What is Marabu Airlines? Honest Review of My Economy Flight on this Estonian Airlines - Boeing A320

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

UPDATE: My mistake, everyone. Even though I found a few websites still listing Condor and Lufthansa as partner airlines, they are no longer affiliated in the way I assumed and Condor is no longer a member of the Star Alliance.

[@foxyankeefrank6963]

Yes. And in addition: Condor NEVER was member of the Star Alliance. At no time this holiday airline was in connection with the mentioned global alliance! Maybe you had this idea because you could - only in former times- collect frequent flyer miles with "Miles&More". This possibility was based however on a simple partnership between Lufthansa and Condor in the past due to the financial connection - in the past. But not to be mistaken at all with a membership within a global alliance - this was never the case. To understand better please look actually on todays situation: You can today for example earn ALASKA points by flying Condor because they are partners. But that does NOT mean at all (!) that Condor is part of Oneworld Alliance like Alaska! They just teamed up with the frequent flyer programm of Alaska like they did 25 years ago with "Miles&More". I hope this explains it better. Actually pretty easy.

[@edstuff1198]

Morgan, Morgan, Morgan. As experienced a traveler as you are when have you ever gotten free food or drinks on a budget airline? I have to say their food and drink options are very reasonably priced. I've been flying business class or 1st on short flights that don't offer business for a few years now. I'm too old (68) and too tall (199 cm) to fly on cheap airlines or in cheap seats on real airlines. I've been flying for 50 years all over the northern hemisphere and I deserve nice things now. The service, the privacy, the lie flat seats in business class on a trans Atlantic flight, and the lounges in the larger airports are well worth the exorbitant price in my opinion. My favorite beach holiday spot is Gran Canaria. Maspalomas is on the southern tip of the island and one of the few areas in the Canary Islands that has yellow sand beaches rather than the normal gray volcanic sand on most of the islands. The people there are very nice, the food is great and the cost is reasonable for apartments there. I've been to Tenerife once and I wasn't impressed. I've been to Gran Canaria 4 times. In my experience by the time you pay for your bags, food, seat reservations etc., often Lufthansa isn't much more expensive and the experience is much better. The last time I went to Gran Canaria about 4 years ago I think we paid about 300 euro per person on Lufthansa, non-stop from Berlin.

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

Ed, Ed, Ed, I very rarely fly with an airline other than Delta, Air France, or KLM. The last time I did, it was with Lufthansa.

[@edstuff1198]

@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides I was chastising you with tongue firmly in cheek. I apologize if you didn't catch that. From the way you talked about low cost airlines, EasyJet etc., I thought you had some experience with them. Do you remember back around the 2006-2008 when Lufthansa offered flights to many continental Europe destinations for 99 euro round trip? That was a great deal. They had free coffee and newspapers at the gate, they gave you snacks and beverages free of charge on the flight, no baggage fees, etc. I was flying pretty often from Frankfurt Main (I was living in Heidelberg at the time) to Berlin to visit the Polish lady that became my wife in 2008. Lufthansa acquired Germanwings (now Eurowings) as a low cost subsidiary and Lufthansa discontinued the 99 Euro fares. I flew from Berlin to Zurich a few years ago on Germanwings and for the cost it was a good deal. And baggage, snacks and drinks were free unlike other low cost airlines. I don't have any experience with Eurowings. We live in Poland on the Polish side of the Oder river which is the border and we're only an hour away from Berlin and about 45 minutes from the Berlin airport.

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

No problemo, Edio!

[@JeffreyInPS]

I am glad you had a decent flight experience. Nowadays, I always pack some snacks in my carry on bag since most airlines don't provide anything. I tend to travel with very low expectations of customer service. This way, I don't get so frustrated. I bring an external battery for my telephone. It even has mag safe connection so it just clicks on my iPhone. So, when I arrive to my destination, I have a full charge for Google Maps and Ride Share activity. I hope to run into you on our travels someday! Keep up the good work. You are my favorite KZbinr. Cheers.

[@HeicoHomburg]

To answer your question: ES-MBC is an Airbus A320neo.

[@JeffreyInPS]

I love airline nerds. You rock!

[@katiekendrick8866]

Never heard of that airline either! Great review! Hope you enjoyed your mini vacation with your friend! 🥰

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

Thank you so much, Katie!

[@Stephanie-StarTrekFan-is-Muji]

I love the Purple Rain T-shirt

[@MrJJSimonds]

The word you were looking for was.... Jetway.. that tunnel that mates with the plane to allow you to walk right into the airport... ;)

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

I’ll take airport terminology for $200.

[@jfk609]

Thanks Morgan you point out one major problem if you are tall. If you are tall, it feels like your knees are always in your throat and no room to move them. You have to pay for an upgrade to economy plus or business class if you want to have any room to move.

[@mercyrodriguez5780]

That was our experience on Delta too. We were laughing at the very kind way you said “they are ready to retire”🤣

[@loungelizard1975]

You were being very nice concerning Delta crew. I refuse to engage with Delta crew if I have to fly with them. Had a horrible experience in 2002ish that left me scarred for life and it wasn’t a long haul flight.

[@paola.3a]

Cabin crew job is tiring like all the jobs, if crew is not motivated, put yourself in their shoes!

[@AidaJof]

Thank you, Captain Morgan ... your Marabu/Condor change has made me think to get something to eat before boarding what it would have been my KLM flight from Madrid to Amsterdam which now will be serviced by Privilege Style SA, a partner of KLMs. Thank you for the heads up.

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

Better safe than hangry! :-P

[@julieb7882]

I'm not surprised that crew on long haul flights tend to be less young as they usually get to pick flights, based on seniority. Always take snacks and a beverage on flighrs. You never know how good food might be or if it's not filling enough. The bright side is without fluid imput there was less need for fluid output. Also, the bathroom door was Morgan approved.

[@airbusandi7367]

It was clearly stated on the booking receipt that it's a Marabu flight 🙈

[@summerbee4351]

We flew with Condor to Domrep and back with the newest planes (the striped ones). We got meals,, drinks, seats with space and big modern screens with entertainment. Has been good but it was a complete charter flight from cruise line. When we flew to Madeira with Condor and booked Economy they do not even offer free water and you have to pay for the overhead luggage compartment upfront! We did not pay and get a space anyhow but this is not customer friendly anymore.....we mostly go with Lufthansa.

[@joangroothuis4031]

Thanks for information

[@sbedford9833]

Flew Condor 2019 from US to Frankfort. Crew was very friendly. (Gate agents were subcontracted. They were terrible.) We did get complimentary food and drink. We were late leaving so the entertainment was free on the outbound trip. But the return trip there was 1 tv show and 1 movie free. Otherwise you had to pay. And seems like you paid for earphones. Will not fly by choice again. And will add Marabu to the no fly list.

[@KarynHill]

You can call them airline nerds! More like aviation nerds. I watch a bunch of aviation KZbinrs and they're happy to refer to themselves and their compatriots as aviation nerds. That's one word that has lost its sting!

[@happycruiser]

We travel aisle and aisle so neither of us has to do the middle.

[@paulinefoster1126]

That’s a great tip thanks

[@patti1044]

Always pack food for any flight - and my own water bottle filled while in the airport.

[@hejbjarne]

Condor never was a member of the star alliance and is in fact a big competitor of Lufthansa

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

I guess I got confused since they are on the front page of Lufthansa Holidays, and you used to be able to collect Miles and More points when flying with Condor.

[@Munichaviationspotter]

It is an A320Neo, the A320Neo is based on the A320-200

[@hannoveraviation8621]

It's an Airbus A320-200, Airbus A320-271N to be exact

[@DD-sc9bu]

De-iced? Not a frequent traveler but the only de-icing I've ever waited through had visable ice & a snowstorm

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

I know what you mean. There was a light layer of frost visible on the wings.

[@andredegruchy-bott9140]

I'd use the term "nerd" :-) 5 hours - wow without in-flight entertainment nor water!? We at least have those things on our airlines here in Australia.

[@foxyankeefrank6963]

Thanks for the video. However: Condor is NOT in connection to Lufthansa and its as well not at all member of the Star Alliance. Even the possibility to collect Miles for "Miles&More" is history! Condor WAS a part of the Lufthansa Group about 25 years ago, but split up then and they are a complete competitor and everything else but partners nowadays for years and years!

[@HeicoHomburg]

Thank you for agreeing with me. Morgan still doesn't seem convinced.

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

This is all so confusing! Nonetheless, I have added a pinned comment explaining the situation.

[@StephenS0906]

Hmmm.....wearing my favorite shirt again!! The last time I remember flying with a no-frills airline was "People Airlines" back in 1986, and let me tell you, they gave you NOTHING extra for free! And the very last time I flew with them, I couldn't pick my seat, and I had to sit in the very last row on the left, against the wall, BECAUSE THERE WAS NO WINDOW!! The whole experience was completely unpleasant. 😮

[@andrewsabol5045]

👍

[@HeicoHomburg]

I watched the video three times now, just to be sure not to have gotten you wrong. Well, here is the result: Condor is NOT partnered with Lufthansa (it used to be before Thomas Cook went bankrupt). Condor is NOT in the Star Alliance. You booked your flight on the Condor website, right? Then you must have noticed that this flight was operated by Marabu. Condor always shows those things before you book. On the confirmation you present in the video, it is clearly stated that it is Marabu operating the flight. Marabu is NOT a low cost (or budget) airline. Marabu does not use Condor as their ticketing agent, but Marabu is a Condor partner airline which means that Condor uses Marabu to operate some of their flights. You said you sat in "Standard Economy", right? That sounds as if you could have chosen Premium Economy. But Condor does not offer Premium Economy on single aisle aircraft. You could have booked Business (but this is Standard Economy with the middle seat left free, no additional space for your feet). Overall: there is no difference between short or medium haul flights operated by Marabu and those operated by Condor itself.

[@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides]

Heico, when I just searched for “Condor Star Alliance”, I found several websites that confirm it IS in the Star Alliance. When you search for the same terms, can you please tell me what you find?

[@HeicoHomburg]

@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides Searching with Google, I find: 1st hit: an outdated (2015) pdf from Condor, but is says nothing about an alliance. 2nd hit: an up-to-date webpage from Condor showing the partner airlines, but it says nothing about an alliance. 3rd hit: a Star Alliance webpage that shows all its members, showing that Condor is not a member. 4th hit: a webpage by Rick Steves, "America's most respected authority on European travel", which says: "... Nor is Condor part of the Star Alliance, like United, Lufthansa, and many others" When I ask ChatGPT "Is Condor a member of Star Alliance?", ChatGPT answers: "Condor is not a member of the Star Alliance. Instead, it participates in loyalty programs with airlines like Alaska Airlines and Emirates, indicating partnerships outside the Star Alliance framework​​. The Star Alliance, founded in 1997 with five airlines, has grown significantly over the years, but Condor has not been listed as a member in its history or current lineup​​."

[@HeicoHomburg]

@@VeryunOfficialTravelGuides Hi Morgan. I left a detailed answer, but KZbin obviously has removed it. I will try again later.

[@HeicoHomburg]

When I search for “Condor Star Alliance” with Google, I get the following results: 1st hit: an outdated (2015) pdf from Condor showing Condor’s partner Airlines, but it says nothing about alliances. 2nd hit: an up-to-date webpage from Condor showing Condor’s partner airlines, but again it says nothing about alliances. 3rd hit: an up-to-date webpage from Star Alliance, showing its members; Condor is not mentioned. 4th hit: a webpage from Rick Stevens, „America's most respected authority on European travel“, where you ca read: „… Nor is Condor part of the Star Alliance, like United, Lufthansa, and many others.“ When I ask ChatGPT 4.0 „Is Condor a member of Star Alliance?“, ChatGPT answers: „Condor is not a member of the Star Alliance. Instead, it participates in loyalty programs with airlines like Alaska Airlines and Emirates, indicating partnerships outside the Star Alliance framework​​. The Star Alliance, founded in 1997 with five airlines, has grown significantly over the years, but Condor has not been listed as a member in its history or current lineup​.“

[@HeicoHomburg]

Sorry, Morgan. KZbin keeps on removing my answer. I will sent it to you via Insta.

[@hansie481]

Airobridge.

[@stevencipriano3962]

The Baaags

[@brandonthailand2062]

I avoid US carriers as much as possible.

[@bearwonder1]

Try Spirit Airline.

[@MustangErin]

👍