Air Canada Expands Plane to Train Options in Europe

Dark/Light Mode (06/12/23)  Air Canada customers flying to Austria, France, Germany and Switzerland can now also book onward rail trips to a multitude of destinations when purchasing their flights.

Thanks to the airline's partnership with Lufthansa Express Rail Product and new collaborations with AccesRail & WorldTicket, customers can use a streamlined booking process to create a seamless travel itinerary that connects their flight with trips on trains operated by BB - the national railway of Austria, France's TGV-SNCF Voyageurs, Germany's Deutsche Bahn and Swiss Federal Railways.

Customers can check-in for all segments of their trip prior to departure, avoiding the need to obtain a train ticket at the station, and those experiencing any flight disruption will have both their air and rail segments rebooked to provide peace of mind.

Air Canada has expanded its plane to train options in Europe

- France: Sold under codeshare on SNCF Voyageurs, customers can purchase a single ticket that connects them at France's Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris to up to 22 SNCF Voyageurs high-speed rail destinations across France.

- Germany: Customers can reach more than 5,600 railway stations across the country using Deutsche Bahn's Rail and Fly products from Frankfurt and Munich airports. In August 2022, Deutsche Bahn became an intermodal partner of Star Alliance and Air Canada plans to launch codeshare tickets in 2024 via the Lufthansa express rail product.

- Switzerland: Customers flying to Zurich or Geneva on Air Canada can now connect at the airport to Swiss Federal Railways trains and reach up to 11 stations throughout Switzerland, including such popular destinations as Basel and Lucerne.

- Austria: BB services are now also available from Vienna airport to up to nine railway stations across Austria, including Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck.

"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," said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue and Network Planning, at Air Canada. "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 Canada's partnership portfolio has doubled over the past decade with three joint business agreements, 39 codeshare, 120 interline and four intermodal rail options across the transport ecosystem to over 1,200 destinations.

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