Air Canada is expanding its Air+Rail operation with an extension of its codeshare agreement with Lufthansa to include Lufthansa Express Rail services at Frankfurt Airport, operated by Deutsche Bahn.
This agreement will allow for intermodal itineraries to be booked in one reservation, offering greater flexibility, more choice, and added convenience to connect with Air Canada’s up to five-times daily flights to Frankfurt Airport. The codeshare expansion enhances Air Canada’s international rail and bus intermodal network, which includes intermodal interlining partnerships in seven European countries and South Korea.
Passengers can book their combined air and rail journey in Germany directly through the Air Canada website or via their travel agent. Customers arriving at or departing from Frankfurt airport will be able to connect onto Lufthansa Express Rail services to up to 24 stations as part of their flight itinerary. The agreement complements Air Canada’s existing intermodal interlining partnership with Lufthansa Express Rail, as well as the Deutsche Bahn Rail&Fly product.
Beyond the aircraft
In 2023, Air Canada launched air-to-rail booking options for customers to make intermodal connections at airports in eight countries. These include France’s TGV-SNCF Voyageurs; Germany’s Deutsche Bahn; Swiss Federal Railways; ÖBB, the national railway of Austria; Italy’s Trenitalia; Spain’s Renfe; and South Korea’s KORAIL’s KTX. In Britain, customers have access to LNER, Avanti West Coast, Great Western Rail, and the TransPennine Express, as well as coach operator National Express.
Through the airline’s partnership with Lufthansa Express Rail Product and new collaborations with AccesRail & WorldTicket, passengers can book intermodal offerings on one ticket, thus expanding travel options
In Quotes
Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer and President, Cargo, said:
“Air Canada is very pleased to expand its rail offer in Germany with codeshare on Lufthansa Express Rail, operated by Deutsche Bahn, the Star Alliance’s first intermodal partner. Our intermodal connections provide customers with more travel options and make it easier for them to reach their final destinations. By elevating our partnership to a codeshare, we enhance the travel experience for our customers, enabling them to book through Air Canada for both air and rail travel. Among its many benefits, this makes check-in and connecting seamless, and includes a transfer guarantee, ensuring customer support and rebooking assistance in the event of travel disruptions,”
Making the multi-modal connections work
Rarely does travel just begin and end at an airport – normally, travellers are proceeding to and from other locations first.
By adding in things such as a transfer guarantee, ease of booking and making the process, its removing the friction of travel and helping people switch from cars into more sustainable travel options, along with integrated timetabling.
And the easier it is for the passenger to choose the multi-modal option, the greater the opportunities for partnerships to spring up further.
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