It's been a swift change of gears for Condor Airlines and San Antonio International Airport (SAT). Just last month, the airline began its much-celebrated nonstop flights to Frankfurt (FRA), marking SAT’s first direct connection to Europe. Three times a week, the tarmacs saw off travelers heading for Germany, filling out over on-the-fly Condor flights for the summer. According to the San Antonio Report, these outings were initially locked in through September 6th, backed by the City of San Antontio and Greater:SATX.
Now, looking ahead to 2025, the skies tell a different story—Condor will pare down the service to just Mondays and Fridays, dropping the Wednesday service. This scaling back was first hinted at with the release of Condor's 2025 flight timetables showing decreased departures from San Antonio. Confirmations from city officials followed, revealing a more slender future schedule for the transatlantic venture. As noted by Greater:SATX spokeswoman Jamie Bloodsworth Lutrell in a statement obtained by San Antonio Report, these kinds of adjustments "are not uncommon for new routes as airlines work to determine what works best."
The changes don't seem to come from a lack of interest. Data from an air travel discussion board has displayed a strong start for the SAT-to-FRA flights, selling 74% of seats during its initial outbound flights in May. The return legs, however, lagged behind, filling just 39% of the cabins on flights from Frankfurt back to San Antonio. And while Boston and Vancouver are set to enjoy increased frequency with daily flights, San Antonio will have to make the most of its newly limited slots.
In response to this scaling back, local officials are already starting to strategize for 2026. "As always, the key to sustaining trans-Atlantic service is people using it, so we encourage travelers to begin making their 2025 summer plans to fly Condor now," Bloodsworth Lutrell highlighted, as reported by the San Antonio Report. Despite the reduced schedule, city representatives remain optimistic about continued interest in the Frankfurt route, likely buoyed by incentives including possible financial rebates if Condor doesn't meet revenue thresholds.
Recognition of San Antonio's global potential remains high too, as reflected in comments from Visit San Antonio President and CEO Marc Anderson. He previously called the flight's launch “long overdue” for establishing "San Antonio as a city worthy of global investment and a city worthy of being a global brand known throughout the entire world." However, he also acknowledged that fostering awareness and increasing the uptake of these flights from the European side would be a task requiring time and effort, according to his interview with the San Antonio Report.
The city's support structure for these international ventures is evident through the two-year air service agreement securing nearly $1.3 million in incentives for Condor. This partnership includes full airport use fee waivers in the second year of service for routes like the one to Frankfurt. Jesus Saenz, the city’s director of airports, added to the chorus of optimistic expectations for the continued success of the FRA flights, believing in the future growth potential of the European connection.
