# Air-rail alliance

There are four main types of airline-railway business alliance or codeshare agreements: dedicated services, entire network access, Night&Fly, and re-protection agreements. The currently active air-rail alliances are listed in the tables below.

## History

On 1 August 2022, German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) became the first intermodal partner of the Star Alliance, as an extension of the Lufthansa Express Rail (AiRail) program that then existed for more than 20 years. All 26 member airlines of the Star Alliance can include DB ICE trains with flight numbers in their booking systems, to buy a combined ticket for the flight and the inner-German train in one booking step. This includes (business class) access to DB lounges, points or miles for the train journeys in the frequent-flyer programs and baggage handling in the AiRail check-in at Frankfurt Airport.
In September 2024, high-speed rail operator Eurostar signed a memorandum of understanding to join SkyTeam as its first non-airline partner. This cooperation will enable integrated intermodal transport (air-rail) in the UK, France and the Netherlands.

## Dedicated services

Dedicated services are less common than Rail&Fly alliances, due to the level of service provided. Often checked through luggage is provided between the air and rail journeys, dedicated carriages or entire trains are provided to airline passengers, and service is to the same level expected on board an aircraft, including meals and refreshments.
| Train Operating Company | Airline | From Airport | To City | Marketed As |
| Amtrak | United Airlines | Newark Liberty International Airport | New Haven, CT Philadelphia, PA Stamford, CT Wilmington, DE | |
| CRH | China Eastern Airlines | Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport | Shanghai-Hangzhou Shanghai-Wuxi | China Eastern Air-Rail Service |
| Deutsche Bahn | Lufthansa American Airlines Emirates | Frankfurt Airport | Stuttgart CologneSiegberg/Bonn / Kassel Wilhelmshöhe / Karlsruhe main station | AIRail |
| ÖBB | Austrian Airlines | Vienna International Airport | Linz Salzburg | AIRail |
| SBB | Swiss International Air Lines | Zurich Airport | Basel | Airtrain |
| SNCF | Air France | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport | Brussels-Midi Strasbourg | Air & Rail |
| Thalys | KLM | Amsterdam-Schiphol Airport | Antwerp-Centraal Brussels-Midi | |
| Thalys | American Airlines | Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport | Brussels-Midi | |

## Entire network access

More commonly referred to as Rail & Fly due to the popularity of the Deutsche Bahn service, entire network access is the increasingly common form of air-rail alliance. This allows passengers to book a discounted (sometimes free) train ticket in addition to their full-price air ticket. Checked through luggage and dedicated train compartments for airline passengers are not normally available, though sometimes first class train travel is provided. Travel is usually available to the entire rail network.
| Train Operating Company | Airline | From Airport | To | Marketed As |
| Comboios de Portugal | TAP Portugal | Lisbon Airport, Porto Airport, Faro Airport | All of Portugal, long-distance trains only | Rail&Fly Portugal |
| Deutsche Bahn | Lufthansa # Aeroflot Air Astana # Air China Air India Air Malta Air Mauritius Air Moldova Air Transat Alitalia American Airlines # All Nippon Airways Asiana Airlines Belavia Bulgaria Air Cathay Pacific Airways China Airlines China Eastern Airlines Condor # Croatia Airlines Cyprus Airways Egyptair El Al Israel Airlines Emirates # Ethiopian Airlines Etihad Airways Finnair # Gulf Air Hainan Airlines Iberia Icelandair Iran Air Japan Airlines Korean Air Kuwait Airways LATAM Mahan Air Malaysia Airlines MIAT Mongolian Airlines Middle East Airlines Oman Air Pakistan International Qantas # Qatar Airways # Rossiya Airlines Royal Air Maroc Royal Jordanian Airlines S7 Airlines Singapore Airlines South African Airways # SriLankan Airlines Syrian Arab Airline LATAM Brasil TAP Portugal TAROM Thai Airways TransAer TUIfly.com # Tunisair Turkish Airlines Ukraine International Uzbekistan Airways Vietnam Airlines Yemenia | Frankfurt Airport Basel Airport Berlin Brandenburg Airport Bremen Airport Dortmund Airport Dresden Airport Düsseldorf Airport Hamburg Airport Hannover Airport Leipzig/Halle Airport Köln-Bonn Airport München Airport Münster-Osnabrück Airport Nürnberg Airport Stuttgart Airport | All Deutsche-Bahn-stations (including some in Austria and Switzerland), and select private railway services in Germany | Rail&Fly |
| ÖBB | Air Moldova # | Vienna International Airport | Linz, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Bregenz, Graz, Klagenfurt and St. Pölten | Air & Rail Austria |
| ÖBB | Emirates # | Vienna International Airport | All ÖBB-trains in Austria except EN Euro Night | Rail & Fly in Austria |
| Taiwan High Speed Rail | China Airlines EVA Air China Eastern Airlines | Taoyuan International Airport Taipei Songshan Airport Kaohsiung International Airport Taichung Airport | All of Taiwan - HSR only | |
| SNCF | Air France Gulf Air Air Austral Air Tahiti Nui American Airlines Cathay Pacific Middle East Airlines Emirates Airline Etihad Airways Qatar Airways | Paris-Charles de Gaulle | All of France - HSR only | TGVair |
♯ Indicates airlines offer Rail&Fly ticketing on company website

## Airline-Rail re-protection agreements

Also known as "Good for Trains", this is an emergency backup service for airline cancellations, providing train tickets in lieu of flights to get passengers to their destination. Such an example was during the Eyjafjallajökull eruption in 2010, where extra trains were provided to support the airlines’ stranded passengers in Europe. These 'good for train' agreements are in place with the following airlines:
| Country | Train Operating Company | Airline |
| | Via Rail | Air Canada |
| | Deutsche Bahn | Lufthansa |