Air Canada announced the introduction of new booking options with European train companies, enabling customers to seamlessly connect from airports to four railway systems. Air Canada customers can now, when purchasing flights, easily reserve train journeys to multiple destinations in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President of Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada, commented, «We understand that intermodal connections can enhance the travel experience. By providing seamless connections at airports to the national railway systems of France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, we are opening the door for customers to reach stations in major cities. Additionally, this adds sustainable travel options in Europe.»
With this European intermodal initiative, customers can now, when booking an Air Canada flight, simultaneously reserve train travel from European airports. Through the airline’s partnership with Lufthansa Express Rail and new collaborations with AccesRail and WorldTicket, customers can use a simplified booking process to create an itinerary on trains operated by TGV-SNCF Voyageurs in France, Deutsche Bahn in Germany, Swiss Federal Railways, or ÖBB, the national railway of Austria.
Also of interest: Air Canada expands its transatlantic network and launches new route between Montreal and Madrid
Check-in can be completed for all segments before the journey, eliminating the need to obtain a train ticket at the station. In the event of delays or cancellations at any point, the entire itinerary will be rescheduled.
In France, Air Canada will sell, under code-share, tickets on SNCF Voyageurs. This company connects Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport to 22 destinations throughout France, including Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille, and Strasbourg. In Germany, the airline will expand its connections with Lufthansa Express Rail, providing access to up to 24 stations in the Star Alliance intermodal network from Frankfurt Airport. Customers will now have the opportunity to access over 5,600 train stations nationwide from Frankfurt and Munich. Additionally, Air Canada plans to launch a code-share on the German railway next year.
As for Switzerland, customers flying to Zurich or Geneva on Air Canada can now connect at the airport to Swiss Federal Railways trains. From there, they can reach 11 stations throughout Switzerland, including destinations such as Basel and Lucerne. Finally, in Austria, they will have the services of ÖBB, available from Vienna Airport to nine stations, including Linz, Salzburg, and Innsbruck.
