Another international carrier is landing in Pittsburgh, this one bringing with it coveted nonstop service to Frankfurt, Germany.
Condor Airlines will begin offering the seasonal flight to Frankfurt from Pittsburgh International Airport on June 23. The service will operate on Mondays and Fridays through September.
A formal announcement is expected today.
“That’s a real coup for Pittsburgh,” said William Swelbar, executive vice president of Boston-based Intervistas Consulting, an economic and financial consultant to airlines and airports.
It marks the second major deal involving international service from the airport to be announced this week. On Monday, ultra low fare Wow Air revealed that it would be starting flights to Iceland with connections to major European destinations like London and Paris on June 16.
Bob Kerlik, a spokesman for the Allegheny County Airport Authority, declined comment on Condor, but the airline’s website shows that a nonstop from Pittsburgh to Frankfurt International Airport is available starting June 23.
Despite the many German businesses in the region, Pittsburgh hasn’t had a nonstop flight to Frankfurt since 2004, when US Airways shut down its airport hub.
Based in Frankfurt, Condor currently offers nonstop service to a handful of U.S. cities, including Seattle, Las Vegas, Baltimore/Washington, Portland and Austin. It will start flights to New Orleans and San Diego in May.
The carrier first caught the attention of Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald in 2012. When he learned of its existence and its nonstop service to Frankfurt, he urged the airport authority to reach out to it.
Although Condor is considered a leisure airline, its service from Pittsburgh should be helpful to business travelers as well, Mr. Swelbar said.
“Any time you have the ability to do a nonstop versus one or two stops, it’s a benefit to any passenger — particularly the business passenger that cares about time,” he said.
Travelers into Frankfurt International also will have access to an extensive network of connecting flights to other European destinations offered by Lufthansa airline, which has a partnership with Condor.
German-based businesses with offices or headquarters in Pittsburgh have long coveted a nonstop flight into Frankfurt. There are currently 70 to 75 German-based companies that have offices in the region, said Jeff Deane, a German American Chamber of Commerce board member.
He described the new Condor service as “huge,” given its nonstop nature and the ability to connect to other European cities from the Frankfurt airport. He said it’s easier to make connections from there than from the Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, used by Delta Air Lines for its seasonal nonstop from Pittsburgh.
Mr. Deane predicted the Condor service not only will help existing businesses but “will make a big difference in recruiting companies to come to Pittsburgh.”
Although the flight is seasonal, there is a chance it could be extended a few months if it does well, Mr. Swelbar said.
“Pittsburgh is not the easiest market to sell year round. This is a foray into the international market. These are good things,” he said.
The airport is providing $800,000 in payments to Iceland-based Wow to start service from Pittsburgh. It is likely that Condor will receive incentives as well, a common practice in the industry.
Condor is among half a dozen new carriers that have touched down in Pittsburgh over the last few years. Since Christina Cassotis became authority CEO in January 2015, the number of nonstop destinations has grown from 37 to 64, a nearly 73 percent increase.
Mark Belko: mbelko@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1262.
First Published: November 10, 2016, 5:33 a.m.