From Mannheim to Melbourne or from Freiburg to Singapore with just one ticket? This is possible in the future, because Deutsche Bahn will be part of an international airline alliance.
Deutsche Bahn is the first non-aviation company to become a partner in an international airline alliance.
The cooperation with Deutsche Lufthansa, which was recently expanded, is now being extended to all 26 partners of the Star Alliance, said Deutsche Bahn Board Member Michael Peterson in Frankfurt. This means that only one ticket is required for routes such as Mannheim-Melbourne or Freiburg-Singapore and back.
Founded 25 years ago under the leadership of Lufthansa, the Star Alliance currently has 26 member airlines working together at more than 50 international hubs. In addition, there are so-called connection partners, to which Deutsche Bahn will now join on August 1 as the first non-airline.
This allows customers of Star Alliance members such as Thai or United to seamlessly use DB trains with their tickets after landing in Germany. Partnerships with other modes of transport are also possible in other countries, said Alliance boss Jeffrey Goh. He cited trains in Japan or ferries in Hong Kong as examples.
Lufthansa and DB have been working closely together on the German transport market for a long time and offer joint tickets which, according to Peterson, are used by around 500,000 customers each year. Their number is expected to increase to 5 million by 2030. This service is now being extended to Alliance member customers.
Lufthansa board member Harry Hohmeister said that domestic flights are currently being canceled particularly often due to system overload, because travelers on these routes can be offered very good alternatives by train. Lufthansa now offers every domestic flight connection by train on an equal footing via its systems. However, Hohmeister did not advocate a permanent waiver of domestic flights. The current air traffic crisis in Europe must be resolved in many areas.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
