Condor is currently undergoing an interesting transformation, gradually evolving from a leisure airline into a competitor for Lufthansa. The airline now serves numerous city destinations: domestic German routes from Frankfurt and other destinations such as Paris, Milan, Prague, etc. These serve, among other things, as feeder flights for its own long-haul routes.
The next step on the agenda: its own frequent flyer program. As early as 2025, a trademark registration revealed that it will likely go by the name Stripes. At the beginning of the year, Condor’s CEO mentioned in an interview that they were continuing to look into the matter—without providing any specific details.
Meanwhile, these plans seem to be much more concrete. The terms and conditions for the Stripes frequent flyer program are already available online as a PDF. Apparently, this has been the case for three months without making the rounds in the blogosphere—until a reader recently pointed it out to us.
Part of these terms has already become outdated: the special promotion announced for March 4 did not take place. However, the document shows how concrete the plans already are. The launch of the airline’s own loyalty program is therefore likely just around the corner.
What the Terms and Conditions Reveal
A quick scan of the terms and conditions reveals no major surprises. For specific details such as status levels and benefits, the document merely refers to the website condor.com/de/stripes (which is not yet live). Nevertheless, some information can be gathered from the document:
- Launch Promotion: Originally, a special promotion was planned from March 4 to June 30, 2026. According to this, Silver status was to be awarded with just 5 Condor flights. And an upgrade to Gold status after an additional 10 flights (starting July 1). Obviously, nothing came of this. However, it is quite possible that a similar promotion will launch in July, August, etc., instead.
- Different Status Levels: The promotion mentions that there will be Silver and Gold status levels. These tiers will offer various status benefits, though the exact details remain unclear. In this context, it is explicitly mentioned that combinations with Condor Cards are not permitted. The benefits of the status tiers are likely to be similar and could include priority services, seat selection, and free baggage (except for the Light/Zero fare?).
- Miles Only for Condor Flights: According to the terms and conditions, miles will only be awarded for flights operated by Condor itself, and only with flight numbers DE0001-DE2999 and DE4000-DE4499. If this is indeed how it is implemented, even flights operated by its subsidiary Marabu would be excluded. Furthermore, anyone hoping to credit flights from partner airlines, such as Alaska Airlines, will be disappointed, at least for the time being.
- Entering the Frequent Flyer Number: To receive miles & status benefits, the frequent flyer number must be entered into the booking at least 48 hours prior to departure. This is an unusually long lead time, meaning it would not be sufficient to change the number at the check-in counter. Retroactive mileage credit is possible up to 2 months after the flight, but there is no entitlement to it.
- No Additional Status Miles for Upgrades: Passengers who purchase an upgrade to Premium or Business Class will apparently still only receive status miles based on the originally booked travel class.
Our Assessment
More exciting than the terms themselves is the fact that Condor’s own frequent flyer program is apparently on the verge of launching. The question of why the launch was postponed on such short notice, given how concrete the terms for the welcome promotion already were, remains open.
In a recent interview, Condor’s CEO reaffirmed that Condor could also envision joining an airline alliance. From this perspective, having its own frequent flyer program is also an important step. Following the demise of Air Berlin, Oneworld could certainly use a partner in Germany.