Port of Seattle Celebrates Latest International Route with Condor Airlines Inaugural Flight To Frankfurt
(Seattle) June 16, 2011 - With international travel increasing more rapidly than domestic travel, The Port of Seattle rolled out the welcome mat to another new international airline service today as Condor Airlines made its debut at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with their inaugural flight from Seattle to Frankfurt. The blue, yellow and white aircraft, a Boeing 767-300, arrived to a water turret salute with the pilots waving flags from Germany and the U.S. Shortly after the arrival and a celebration at the gate, a full plane load of passengers pulled back for the inaugural flight to Frankfurt.
"This new airline service will generate local jobs, provide more choices for travelers from Seattle to Europe, and provides capacity for air cargo between Seattle and Europe," said Mike Ehl, Director of Operations at Sea-Tac Airport. "We welcome Condor Airlines as part of our growth in international traffic."
Through April of this year, international passenger traffic through Sea-Tac has increased 6.7% over the same period in 2010. This summer Sea-Tac expects to see 23% more seats to Europe overall, compared to the same period last summer (July-September). It amounts to almost 2,000 seats per week during the summer months.
Condor Airlines will provide two flights a week, departing on Mondays at 7:20 p.m. and Thursdays at 6:05 p.m. arriving in Frankfurt, respectively, at 2:50 p.m. and 1:30 p.m. local time. Condor will fly Boeing 767-300ER aircraft with three classes of service including Comfort Class, Premium Economy Class and Economy.
Condor will provide easy U.S. domestic connections with Alaska Airlines.
The Port of Seattle Fire Department honored the inaugural arrival and departure of Condor's flights with a traditional water salute from the ARFF vehicles.
More Details on Sea-Tac International Flights
Condor's announcement adds to previously announced expansions to international service for 2011 at Sea-Tac.
Seven new international services have been added at Sea-Tac since 2007: Air France (2007 to Paris), Lufthansa (2008 to Frankfurt), Hainan (2008 to Beijing), Icelandair (2009 to Reykjavik), Delta (2010 to Osaka and Beijing) and Condor (2011 to Frankfurt). In addition, this year Delta added a second daily flight to Amsterdam in June and Icelandair added a sixth weekly flight to Reykjavik in May.
About Condor
The German airline, Condor Flugdienst GmbH, was established in 1956 and continues as one of the leading carriers to almost 70 destinations worldwide. Condor's fleet of 34 aircraft includes Airbus 320, Boeing 757-300 and Boeing 767-300. Introducing Premium Economy Class service last year on 767 aircraft increased options for Condor's long haul passengers. Parent company of Condor is the Thomas Cook Group Plc. For more information or reservations, visit www.condor.com
About Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
Operated by the Port of Seattle, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA, KSEA) is ranked as the 17th largest U.S. airport, serving more than 31.5 million passengers in 2010. With a regional economic impact of more than $13.2 billion in business revenue, Sea-Tac generates more than 161,000 jobs (89,902 direct jobs) representing more than $2.2 billion in direct earnings and $412.4 million in state and local taxes. Twenty-six airlines serve 75 non-stop domestic destinations and 21 international cities.