Last updated: 1:30 PM ET, Mon November 18, 2024
WHY IT RATES: Air Canada has expanded its intermodal strategy to Italy, Spain, Britain and South Korea, allowing customers to book seamless rail and bus connections as part of their flight itineraries. —Janeen Christoff, TravelPulse Managing Editor
Air Canada announced it is extending its intermodal strategy across Europe to include Italy, Spain, Britain as well as to Asia, with its first operator in South Korea. Customers purchasing flights can now easily book onward land connections to destinations across these countries to create a seamless travel itinerary. The new rail and bus options expand the Air Canada Intermodal offering previously launched in December 2023 in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria.
“Following a successful launch in Europe last year, Air Canada is further growing its intermodal strategy to more European gateways and to Asia making it possible for our customers to connect on Trenitalia, Renfe , 5 operators in the UK including National Express, and KORAIL in South Korea. The expanded offer will make it easy for our customers flying to and from our international hubs to add convenient rail or bus connections on a single itinerary. Our intermodal connections not only provide more choice, but also make available sustainable options for short-haul segments of their journey,” said Mark Galardo, Executive Vice President of Revenue and Network Planning and President, Cargo at Air Canada.
Enabled through Air Canada’s partnership with AccesRail, customers can book efficient connecting rail or bus segments in more countries on www.aircanada.com as part of their itinerary. Customers can check in for the train or bus portion of their trip with AccesRail prior to departure, avoiding the need to obtain a separate train or bus ticket. As well, customers experiencing any flight disruption will have both their air and land segments rebooked to provide peace of mind.
Air Canada is flying to two airports in Italy this winter – Rome and Milan –where customers will be able to connect conveniently to Trenitalia, the largest train operator in Italy offering high-speed, regional, overnight and international train routes. Through these connections, customers will be able to travel to up to 30 onward destinations, including Florence, Naples and Reggio di Calabria.
In Spain, where Air Canada will operate to Barcelona and Madrid this winter, customers will be able to connect at airports with Renfe, serving over 18,711 km of line in Spain. Using RENFE’s high-speed train network, you can quickly and comfortably reach Spain’s largest cities and connect to smaller locations using regional trains. When travelling by train in Spain, you have a choice of high-speed AVE trains, classic traditional trains (including night trains) and regional trains. Our partnership will offer customers connections to up to 24 onward destinations throughout Spain, including popular tourist cities such as Cadiz, Granada, Pamplona, and Zaragoza.
National Rail’s passenger network of Great Britain is one of the densest and most used railway networks in the world, with frequent daily passenger services comprehensively serving all major towns and many hundreds of villages.
Air Canada operates 49 frequencies per week this winter into London Heathrow and we are pleased that our customers will have the option to connect onward by land. Rail services to 32 destinations will be available on four rail companies, LNER, Avanti West Coast, Great Western Rail, and the TransPennine Express. In addition, the UK’s leading scheduled coach operator, National Express, offers convenient connections at London-Heathrow to 28 points such as Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff and Southampton.
Air Canada flies direct nonstop between Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal (summer only) and Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, where customers will now be able to connect conveniently to KORAIL’s KTX high-speed Trains via the AREX Express and Seoul Station. The high-speed rail has reduced the travel time to under 3 hours to anywhere in South Korea. Through these connections, customers will be able to travel to up to eight onward destinations which include Busan, Dongdaegu, Gwangju, Jinju, Mokpo, Pohang, Ulsan and Yeosu.
Air Canada launched in December 2023 new air-to-rail booking options for customers to connect at airports in France, Germany, Switzerland and Austria with four major passenger rail systems. Through the airline’s partnership with Lufthansa Express Rail Product and new collaborations with AccesRail & WorldTicket, customers can use a streamlined booking process on www.aircanada.ca 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.
Customers can book and purchase air and rail travel combined with the best fares available, all on the same itinerary and ticket, through aircanada.com or their travel agent.
Air Canada’s partnership portfolio has doubled over the past decade with three joint business agreements, 40 codeshare, 120 interline and 13 intermodal rail options and one bus option across the transport ecosystem to over 1200 destinations, delivering a world-spanning array of travel choices for customers.
SOURCE: Air Canada press release.
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