Airport fiasco: Jacqueline and friends caught in Condor altitur!

Airport fiasco: Jacqueline and friends caught in Condor altitur!

Heraklion, Griechenland - On May 24, 2025, the flight from Zurich to Heraklion for Jacqueline (38) and five friends began to plan a party's 30th birthday. But the good mood quickly changed when the pilot could not land in Heraklion due to strong winds. Instead, the passengers had to circle over the city and were diverted to Athens, where the plane landed to refuel. However, the group was not allowed to get out because they had to leave their luggage on the plane.

In Athens, the group wanted to travel to Crete by ferry, but this wish was also denied them. Instead, we continued to Kos, where it could also not be landed. Finally, the flight ended up in Thessaloniki, where they were locked on the plane for eleven hours before they were allowed to spend the night at the expense of the Condor airline. Vol.at's orntern report reports that the group had to wait two hours on the bus to Thessaloniki.

adventure trip and cost

After returning to Zurich, the group felt as if it had never really come away. Jacqueline, disappointed by the airline, decided to never fly again with Condor, plans to use the villa that she had rented later. So far, Condor has not commented on the request from Vol.at for the incident.

background to condor

Condor Flugdienst GmbH, based in Frankfurt am Main, is the fourth largest German airline according to passenger numbers and fleet. The company was founded on November 23, 1955. Flight operations began on March 29, 1956 with the first flights to Israel, Mallorca and Tenerife. Condor benefited from mass tourism in the 1960s and in 1962 had a market share of 63.3% in German flight tourism. The airline mainly offers inexpensive flights to popular tourist destinations such as Mallorca, Greece and Turkey.

The Condor fleet comprises 41 aircraft, including Boeing 767-300er and Airbus A321-200. Safety incidents in the past, such as collisions or emergency landings, have repeatedly led to discussions about the security standards of the airline. According to the pages of passenger rights, security control for airlines and airports is essential and is regulated by strict laws.

safety regulations for airports

The regulations on air safety are anchored in Annex 17 of the ICAO and in the Air Security Act. These laws include comprehensive measures to secure airport operators and examine the background to security precautions in Germany. In particular, the EU has tightened aviation safety since the terrorist attacks of September 11th. Control systems where airports and airlines work must meet strict requirements, so that passenger and luggage controls have also been carried out.

The incidents related to Jacqueline and her friends raise questions about the processes and responsibility of the airlines in exceptional circumstances. The Air Security Act stipulates that airlines are not liable for cancellations or delays due to exceptional circumstances, but travelers can claim replacement claims under certain conditions.

The situation of Jacqueline and her friends impressively shows how important it is to find out about the conditions and rights at airlines before starting travel. While Condor continues to act as an important player in German aviation, it remains to be seen how the airline will react to these incidents.