Rail&Fly is a train ticket deal between Deutsche Bahn and some airlines (including Lufthansa) for cheap train transportation to German airports.
Passengers on international flights can save on train transportation from and to airports in Germany when using the special Rail&Fly train ticket. Rail & Fly allows passengers on international flights to continue their journeys from the airport to any train station in Germany for a mere €34 (€66 in first class). Lufthansa, Eurowings, American, United and many other airlines participate in the Rail&Fly program while British Airways, EasyJet, and Ryanair do not offer passengers this cheap train to airport transportation ticket on flights to Germany.
Save with Rail&Fly Tickets on Train Fares to Airports in Germany
Rail&Fly ticket holders pay only €34 (€66 in first class) for train transportation between any airport and any of more than 5,600 railway stations in Germany. This is a superb deal for passengers that qualify: one-way ICE full-fare tickets from Frankfurt International Airport to other German cities are for example €67 to Stuttgart, €73 to Cologne (Köln), €108 to Munich (München), and €133 to Berlin. In fact, €34 will only get travelers to for example Heidelberg, Limburg or Würzburg on a full-fare one-way train ticket from Frankfurt Airport.
Basic Conditions of the Rail&Fly Train to Airport Ticket in Germany
Not all travelers qualify for Rail&Fly savings. Rail&Fly tickets are sold only by participating airlines and not by German Railways. These airlines may add further conditions to the purchase and use of Rail&Fly tickets – see below.
Basic conditions of the Rail&Fly train to airport ticket in Germany include:
- Only participating airlines sell Rail&Fly tickets. Major German airlines Lufthansa and Eurowings participate as well as numerous other airlines from all over the world, including American and United, as well as most airlines flying from Asia.
- Rail&Fly tickets are only available to passengers on international flights. Furthermore flights from Amsterdam, Basel, Brussels, Paris, Salzburg, Vienna (Wien), and Zurich (Zürich) to German ariports are usually excluded.
- Rail&Fly tickets are valid on all German Railways (DB Deutsche Bahn) trains but not on TGV Thalys trains, the DB Autozug, or private networks. Seat reservations are possible but cost extra and only essential on a few ICE Sprinter trains.
- Rail & Fly tickets are valid on the same day as the international flight as well as on the day prior to departure, or the day after arrival.
- Rail&Fly tickets are not valid on city buses, trams, or U-Bahn metro trains with the exception of some services where a direct train link is not available to the particular airport. For example, Rail&Fly ticket holders may only use bus TXL from Berlin-Tegel Airport to Berlin Hauptbahnhof (and not beyond, and not for example Bus X9 to Zoo Station), tram 6 to Bremen Airport, and U-Bahn U2 to Nuremberg Airport. S-Bahn trains may commonly be used between the airport and main stations.
- Rail&Fly tickets are available to virtually all German airports with the notable exception of Frankfurt-Hahn Airport (HHN), which does not have a railway station nearby.
- Rail&Fly tickets are available to Basel Airport and Salzburg Airport, and depending on the airline, also to Amsterdam Schiphol and Zurich Airports.
Further Airline Conditions on Rail&Fly Train to Airport Tickets in Germany
Individual airlines may set further conditions on the sale and use of Rail&Fly train to airport tickets. Notable individual airline conditions relate to the time of sale, types of tickets, and children policies.
Each individual airline may set own policies on when, how, and for which flights Rail&Fly tickets are sold. Rail&Fly tickets must usually be bought at the same time the flight reservation is made. (Eurowings is a notable exception that allows Rail&Fly tickets to be added later.)
Individual airlines use different kinds of tickets. A physical ticket is commonly available but some use a numbered voucher that must be exchanged for a ticket at a DB train ticket vending machine in Germany. (Ticket collection is possible within 72 h prior to the initial journey.) Increasingly, tickets can be printed at home like any plane e-ticket or used as a mobile ticket.
Children under 6 usually travel for free on Deutsche Bahn trains, as do children up to 14 when accompanied by a parent or grandparent and confirmed on the ticket at time of purchase. However, with Rail&Fly airlines may place their own conditions on accompanying children. Lufthansa for example allow free travel on Rail&Fly for children under 2 years only, 50% discount for 2 to 11 years and full fare for children over 12.
Buying Rail&Fly Train to German Airport Tickets Online
Rail&Fly tickets are not sold by Deutsche Bahn but rather directly by the airlines (and major German tour operators). The Rail&Fly tickets must usually be added during the initial flight booking process whether it is done online or through a travel agent. Eurowings is one of very few airlines that allow Rail&Fly tickets to be added at a later stage.
For travelers not qualifying for Rail & Fly tickets, Deutsche Bahn has many further savings deals that may help to reduce the price of traveling to the airport in Germany, especially when only regional trains are used, e.g. Ländertickets, Bahncard savings, and German Rail passes for foreign tourists.
