Air-rail alliance

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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.

Contents

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 CompanyAirlineFrom AirportTo CityMarketed 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
Cologne
Siegburg/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 BaselAirtrain [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 CompanyAirlineFrom AirportToMarketed 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 GermanyRail&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:

CountryTrain Operating CompanyAirline
Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Via Rail Air Canada [17]
Flag of Germany.svg Deutsche Bahn Lufthansa [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Codeshare agreement</span> Partnership in aviation

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Munich Airport</span> Airport serving Munich, Bavaria, Germany

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Railteam</span>

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References

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