Another week brings another new partner for Southwest Airlines.
The Dallas-based airline on Tuesday announced it will team up with German leisure carrier Condor Airlines in a new partnership.
Like all of Southwest’s new partnerships, this tie-up with Condor will start small — but should eventually offer Rapid Rewards loyalists new connectivity to Europe.
Southwest and Condor: What to know
Based in Frankfurt, Condor is known for its colorful, striped planes and offers a strong on-board experience on transatlantic flights. That includes a bona fide lie-flat business-class experience up at the front of its planes, which TPG’s Eric Rosen tried out earlier this year.
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ERIC ROSEN/THE POINTS GUY
As part of the new Southwest-Condor partnership, you’ll be able to book itineraries featuring connections between the two carriers. The partnership will focus on trips between Condor’s Frankfurt Airport (FRA) hub in Germany and half a dozen U.S. gateways, including:
- Boston Logan International Airport (BOS)
- Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)
- Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
- Portland International Airport (PDX) in Oregon
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO)
- Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA)
Joint itineraries on the two carriers will launch on Jan. 19, and customers with a Southwest-Condor connection will see their checked bags transfer from one plane to the next just like on any connecting itinerary.
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What to know about booking
From the outset, you’ll be able to book these joint Southwest-Condor trips only through Condor’s website and certain third-party sites like Expedia.
However, Southwest plans to start offering partner bookings through its own channels in 2026.
GABRIELLE BERNARDINI/THE POINTS GUY
And, Southwest has made clear: It hopes to eventually allow its loyalty members to earn and redeem points through its international partners. If and when that happens with Condor, it could offer a major new opportunity for Rapid Rewards members to get to Europe — and even connect to Africa.
Southwest’s growing list of partners
It’s worth noting that Southwest already has a partnership with Icelandair — which also has a strong presence in Europe. This past year has also seen the carrier launch interline agreements with Taiwan’s China Airlines and EVA Air, as well as Philippine Airlines.
Bottom line
Condor seems a natural fit to partner with Southwest in Europe, with its heavy focus on leisure travelers — and the fact that, like Southwest, it’s not part of any major global airline alliance, and thus doesn’t have deep ties to any of its top competitors in the U.S.
That said: Southwest isn’t actually the first U.S. airline that Condor has teamed up with. The carrier has partnered with Alaska Airlines for years, and the carrier’s Atmos Rewards program already offers partner award redemptions on its flights.
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