‘Train + Air’ and ‘Air&Rail’ are Air France’s two intermodal options that combine a flight ticket with a train ticket in a single reservation. In essence, the offer allows passengers to include train journeys in a single booking, virtually as if it were a connecting flight. It is meant to provide simpler overall travel while providing additional options on the carrier’s network by using the train companies’ routes.
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Equally, the reduced environmental impact of avoiding the plane is also a big plus. As the train connections included in the offer continue to expand, we examine exactly how it works and, crucially, whether it is worth it.
A popular project
First launched in 1995, the Train + Air service allows passengers on 12 airlines to connect onto trains to 22 cities of which one is Brussels (Belgium) and the remainder are in France. The intermodal connection to the Belgian capital is labeled as Air&Rail. The trains are operated by the French state-owned railway company, SNCF. The 12 airlines that offer this option on their booking platforms are listed below.
Air France
Air Austral
Air Caraïbes
French Bee
Corsair
Air Tahiti Nui
Air Transat
Royal Jordanian
Vietnam Airlines
Emirates
Etihad
Qatar Airways
According to Le Figaro, the scheme is used by more than 160,000 passengers per year. It is offered only from two French airports, which are inevitably the busiest in the country: Paris Charles De Gaulle Airport(CDG) and Paris Orly Airport (ORY). Air France’s system allows passengers to book flights to or from destinations in France served by SNCF trains that depart from these two airports.
‘Train + Air’: Domestic destinations
Key things to keep in mind:
Connections through Paris-Orly require a 35-minute taxi drive in between. This service is offered free-of-charge by Air France.
Bag transfers are not automatic. Passengers have to collect their luggage and manually transport it from the plane to the train and vice versa.
Photo: Air France
The network within France is expansive. Thanks to the extensive train offering from Paris, passengers can choose to book a ticket from Vancouver to Nîmes or New York to Lille, for instance.
Domestic destinations (by train) Paris Charles de Gaulle Lille Flandres, Lille Europe, Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Lorraine TGV, Strasbourg, Le Mans, St-Pierre-des-Corps, Angers St-Laud, Nantes, Laval, Rennes, Poitiers, Bordeaux Saint-Jean, Perpignan, Montpellier Saint Roch, Nîmes Centre, Marseille Saint-Charles, Avignon TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV, Valence TGV, Lyon Part-Dieu Paris Orly Lille Flandres, Lille Europe, Champagne-Ardenne TGV, Lorraine TGV, Strasbourg, Le Mans, St-Pierre-des-Corps, Angers St-Laud, Nantes, Laval, Rennes, Poitiers, Bordeaux Saint-Jean, Marseille Saint-Charles, Avignon TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV, Valence TGV, Lyon Part-Dieu
To book a ticket, Air France says that you need to
Trains & Planes In A Single Ticket: How Air France’s ‘Train + Air’ Scheme Works
