Delta Air Lines is significantly expanding its service, allowing passengers to fly to Europe and then connect to a train while traveling on the same ticket.
The Atlanta-based carrier announced the expansion of its Air + Rail service last week, just over a year after launching the option to travel between Amsterdam and two rail destinations in Belgium. Currently, Delta is adding 20 more destinations to its air/railway program. It comes when there are many airlines more rail partners for European travel.
Related: Deutsche Bahn joins Star Alliance to become first non-aviation member
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If you’re traveling to Europe in the future, linking your airline and rail tickets might be something to consider for the sake of simplicity, though be sure to check and make sure you’re getting the deal. best for both the air and train parts of your trip.
We note that sometimes packages cost more than the separate transportation factors combined, while other times the combined air/railway is less than what you pay for a one-way flight. me.
Delta Air + Rail
Delta first launched its Air + Rail option in August 2021. Since then, travelers have been able to book flights to Amsterdam, with rail connections to the Belgian cities of Brussels or Antwerp.
Now, the airline is preparing to significantly expand its list of destinations in a series of similar partnerships.
Additional air and rail options are:
- Fly to Brussels, connect on a train to Breda or Rotterdam in the Netherlands through the rail operator SNBC
- Fly to Manchester, UK and connect by train to one of seven UK destinations via the TransPennine Express
- Fly to Rome, connect on a train to one of four Italian destinations including Bologna or Florence with Trenitalia
- Fly to Zurich or Geneva, and connect to one of seven Swiss destinations with SBB
How it works
The reason it can be helpful to book your air and rail tickets with an airline is that first of all, it simplifies things. You will be traveling under one booking and have a unique confirmation number for your airline and train tickets.
As part of Delta’s partnership, if you experience some kind of delay on your trip – be it at the airport or train station – you will automatically be rebooked on a late train or plane than. This is certainly easier than the rebooking effort you will face when traveling on separate itineraries for the rail and air sections of your trip.
When you arrive in Europe, you’ll clear customs, collect your luggage (no, it won’t be automatically loaded onto the train) and head to the station. There, you board the train you booked in advance to continue to your final destination.
While Delta will sell you train tickets, you will manage the train-specific sections of your booking through the third-party online platform AccesRail. There, you’ll be able to check-in your train 72 hours before departure using your Delta confirmation number.
Most Delta passengers will travel by bus, but Delta One customers will ride “premium”.
Book your trip
When you book your ride, you can actually plug in a train station in one of the qualifying cities as your final destination.
For example, I tried this using one of the cities already served by Delta’s Air + Rail partners: Antwerp, Belgium. You’ll want to look for the “train included” sign when booking.
Considering April dates, a round trip from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Antwerp costs $1,243 on Delta. It says that there is a stop at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS), like it happens when you quit your job, but in this case you won’t get on another plane.
After arriving in Schiphol at 5:55am, you’ll have plenty of time to clear customs before the train arrives in Antwerp at 7:34am.
Curious by how much adding a train to my plane ticket would add to my total price, I tested it with a simple round-trip between New York and Amsterdam – no train connections. The price really went up train ride not included – up to $1,324.
Let’s take a look at one of the new routes: Bologna, Italyyou can arrive by train after flying to Rome.
A round trip in March, with rail, costs $1,071; you will have to change trains several times between Rome Fiumicino Leonardo da Vinci Airport (FCO) and the train station in Bologna.
Round-trip flights to Rome alone will be a little less than $100, at $955.
However, check rail prices on Delta’s partner carrier in Italy, Trenitalia, train trips can often cost between $40 and $70 each way, so prices are relative to bookings. separate tickets, although in this case you may be able to find a more direct one than the train line if you book the rail section separately.
Earn SkyMiles
One of the big questions is bound to come up here: Can you make more money Delta SkyMiles by booking your plane and rail tickets together? Delta said. For now, you’ll only earn miles for your airline portion.
However, since the train segment is included in the total price you pay for the fare to Delta, the train segment will appear on your credit card statement as an airline purchase. For that reason, if you have a credit card that earns you points or miles Buy from the airline or buy Deltayou can earn more by buying train tickets through Delta instead of paying third party rail operator.
Key point
With 20 new destinations, Delta’s Air + Rail service could be something to consider if you’re preparing to book a train ticket at the time of booking. You won’t earn SkyMiles directly from taking the train, but it can make your travel journey simpler on your next trip abroad.
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