The SkyTeam airline alliance which announced an inter-modal linkup with Eurostar has extended the concept by signing a similar deal with Italy’s state-owned rail operator, Trenitalia.
The connection, which will start next year, will not only allow travelers to book a train and flight together, or to continue from an international flight to other cities by rail, it will also allow SkyTeam airline loyalty members to earn points on their rail travel, and for Trenitalia loyalists to earn those miles on the flight connections.
The intermodal concept isn’t entirely new, but it is more active and more extensive than Lufthansa’s existing connection with Deutsche Bahn. Given laws in several European countries banning or limiting short-haul domestic flights for environmental reasons, it is likely that more air-rail connections will develop.
