Shutterstock / Olaf Schulz
A red and white striped Condor aircraft lands at Frankfurt Main Airport in 2022.
On May 17, the German leisure airline took off from San Antonio International Airport, marking the city's first-ever nonstop transatlantic route. As of press time, Condor operates the seasonal nonstop route between the Alamo City and Frankfurt every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Sept. 6.
Although it's unclear how well the flights between one of America's most impoverished big cities and Europe's financial hub are performing, the Express-News previously reported that the inaugural flight to Germany had 110 empty seats, while return trip was about half empty.
Condor Airlines last month declined to provide passenger data for the route with the Current.
"What we can share is that the San Antonio route is performing in line with the expectations that Condor Airlines had outlined for this first-ever route to Frankfurt and to Europe," airline spokesperson Charles Mardkis said at the time.
Despite Markdkis' optimism, city officials confirmed to the Express-News on Tuesday that the airline opted to cut its weekly flights from three to two starting next summer.
Even so, economic development group Greater: SATX, which forked over an undisclosed amount in subsidies to Condor to secure the route, touted the airline's decision to continue operating here next summer as a success.
"We are already proving the demand for nonstop travel to Europe," Greater: SATX spokesperson Jamie Bloodworth told the daily.
Condor, which is more popular among European vacationers than titans of industry, was lured to San Antonio thanks in part to a $1.3 million subsidy agreement with the city. The city's tourism and marketing agency, Visit San Antonio, also offered a separate, undisclosed subsidy.
Stay tuned.
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