Air-rail alliance


There are four main types of airline-railway business alliance or codeshare agreements: dedicated services, entire network access, Night&Fly, and re-protection agreements. The currently active air-rail alliances are listed in the tables below.

History

On 1 August 2022, German railway company Deutsche Bahn became the first intermodal partner of the Star Alliance, as an extension of the Lufthansa Express Rail program that then existed for more than 20 years. All 26 member airlines of the Star Alliance can include DB ICE trains with flight numbers in their booking systems, to buy a combined ticket for the flight and the inner-German train in one booking step. This includes access to DB lounges, points or miles for the train journeys in the frequent-flyer programs and baggage handling in the AiRail check-in at Frankfurt Airport.
In September 2024, high-speed rail operator Eurostar signed a memorandum of understanding to join SkyTeam as its first non-airline partner. This cooperation will enable integrated intermodal transport in the UK, France and the Netherlands.

Dedicated services

Dedicated services are less common than Rail&Fly alliances, due to the level of service provided. Often checked through luggage is provided between the air and rail journeys, dedicated carriages or entire trains are provided to airline passengers, and service is to the same level expected on board an aircraft, including meals and refreshments.
Train Operating CompanyAirlineFrom AirportTo CityMarketed As
AmtrakUnited AirlinesNewark Liberty International AirportNew Haven, CT
Philadelphia, PA
Stamford, CT
Wilmington, DE
CRHChina Eastern AirlinesShanghai Hongqiao International AirportShanghai-Hangzhou
Shanghai-Wuxi
China Eastern Air-Rail Service
Deutsche BahnLufthansa
American Airlines
Emirates
Frankfurt AirportStuttgart
CologneSiegberg/Bonn / Kassel Wilhelmshöhe / Karlsruhe main station
AIRail
ÖBBAustrian AirlinesVienna International AirportLinz
Salzburg
AIRail
SBBSwiss International Air LinesZurich AirportBaselAirtrain
SNCFAir FranceParis-Charles de Gaulle AirportBrussels-Midi
Strasbourg
Air & Rail
ThalysKLMAmsterdam-Schiphol AirportAntwerp-Centraal
Brussels-Midi
ThalysAmerican AirlinesParis-Charles de Gaulle AirportBrussels-Midi

Entire network access

More commonly referred to as Rail & Fly due to the popularity of the Deutsche Bahn service, entire network access is the increasingly common form of air-rail alliance. This allows passengers to book a discounted train ticket in addition to their full-price air ticket. Checked through luggage and dedicated train compartments for airline passengers are not normally available, though sometimes first class train travel is provided. Travel is usually available to the entire rail network.
Train Operating CompanyAirlineFrom AirportToMarketed As
Comboios de PortugalTAP PortugalLisbon Airport, Porto Airport, Faro AirportAll of Portugal, long-distance trains onlyRail&Fly Portugal
Deutsche BahnLufthansa #
Aeroflot
Air Astana #
Air China
Air India
Air Malta
Air Mauritius
Air Moldova
Air Transat
Alitalia
American Airlines #
All Nippon Airways
Asiana Airlines
Belavia
Bulgaria Air
Cathay Pacific Airways
China Airlines
China Eastern Airlines
Condor #
Croatia Airlines
Cyprus Airways
Egyptair
El Al Israel Airlines
Emirates #
Ethiopian Airlines
Etihad Airways
Finnair #
Gulf Air
Hainan Airlines
Iberia
Icelandair
Iran Air
Japan Airlines
Korean Air
Kuwait Airways
LATAM
Mahan Air
Malaysia Airlines
MIAT Mongolian Airlines
Middle East Airlines
Oman Air
Pakistan International
Qantas #
Qatar Airways #
Rossiya Airlines
Royal Air Maroc
Royal Jordanian Airlines
S7 Airlines
Singapore Airlines
South African Airways #
SriLankan Airlines
Syrian Arab Airline
LATAM Brasil
TAP Portugal
TAROM
Thai Airways
TransAer
TUIfly.com #
Tunisair
Turkish Airlines
Ukraine International
Uzbekistan Airways
Vietnam Airlines
Yemenia
Frankfurt Airport
Basel Airport
Berlin Brandenburg Airport
Bremen Airport
Dortmund Airport
Dresden Airport
Düsseldorf Airport
Hamburg Airport
Hannover Airport
Leipzig/Halle Airport
Köln-Bonn Airport
München Airport
Münster-Osnabrück Airport
Nürnberg Airport
Stuttgart Airport
All Deutsche-Bahn-stations, and select private railway services in GermanyRail&Fly
ÖBBAir Moldova #Vienna International AirportLinz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bregenz, Graz, Klagenfurt and St. PöltenAir & Rail Austria
ÖBBEmirates #Vienna International AirportAll ÖBB-trains in Austria except EN Euro NightRail & Fly in Austria
Taiwan High Speed RailChina Airlines
EVA Air
China Eastern Airlines
Taoyuan International Airport
Taipei Songshan Airport
Kaohsiung International Airport
Taichung Airport
All of Taiwan - HSR only
SNCFAir France
Gulf Air
Air Austral
Air Tahiti Nui
American Airlines
Cathay Pacific
Middle East Airlines
Emirates
Etihad Airways
Qatar Airways
Paris-Charles de GaulleAll of France - HSR onlyTGVair

♯ Indicates airlines offer Rail&Fly ticketing on company website

Airline-Rail re-protection agreements

Also known as "Good for Trains", this is an emergency backup service for airline cancellations, providing train tickets in lieu of flights to get passengers to their destination. Such an example was during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, where extra trains were provided to support the airlines’ stranded passengers in Europe. These 'good for train' agreements are in place with the following airlines:
CountryTrain Operating CompanyAirline