- Providing convenient intermodal airport connections to
France's SNCF Voyageurs,
Germany's Deutsche Bahn, Swiss
Federal Railways in Switzerland,
or ÖBB in Austria when booking
flights
- The launch of the new intermodal offering puts thousands of
exciting destinations within easy reach
- Rail travel offers sustainable options to major European
destinations
MONTREAL, Dec. 5, 2023
/CNW/ - Air Canada today announced new air-to-rail booking options
for customers to connect at European airports with four major
passenger rail systems, making it convenient to explore the
continent. Through new railway and distribution partnerships, Air
Canada customers, when purchasing flights, can now also easily book
onward rail trips to a multitude of destinations throughout
France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria to create a seamless travel
itinerary.
"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," said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President, Revenue
and Network Planning, at Air Canada.
With the launch of Air Canada's European intermodal initiative,
customers can now, while purchasing an Air Canada flight, at the
same time book rail travel from European airports. Through 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
France's TGV-SNCF Voyageurs,
Germany's Deutsche Bahn, Swiss
Federal Railways or ÖBB, the national railway of Austria.
For added convenience, customers can check in for all segments
of their trip prior to departure, avoiding the need to obtain a
train ticket at the station. As well, customers experiencing any
flight disruption will have both their air and rail segments
rebooked to provide peace of mind.
Wing-to-Rail Connections
- 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, including Nantes, Bordeaux, Marseille and Strasbourg.
- Germany: Air Canada is
building on its existing intermodal rail connections with Lufthansa
Express Rail which provides access to up to 24 stations on
Star Alliance intermodal partner
Deutsche Bahn within Germany from
Frankfurt airport. With today's
announcement, customers now have expanded options to reach more
than 5,600 railway stations across the country using Deutsche
Bahn's Rail and Fly products from Frankfurt and Munich. As of August
2022, Deutsche Bahn became an Intermodal Partner of Star Alliance, the first non-airline partner of
any of the major alliances., and Air Canada plans to launch
codeshare on the German rail in 2024 via the Lufthansa express rail
product, offering customers added benefits.
- 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: ÖBB services
are now also available from Vienna
airport to up to nine railway stations across Austria, including Linz, Salzburg and Innsbruck.
Additional details, including about the simple booking process,
available routings and destinations, and other important
information are available at www.aircanada.com.
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 1200
destinations delivering an array of travel choices for
customers.
Air Canada in Europe in Summer 2024
Air Canada has unveiled its
expanded international summer 2024 flying schedule. The airline
plans to operate 100 per cent of its peak summer 2019
trans-Atlantic capacity next year, taking full advantage of the
robust recovery in its largest international market.
With 53 routes to 31 cities
in Europe, Africa, the Middle
East and India, Air Canada will be the leading Canadian
carrier across the Atlantic in summer 2024.
Air Canada's Toronto and Montreal hubs will
respectively rank third and fifth largest in North America, in
terms of average daily trans-Atlantic seats; the airline is
committed to further developing both hubs' trans-Atlantic footprint
in the coming years.
About Air Canada
Air Canada is Canada's largest airline, the country's flag
carrier and a founding member of Star
Alliance, the world's most comprehensive air transportation
network. Air Canada provides
scheduled service directly to more than 180 airports in
Canada, the United States and Internationally on six
continents. It holds a Four-Star ranking from Skytrax. Air
Canada's Aeroplan program is
Canada's premier travel loyalty
program, where members can earn or redeem points on the world's
largest airline partner network of 45 airlines, plus through an
extensive range of merchandise, hotel and car rental rewards. Its
freight division, Air Canada Cargo, provides air freight lift and
connectivity to hundreds of destinations across six continents
using Air Canada's passenger and freighter aircraft. Air
Canada aims to achieve an ambitious net zero emissions goal from
all global operations by 2050. Air Canada shares are publicly
traded on the TSX in Canada and
the OCTQX in the US.
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