Photo: Shutterstock A price comparison study conducted by ZHAW, Zürcher Hochschule für Angewandte Wissenschaften, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, examined the costs of traveling within Europe by train or plane on the same routes.
The study concluded that travelers with a lot of luggage, with special emphasis on families, can save money by traveling by train. On the other hand, for single travelers without luggage, flying is often cheaper than traveling by train on many routes.
The ZHAW study examined 136 European train and flight routes and revealed significant differences. For single travelers with little or no luggage, the prices are generally similar. Flights are sometimes slightly cheaper and sometimes slightly more expensive than the same route by train.
However, as soon as you add children and additional luggage, the flight prices increase significantly. For family trips, flights are on average more than twice as expensive as train travel.
The price advantage for flights is particularly noticeable on routes that start or end in London or Barcelona. Both cities have large airports, where low-cost airlines operate, making it difficult for rail providers to compete on price.
However, in a comprehensive price comparison, trains are preferable to planes in 82% of cases, with an average saving of 37%. The French (SNCF) and Spanish (Renfe) railway operators offer the most significant savings.
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