the relatively recent reopening of the Avianca lounge. This lounge location is much more convenient since it is right at the J gates, which is where the Condor flight was departing from. 

When the flight was ready to board, it was announced in the lounge and I went right over. I waited at the gate for a few minutes while they prepared to start boarding. I was pretty happy about being the lounge during the wait since the J terminal was very crowded and there all seats were occupied near the gate. This contributed to some crowding near the gate as we waited to board. 

Boarding

Boarding started on time and business class was in boarding group one, just after the pre-boarding group. The business class cabin felt spacious thanks to its 1-2-1 configuration. Since I was traveling alone, I chose seat 6K which is more private than seats closer to the aisle. 

The welcome drink options were orange juice or sparkling wine, or you could get both to make a mimosa. There was some ambiance music while we waited to depart and menus were distributed.  

The Business Class Seat on Condor

The seat was very spacious, with an average footwell, and several seat settings such as lie flat, reclined, and back arch support. At the seat there was a pillow, blanket, mattress pad, headphones, a bottle of water, and an amenity pouch.

Condor Amenity Kit

There was a toothbrush, toothpaste, eye mask, socks, facial moisturizer, lip balm, and a tin pharmacy case. In an effort to be environmentally conscious, earplugs are available upon request and the kit is within recycled packaging. It was a bit unusual to see the amenity kit separate from the case, but it all did fit inside the pharmacy tin. 

Food & Drink Onboard

After takeoff, some nuts and drinks were offered. It took a while for dinner to come out which was disappointing since this was a late flight at 10 pm so it wasn’t until around midnight that we were eating.

There were a variety of small starters to suit everyone’s palette. The tuna was a creative choice that I liked, but funnily enough I enjoyed the cheese the most.  A selection of breads was offered and I asked for the garlic bread.

Orders were taken for the main course after the starters were out. By the time they got to me in row 6, they had run out of my first choice, the beef tenderloin, so I went for the vegetarian option, the ravioli. It was fine, but nothing outstanding and took a long time to come out.

For dessert, there was a lemon tart which was quite good. By the time I finished dinner it was around 1 am. I did appreciate not being rushed through dining and attendants were prompt in clearing items and offering additional drinks.

Breakfast consisted of an omelette, cheeses, fruit, and a selection of breads. Still not too hungry and unimpressed by the omelette I settled for having a croissant with Nutella and an espresso. It was served around two hours before landing. 

Flight Experience

A little too full and late to sleep, I read a book for the night with the bed in sleep mode. Warning, don’t try to put your items beneath the seat while transitioning to sleep mode. I realized my bag between the footwell and the seat was preventing the it from going fully lie flat.

With that in mind, I did find storage options to be very limited. Kept my items toward the aisle on the floor, otherwise there was just the space between the chair and the wall. 

We were able to stay comfortable in the cabin up until 30 minutes before landing which was nice for those maximizing their sleep. They kept the cabin dark for the majority of this red eye flight, and it stayed fairly quiet.

Entertainment System

The entertainment system was super responsive and could be controlled via remote or the touch screen. There was a wide variety of titles, with the most recent films being Wicked and Mufasa. Having already seen those, I delved into a Cary Grant film. The provided headphones were great, effectively blocking out noise and delivering the sound well. 

Overall Impressions

I would highly recommend flying Condor business class to get across the Atlantic in comfort. It is long enough route to allow time for eating, sleeping, and catching a movie. From Frankfurt it is easy to continue your journey nearly anywhere in the world. For only 55,000 Alaska miles it is a great value with COndor’s welcoming staff, lie flat seat, and a decent food selection.