Summary
- Air France and KLM again offer a check-in terminal at Brussels train station to spice up convenience and reduce emissions for European travelers.
- The Air&Rail program ensures smooth travel with free rebooking if flights or trains are delayed, with added perks for loyalty program members.
- Other airline groups are also collaborating with train operators to create sustainable air-rail partnerships and reduce carbon emissions.
Passengers departing from Belgium for Air France and KLM flights can once more check in directly on the Air&Rail Terminal in Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station. The 2 SkyTeam Alliance carriers unveiled the refurbished space this week, allowing passengers to ascertain in for flights and make ticket changes before reaching the airport.
Why a Brussels train station?
Air France and KLM have long encouraged European travelers to attach by rail to their respective hubs at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). Rail connections between the cities produce significantly fewer carbon emissions, and the integrated Air&Rail service has offered over 4,500,000 seats on 93,000 high-speed trains since its introduction in March 2001.
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The train station is the oldest within the Netherlands.
For convenience, the brand new check-in terminal is situated on the train station and is open every day from 05:30 – 18:30. The opening precedes the arrival of the seventh every day high-speed connection between Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station and CDG, which can run from June fifteenth to August twenty second. Air France customers connecting in Paris-Charles de Gaulle can check their baggage from the Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station to the ultimate destination of their journey. Marjan Rintel, CEO of KLM, highlighted the carrier’s continuing dedication to intermodal transport:
“We’re proud to proceed investing within the Air&Rail product. We remain fully committed to making sure a smooth customer journey, making the train an ever-better alternative to air on short-haul routes in Europe. We’re working closely with our partners to optimize the Air&Rail offer for our customers, who can hook up with over 300 destinations worldwide via Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.”
Along with a check-in area, the Air&Rail Terminal also offers seating areas for waiting passengers, WiFi, and magazines.
Traveling in style
The train connections are each given a flight number, allowing members of Air France and KLM’s loyalty program, Flying Blue, to gather points on the train journeys. Members with frequent flyer status are afforded additional perks, including access to the SkyPriority check-in counters, an extra baggage allowance, free seat selection, and access to the Eurostar Lounge at Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station.
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The paid promotion allows members from 13 airline programs to match their status to an equivalent level within the Flying Blue program.
The last call for check-in on the lounge is half-hour before departure for those with checked baggage and quarter-hour for those traveling with just hand luggage. Passengers transiting through Amsterdam with KLM can check in online as much as 30 hours before departure for your complete journey, including the train travel on Eurostar. If flying in first buisness class, KLM customers also travel in Premium on Eurostar trains. Air France customers, meanwhile, travel in 1st class on the high-speed TGV INOUI train service.
Photo: Eurostar
The space in Brussels features dedicated customer support teams to help within the event of an itinerary change without the effort of waiting to talk to an agent on the phone or upon arrival. The Air&Rail program allows passengers to travel on a single booking for his or her entire journey and guarantees each traveler a seat on the following available flight or train, freed from charge, should one in every of the included flights or trains be delayed.
Air France-KLM is way from the one airline group working in tandem with train operators to scale back emissions. In Germany, the Star Alliance inducted rail operator Deutsche Bahn as a partner. Individual carriers are also increasing intermodal partnerships. Air Canada announced air-rail transfers across 4 European countries at the top of last yr, expanding even further on the present Star Alliance relationship.
What are a few of the most effective air-rail partnerships worldwide? Tell us within the comments below…