Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn’s new express connections from Berlin, Hamburg, Bremen, Münster and Munich will shorten travel times to and from Frankfurt Airport.
Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn are focusing their collaborative efforts on the expansion of their Rail&Fly services, and the two companies presented their plans for a joint product initiative.
As of December, Lufthansa’s Express Rail network will include five additional cities, and for the first time, the so-called Sprinter extra-fast high-speed trains will also travel to Frankfurt Airport.
According to Harry Hohmeister, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG, “With this joint initiative, we are strengthening the offer of mobility in Germany, thus bolstering the local economy. By intelligently linking rail and air transport, we offer our customers a seamless and convenient travel network, benefiting consumers and the environment.”
Deutsche Bahn and Lufthansa currently offer 134 daily trains to Frankfurt Airport from 17 cities in Germany, and five more cities will be added in the second half of 2021. Starting July, passengers will be able for the first time to travel to Frankfurt Airport with Lufthansa Express Rail from Hamburg and Munich; and in December, Berlin, Bremen and Münster will also join the expanding network.
On top of that, new Sprinter connections will make their debut starting December. The journey between Munich and Cologne, for example, will be shortened to less than four hours. Direct trains will transport passengers from Munich and Nuremberg to Frankfurt Airport twice a day in just three and two hours respectively – half an hour faster than today – in sync with departure and arrival times of flights at Lufthansa’s hub.
Express Rail trains will be easier to identify with the joint DB-LH branding on many railcars. Passengers booking Business or Frist class will also enjoy DB Premium service and free on-board catering.
Furthermore, Lufthansa Express Rail passengers will be offered access to the fast lane at the security checkpoint, and their suitcases will be prioritized upon landing at Frankfurt Airport. Another special highlight this year is that Miles & More customers will receive double status miles on all Lufthansa Express Rail journeys.