Re:France to ban some domestic flights where train available...
by sneeze-slayer on Monday April 12, 2021 @09:27AM
(#26779143)
Lufthansa at least has Rail & Fly where for €60 return you can add a DB train ticket to the flight. The ticket gets you from anywhere to the airport and back. Since the train and flight are booked on the same ticket, if there is a train delay (or flight delay returning) you will get rebooked on the next flight as if you had taken a flight. It's pretty great, I would recommend it.
Re:France to ban some domestic flights where train available...
by patates on Monday April 12, 2021 @08:06AM
(#26778433)
Lufthansa also sells tickets to connecting train rides to flights and as far as I know, they take the responsibility for delays (which is common occurrence with Deutsche Bahn unfortunately). I'm not 100% sure though.
Still, as you've said, it makes more sense to book a connecting flight than a train ride, because of the ease of checking in.
Re:France to ban some domestic flights where train available...
by camillomiller on Monday April 12, 2021 @08:19AM
(#26778546)
Not just Lufthansa. I’ve done it with Emirates’ rail and fly option too from Berlin to Frankfurt.
Re:France to ban some domestic flights where train available...
by germanier on Monday April 12, 2021 @02:03PM
(#26782807)
As far as I understand, this (as offered by many airline) is "just" a discounted rail ticket and the airline will not assume any responsibility on delays. The Lufthansa offer goes beyond that: the trains have an LH flight number, and you get a single ticket. They rebook you in case of delays and there is a dedicated luggage droppoff/collection point right at Frankfurt airport train station.
Most air passsengers were transit passengers. If you wanted to go from Nuremberg to Madrid, say, then flying via the hub in Munich made sense, and the train wasn't much of a competitor for that case. The train is good if you want to go to the city of Munich, not so good if you want to go to the airport and check in for a long-distance flight. By air you check in in Nuremberg, hand over your luggage, take a half-hour flight, arrive not very long before your flight to Madrid, go to gate, and fly on. If there's a problem before Munich it's the airline's problem. By train (or car) you leave longer in advance, and even longer because you leave a buffer against delays on the way to Munich airport.