Air-rail alliance

There are four main types of airline-railway business alliance or codeshare agreements: dedicated services, entire network access, Night&Fly, and re-protection agreements. The currently active air-rail alliances are listed in the tables below.

History

On 1 August 2022, German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) became the first intermodal partner of the Star Alliance, as an extension of the Lufthansa Express Rail (AiRail) program that then existed for more than 20 years. All 26 member airlines of the Star Alliance can include DB ICE trains with flight numbers in their booking systems, to buy a combined ticket for the flight and the inner-German train in one booking step. This includes (business class) access to DB lounges, points or miles for the train journeys in the frequent-flyer programs and baggage handling in the AiRail check-in at Frankfurt Airport.[1]

In September 2024, high-speed rail operator Eurostar signed a memorandum of understanding to join SkyTeam as its first non-airline partner. This cooperation will enable integrated intermodal transport (air-rail) in the UK, France and the Netherlands.[2][3]

Dedicated services

Dedicated services are less common than Rail&Fly alliances, due to the level of service provided. Often checked through luggage is provided between the air and rail journeys, dedicated carriages or entire trains are provided to airline passengers, and service is to the same level expected on board an aircraft, including meals and refreshments.

Train Operating Company Airline From Airport To City Marketed As
Amtrak United Airlines Newark Liberty International Airport New Haven, CT
Philadelphia, PA
Stamford, CT
Wilmington, DE
CRH China Eastern Airlines Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport Shanghai-Hangzhou
Shanghai-Wuxi		 China Eastern Air-Rail Service [4]
Deutsche Bahn Lufthansa
American Airlines
Emirates		 Frankfurt Airport Stuttgart
CologneSiegberg/Bonn / Kassel Wilhelmshöhe / Karlsruhe main station		 AIRail[5]
ÖBB Austrian Airlines Vienna International Airport Linz
Salzburg		 AIRail[6]
SBB Swiss International Air Lines Zurich Airport Basel Airtrain [7]
SNCF Air France Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport Brussels-Midi
Strasbourg		 Air & Rail [8]
Thalys KLM Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport Antwerp-Centraal
Brussels-Midi
Thalys American Airlines Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport Brussels-Midi

Entire network access

More commonly referred to as Rail & Fly due to the popularity of the Deutsche Bahn service, entire network access is the increasingly common form of air-rail alliance. This allows passengers to book a discounted (sometimes free) train ticket in addition to their full-price air ticket. Checked through luggage and dedicated train compartments for airline passengers are not normally available, though sometimes first class train travel is provided. Travel is usually available to the entire rail network.[9]

Train Operating Company Airline From Airport To Marketed As
Comboios de Portugal TAP Portugal Lisbon Airport, Porto Airport, Faro Airport All of Portugal, long-distance trains only[10] Rail&Fly Portugal
Deutsche Bahn Lufthansa #
Aeroflot
Air Astana #
Air China
Air India
Air Malta
Air Mauritius
Air Moldova
Air Transat
Alitalia
American Airlines #
All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Belavia
Bulgaria Air
Cathay Pacific Airways
China Airlines
China Eastern Airlines
Condor #
Croatia Airlines
Cyprus Airways
Egyptair
El Al Israel Airlines
Emirates #
Ethiopian Airlines
Etihad Airways
Finnair #
Gulf Air
Hainan Airlines
Iberia
Icelandair
Iran Air
Japan Airlines
Korean Air
Kuwait Airways
LATAM
Mahan Air
Malaysia Airlines
MIAT Mongolian Airlines
Middle East Airlines
Oman Air
Pakistan International
Qantas #
Qatar Airways #
Rossiya Airlines
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Jordanian Airlines
S7 Airlines
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways #
SriLankan Airlines
Syrian Arab Airline
LATAM Brasil
TAP Portugal
TAROM
Thai Airways
TransAer
TUIfly.com #
Tunisair
Turkish Airlines
Ukraine International
Uzbekistan Airways
Vietnam Airlines
Yemenia 		Frankfurt Airport
Basel Airport
Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Bremen Airport
Dortmund Airport
Dresden Airport
Düsseldorf Airport
Hamburg Airport
Hannover Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport
Köln-Bonn Airport
München Airport
Münster-Osnabrück Airport
Nürnberg Airport
Stuttgart Airport 		All Deutsche-Bahn-stations (including some in Austria and Switzerland), and select private railway services in Germany Rail&Fly[11]
ÖBB Air Moldova # Vienna International Airport Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bregenz, Graz, Klagenfurt and St. Pölten[12] Air & Rail Austria
ÖBB Emirates # Vienna International Airport All ÖBB-trains in Austria except EN Euro Night[13] Rail & Fly in Austria
Taiwan High Speed Rail China Airlines
EVA Air
China Eastern Airlines		 Taoyuan International Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport
Kaohsiung International Airport
Taichung Airport		 All of Taiwan - HSR only [14]
SNCF Air France[15]
Gulf Air[16]
Air Austral
Air Tahiti Nui
American Airlines
Cathay Pacific
Middle East Airlines
Emirates Airline
Etihad Airways
Qatar Airways		 Paris-Charles de Gaulle All of France - HSR only TGVair

♯ Indicates airlines offer Rail&Fly ticketing on company website

Airline-Rail re-protection agreements

Also known as "Good for Trains", this is an emergency backup service for airline cancellations, providing train tickets in lieu of flights to get passengers to their destination. Such an example was during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, where extra trains were provided to support the airlines’ stranded passengers in Europe. These 'good for train' agreements are in place with the following airlines:

Country Train Operating Company Airline
Canada Via Rail Air Canada[17]
Germany Deutsche Bahn Lufthansa[18]

See also

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rail air alliances.

References

  1. ^ "DB becomes intermodal partner of the Star Alliance". Global Railway Review. 2022-07-05. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  2. ^ Orban, André (2024-09-25). "Eurostar joins SkyTeam: Pioneering integrated Air-Rail Travel partnership". Aviation24.be. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  3. ^ "Eurostar set to join SkyTeam as first non-airline partner". Business Traveller (in Dutch). 2024-09-25. Retrieved 2024-09-26.
  4. ^ "Air-Rail Service". China Eastern. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  5. ^ "AIRail Service". Frankfurt Airport. Archived from the original on 3 January 2012. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  6. ^ "ÖBB - Austrian AIRail - Travel directly from Linz and Salzburg". Archived from the original on 2018-09-14. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  7. ^ "Airtrain". SWISS. Retrieved 9 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Air-Rail Service". Air France. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  9. ^ "Termos e Condições - Betfair Brasil". 2022-08-18. Retrieved 2022-10-05.
  10. ^ "Rail&Fly Portugal – Termos e Condições" (PDF). TAP Portugal. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.
  11. ^ "Rail & Fly". Frankfurt Airport. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  12. ^ "Air Moldova - Air & Rail Austria". Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Emirates - Rail & Fly in Austria". Archived from the original on 2016-12-20. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  14. ^ "Air China - HSR". SkyTeam. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  15. ^ "TGVair". Air France. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  16. ^ "Gulf Air and French National Railway SNCF commence codeshare". AMEINFO. Archived from the original on 2009-06-20. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  17. ^ "Air Canada/Via Rail reprotection agreement". Air Canada. Retrieved 28 November 2011.
  18. ^ "Media release: DB prepared for flight restrictions". Deutsche Bahn. Retrieved 28 November 2011.