Air - Rail Alliances, The What, How and Why
Hello there!!
In our maiden post we promised to bring you news about not just air travel, but also about other forms of travel as well as other aspects of the Travel & Tourism Industry. Well, we have every intention of keeping that promise, so today we'll be looking at Air - Rail alliances, how they operate, various examples of these alliances and how they contribute to the enhancement of passengers' experience.
A while ago we published a post about Airline Alliances and their workings. Well, we bet you didn't know that airlines also form alliances with Train companies. This is all in a bid to enhance the spread and reach of the Airlines, promote their brands and enhance the passenger experience.
Some Air - Rail alliances provide baggage check-in services at the Train station. In such instances, passengers check their bags in at the train station and board the trains with their luggage checked through to their final destinations just as it would be if they checked in at the airport. Also, dedicated Airport service trains aim to replicate the same levels and quality of service as are experienced on board the aircraft including meals, refreshments and amenities. Examples of this service are:
Some Air - Rail alliances provide access to an entire railway network of a country without the passenger having to purchase a separate train ticket. The cost of the train ticket is built into the total cost of the flight ticket or in certain cases is offered free of charge to attract patronage to the airline. A feature of this service is that it allows airline passengers access to the rail operator's entire network and not just to certain designated cities. This form of Air - Rail alliance is increasingly common. Examples include
Have you ever used any of these wonderful services? If you have please do tell us in the comments section, and if you wish to experience these services, please do get in touch with us!! and Be social!! share our posts freely across your social network!!
+234 80 5617 6729, quebixtravels@gmail.com
Facebook & Twitter: @quebixtravels
In our maiden post we promised to bring you news about not just air travel, but also about other forms of travel as well as other aspects of the Travel & Tourism Industry. Well, we have every intention of keeping that promise, so today we'll be looking at Air - Rail alliances, how they operate, various examples of these alliances and how they contribute to the enhancement of passengers' experience.
A while ago we published a post about Airline Alliances and their workings. Well, we bet you didn't know that airlines also form alliances with Train companies. This is all in a bid to enhance the spread and reach of the Airlines, promote their brands and enhance the passenger experience.
Some Air - Rail alliances provide baggage check-in services at the Train station. In such instances, passengers check their bags in at the train station and board the trains with their luggage checked through to their final destinations just as it would be if they checked in at the airport. Also, dedicated Airport service trains aim to replicate the same levels and quality of service as are experienced on board the aircraft including meals, refreshments and amenities. Examples of this service are:
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| AIRail check in facility @ Frankfurt Airport |
- The AiRail service operated by Deutsche Bahn (German Railways) and Lufthansa, American Airlines and Emirates Airlines which operates passenger trains from Lufthansa's Frankfurt hub to various German cities including Stuttgart, Cologne, Karlsruhe and Siegburg
- Dutch Airline KLM also operates an alliance with high - speed rail operator Thalys which sees the running of trains between its hub at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport and the Belgian cities of Antwerp and Brussels.
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| Thalys High - speed trainset @ Amsterdam Schiphol Airport |
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| Nederlandse Spoorwegen (Dutch Railways) trainset @ Amsterdam Schiphol Airport |
- In the Chinese city of Shanghai, China Eastern Airlines in alliance with Chinese national rail operator CRH, operates passenger trains from Shanghai's Hongquiao International Airport to the cities of Hangzhou and Wuxi.
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| Shanghai Hongquiao Airport Railway Station |
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| High speed trainsets @ Shanghai Hongquiao Airport Railway Station |
Some Air - Rail alliances provide access to an entire railway network of a country without the passenger having to purchase a separate train ticket. The cost of the train ticket is built into the total cost of the flight ticket or in certain cases is offered free of charge to attract patronage to the airline. A feature of this service is that it allows airline passengers access to the rail operator's entire network and not just to certain designated cities. This form of Air - Rail alliance is increasingly common. Examples include
- in France, National Rail operator SNCF provides access to its entire National High Speed rail network (TGV) to passengers of several airlines - Air France, Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific etc under its TGVAir service.
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| SNCF TGV High Speed Trainset @ Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport |
- Taiwan's high speed rail company provides Eva Air, China Eastern airlines and China Airlines access to all of Taiwan on its high speed rail network from several airports in Taiwan including Taipei and Kaohsiung Airports.
- German Rail operator also offers passengers of several airlines (Lufthansa, Ethiopian Airlines, Air Mauritius, Egyptair, Royal Air Maroc etc) access to its High speed rail network across Germany from several airports including Frankfurt Airport, Berlin - Tegel Airport, Berlin - Schonefeld Airport, Dusseldorf, Bremen, Hamburg, Hanover among others.
Have you ever used any of these wonderful services? If you have please do tell us in the comments section, and if you wish to experience these services, please do get in touch with us!! and Be social!! share our posts freely across your social network!!
+234 80 5617 6729, quebixtravels@gmail.com
Facebook & Twitter: @quebixtravels
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