Air Travel

Question:

I can see the point of Air France joining the revolution as it won’t be long before TGV trains will be severely denting their pockets on the busiest French domestic route. SNCF have been straightening all the bends on the line from Paris to Marseille and from the summer the TGV will be covering the 500+ mile journey in just over 3 hours. City centre to city centre, an impossible time to beat by air. Iain – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >Thought some of you may enjoy this story that appeared in today’s >edition of the Wall Street Journal. >January 7, 2000 >Business Fare >In Europe, Airlines Put Connecting Fliers >On Railroads as Jet-Travel Hassles Grow >By DANIEL MICHAELS and PAULO PRADA >Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL >PARIS — On United Airlines’ service from Chicago to Le Mans, France, >passengers make a connection in Paris. Not to an Air France flight to Le >Mans — to a high-speed train that covers the 179 miles in 93 minutes. >It has come to this: Air travel in Europe is so crowded and difficult >that airlines are starting to book connecting passengers onto trains. >Europe’s quickest trains, zooming 185 miles an hour or more, are often >simply faster and more economical than planes. >"There is certainly an irony in this," says Andrew Sharp, director >general of the London-based International Air Rail Organization, an >independent group working to join trains with planes. "But you take >whatever suits best the journey you have in mind." >Letting fliers take the plane to the train makes good business sense. >Short-hop flights are notoriously unprofitable around the world. >Short-hop flights that square off against ultrafast trains tend to land >in even more red ink. >At Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris, the terminal for the >superfast TGV train is now part of the airport complex, making it easy >to hop from plane to train. In recent months, Germany’s Lufthansa, UAL >Corp.’s United Airlines, AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and Air France >have all made connection deals with the TGV’s operator, the Societe >Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais. >Laurence Paget, who arrived at Charles de Gaulle after a 24-hour flight >from New Caledonia, completed the final leg of her Air France trip by >high-speed train. "It’s very convenient," she said as she headed to a >special counter for her train ticket to Lille in northern France. The >train portion of the trip even counted toward frequent-flier miles. >For Air France, the TGV offers a way to free up planes and reach smaller >French cities where the airline either doesn’t fly or can’t make money >flying. For foreign carriers, the TGV network is a way to provide >service beyond the big airports. Lufthansa and United cover most of the >world through their 13-airline Star Alliance group, but they lacked a >French partner, leaving a strategic vacuum in one of Europe’s biggest >domestic air-travel markets. >Back home in Germany, Lufthansa is linking up with Deutsche Bahn AG’s >ICE Inter-City Express. Only Frankfurt Airport has an ICE terminal now, >but more ICE stations are coming on line at airports in Berlin, Cologne, >Dusseldorf and Leipzig. Eventually, the airline hopes to replace most of >its domestic flights with high-speed rail connections. Air France says >that for rail trips of up to two hours, there’s not much time difference >between train and plane. The country’s high-tech trains are also roomier >than short-hop planes. And in contrast to plane travel, the TGV boasts a >95% on-time record. >"The TGV is nicer than a plane," says Mike Hickey, a retired businessman >from Florida honeymooning in France. "It’s a little slower but you get >to see the countryside and you can get up and walk around." He also says >the food is better when you can make your selection at a dining car. >Connecting between the plane and the train isn’t yet as seamless as >switching planes. Rail tickets, for example, list both seat and car >numbers, but airline booking systems still aren’t programmed to accept >car numbers. >Baggage-handling is a particular challenge. On planes, passengers check >in their bags, but on trains, every bag is a carry-on. >KLM Royal Dutch Airlines bumped into this problem back in 1997 when it >tried to join up with the sleek, fast Thalys train between Brussels and >Paris. "People don’t want to carry their own luggage," says KLM >spokesman Peter Wellhuner of the six-month experiment. "The reaction to >the test was it should be more interconnected." KLM and Thalys expect to >have the problem solved before Thalys initiates high-speed service on >the entire route between Paris and Amsterdam in 2005. >Swiss Federal Railways has been transferring baggage from 23 train >stations to airports in Geneva and Zurich since May. While the country >is too small to require a high-speed rail network, its punctual train >system comes closest to providing a seamless air connection. Passengers >must arrange for the service in advance, and it costs nearly $13 for >each bag to be transferred. Delegations from other European railroads >have flocked to Switzerland to study the set-up.

Response:

> In Europe, Airlines Put Connecting Fliers > On Railroads as Jet-Travel Hassles Grow

Hey–next time you fly to Rockford, Illinois, look at the fine print.  There is an airport in Rockford, but if you look carefully at your display and your ticket you might see that your ticket to RFD actually uses the BUS–it takes 90 minutes.  Bon Voyage!  DWH

Response:

>In Europe, Airlines Put Connecting Fliers >On Railroads as Jet-Travel Hassles Grow

I read about this in *Travel Weekly* a few weeks ago; they have through ticketing but not through baggage checking.  And with intermodalism being the main buzzword in transportation circles these days, this doesn’t come as a surprise. If you’re interested, there’s more information on intermodal transportation at …. http://www.du.edu/transportation

Response:

re: plane to train connections. To me, the critical test is whether a bicycle which is easily checked in a plane will be carried on the same train as I will be in. When I took the TGV in france (St-Raphael to Paris) back in ‘87, my bike arrived in Paris the next day, even though I was travelling first class on the TGV and that there was a baggage compartment behind the locomotive. The Gatwick express work very well with luggage and I was not only able to carry my bike, but was able to wheel the fully loaded bike with panniers etc into the baggage car myself and  strap it against a wall, and unload it myself.

Response:

Thought some of you may enjoy this story that appeared in today’s edition of the Wall Street Journal. January 7, 2000 Business Fare In Europe, Airlines Put Connecting Fliers On Railroads as Jet-Travel Hassles Grow By DANIEL MICHAELS and PAULO PRADA Staff Reporters of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL PARIS — On United Airlines’ service from Chicago to Le Mans, France, passengers make a connection in Paris. Not to an Air France flight to Le Mans — to a high-speed train that covers the 179 miles in 93 minutes. It has come to this: Air travel in Europe is so crowded and difficult that airlines are starting to book connecting passengers onto trains. Europe’s quickest trains, zooming 185 miles an hour or more, are often simply faster and more economical than planes. "There is certainly an irony in this," says Andrew Sharp, director general of the London-based International Air Rail Organization, an independent group working to join trains with planes. "But you take whatever suits best the journey you have in mind." Letting fliers take the plane to the train makes good business sense. Short-hop flights are notoriously unprofitable around the world. Short-hop flights that square off against ultrafast trains tend to land in even more red ink. At Charles de Gaulle Airport outside Paris, the terminal for the superfast TGV train is now part of the airport complex, making it easy to hop from plane to train. In recent months, Germany’s Lufthansa, UAL Corp.’s United Airlines, AMR Corp.’s American Airlines and Air France have all made connection deals with the TGV’s operator, the Societe Nationale des Chemins de Fer Francais. Laurence Paget, who arrived at Charles de Gaulle after a 24-hour flight from New Caledonia, completed the final leg of her Air France trip by high-speed train. "It’s very convenient," she said as she headed to a special counter for her train ticket to Lille in northern France. The train portion of the trip even counted toward frequent-flier miles. For Air France, the TGV offers a way to free up planes and reach smaller French cities where the airline either doesn’t fly or can’t make money flying. For foreign carriers, the TGV network is a way to provide service beyond the big airports. Lufthansa and United cover most of the world through their 13-airline Star Alliance group, but they lacked a French partner, leaving a strategic vacuum in one of Europe’s biggest domestic air-travel markets. Back home in Germany, Lufthansa is linking up with Deutsche Bahn AG’s ICE Inter-City Express. Only Frankfurt Airport has an ICE terminal now, but more ICE stations are coming on line at airports in Berlin, Cologne, Dusseldorf and Leipzig. Eventually, the airline hopes to replace most of its domestic flights with high-speed rail connections. Air France says that for rail trips of up to two hours, there’s not much time difference between train and plane. The country’s high-tech trains are also roomier than short-hop planes. And in contrast to plane travel, the TGV boasts a 95% on-time record. "The TGV is nicer than a plane," says Mike Hickey, a retired businessman from Florida honeymooning in France. "It’s a little slower but you get to see the countryside and you can get up and walk around." He also says the food is better when you can make your selection at a dining car. Connecting between the plane and the train isn’t yet as seamless as switching planes. Rail tickets, for example, list both seat and car numbers, but airline booking systems still aren’t programmed to accept car numbers. Baggage-handling is a particular challenge. On planes, passengers check in their bags, but on trains, every bag is a carry-on. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines bumped into this problem back in 1997 when it tried to join up with the sleek, fast Thalys train between Brussels and Paris. "People don’t want to carry their own luggage," says KLM spokesman Peter Wellhuner of the six-month experiment. "The reaction to the test was it should be more interconnected." KLM and Thalys expect to have the problem solved before Thalys initiates high-speed service on the entire route between Paris and Amsterdam in 2005. Swiss Federal Railways has been transferring baggage from 23 train stations to airports in Geneva and Zurich since May. While the country is too small to require a high-speed rail network, its punctual train system comes closest to providing a seamless air connection. Passengers must arrange for the service in advance, and it costs nearly $13 for each bag to be transferred. Delegations from other European railroads have flocked to Switzerland to study the set-up.

Response: