Air Canada has today announced new railway and distribution partnerships with SNCF Voyageurs, Deutsche Bahn, Swiss Federal Railways and ÖBB, allowing customers to book seamless air-to-rail connections in Europe.
On Tuesday (December 5, 2023), Air Canada announced the launch of new railway and distribution partnerships allowing customers to seamlessly book intermodal air-to-rail connections in Europe. The partnership includes SNCF Voyageurs (France), Deutsche Bahn (Germany), Swiss Federal Railways (Switzerland), and ÖBB (Austria). With the launch of Air Canada’s European intermodal initiative, customers booking an Air Canada flight can now also book rail travel from European airports through a partnership with the Lufthansa Express Rail Product and new collaborations with AccessRail & WorldTicket. For added convenience, travelers can check-in for all segments of their trip prior to departure, avoiding the need to obtain a train ticket at the station. Additionally, customers experiencing any flight disruption will have both air and rail segments rebooked.
In Tuesday’s announcement, Air Canada’s EVP – Revenue and Network Planning – Mark Gallardo, said,
“As a leading global airline, Air Canada excels at flying, but we also know intermodal connections can enrich the travel experience through added convenience and by promoting sustainability. In offering easy onward airport connections with the national rail systems in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria, we are creating intermodal hubs and opening the door for customers to reach stations at major cities and popular destinations throughout these countries. Moreover, by facilitating the use of rail for the short-haul segments of our customers' journeys, we can provide sustainable travel options when touring Europe.”
Air-to-rail connections in France are sold under codeshare with SNCF Voyageurs, allowing customers to connect at Paris-Charles de Gaulle to up to 22 SNCF Voyageurs high-speed rail connections across France, including Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille and Strasbourg.
Air Canada is also building on their existing intermodal rail connections with Lufthansa Express Rail, which provides 24 stations on Star Alliance intermodal partner Deutsche Bahn from Frankfurt Airport. With today’s announcement, customers can now reach over 5,600 railway stations across Germany using Deutsche Bahn’s Rail and Fly products from both Frankfurt and Munich airports.
Customers flying with Air Canada to Zurich and Geneva can now connect at the airport to Swiss Federal Railways trains to up to 11 stations throughout Switzerland, including popular destinations such as Basel and Lucerne.
Finally, customers traveling to Vienna can now connect from the airport to up to nine rail stations across Austria with ÖBB, including Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck.
Air Canada is Canada’s largest domestic and international airline. The Canadian flag carrier is a founding member of the Star Alliance and holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air Canada provides scheduled passenger service to 180 airports in Canada, the United States, and internationally on six continents. Through the carrier’s Aeroplan loyalty program, customers can earn and redeem points on the world’s largest airline partner network of 45 airlines. Air Canada Cargo offers air freight lift and connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents with a dedicated fleet of 767-300 Freighters and passenger aircraft belly hold capacity. Additionally, the airline has committed to a net zero emissions goal from all global operations by 2050.
Source: Air Canada/CNW
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