Global provider of passenger service systems and distribution technology to airlines, WorldTicket (W2), has partnered with Deutsche Bahn, Europe’s largest railway operator, to make it easier for travellers to seamlessly book rail and air travel on the same itinerary.
As a result of the partnership, travellers can now add Deutsche Bahn rail tickets to their air itineraries with more than 50 global full-service carriers, including Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Lufthansa, LATAM, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Thai Airways, Vietnam Airlines and many others.
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Powered by the company’s W2 GDS Aggregation product, passengers booking on Deutsche Bahn’s Rail&Fly (a fully flexible train ticket for travelling to and from the airport), and the rail operator’s Intermodal Interline and Codeshare product, can combine international flight tickets with a train ride to or from an airport by selecting multimodal itineraries directly with participating airlines, or through traditional and Online Travel Agencies such as Expedia, and travel aggregators such as Skyscanner.
Deutsche Bahn’s Rail&Fly product allows flexible travel from all German train stations to all major airports in Germany, and other European airports including Basel, Salzburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, and Zurich. Additionally, the Interline and Codeshare products with scheduled high-speed rail services create an eco-friendly alternative to domestic feeder flights on routes such as Stuttgart – Frankfurt Airport, Dusseldorf – Frankfurt Airport and more.
Travel advisors can also use all major global distribution systems such as Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport to offer multimodal itineraries exclusively marketed in the GDS under W2 Flight numbers operated by Deutsche Bahn AG.
The partnership opens Deutsche Bahn’s network to the more than 78.6 million travellers that take off and land at German airports every year, and the airlines and travel providers that serve them.
“We’re thrilled to expand our WorldTicket offering to airlines, travel agents and their passengers, to support multimodal travel options, including rail,” said Peer Winter, Vice President of Commercial Business Development at WorldTicket. “Through our partnership with Deutsche Bahn, we’re proud to be the key connector of their vast multimodal network of 5,600 rail stations across Germany, improving the quality of passenger travel and minimising disruption risk for airlines.”
WorldTicket’s airline and travel agent customers can integrate travel content available through its W2 solution into their systems, creating ancillary revenue opportunities and brand loyalty.
“Our partnership with WorldTicket offers our Airline partners and passengers unprecedented access to Europe’s largest economy, which serves as a global travel destination and a gateway to the world,” said Sebastian Rieckesmann, Head of Intermodal Cooperation at Deutsche Bahn. “With the combined solution, our passengers can efficiently reach any airport hub within Germany, thus making it easier to choose rail instead of domestic feeder flights and bypass road traffic in favor of a more environmentally friendly journey.”
Deutsche Bahn is the ideal partner for carriers wanting to serve the German and European markets, offering a reliable and comfortable way for their passengers to complete the first or final leg of their journey.