Air Canada has expanded its intermodal strategy allowing air
customers to book onward land connections across new European countries and in
South Korea, the carrier announced Thursday.
The new rail and bus options in Europe include Trenitalia,
the state-owned railway of Italy, for Air Canada customers flying to Rome and
Milan, with options for up to 30 onward destinations; Spain’s Renfe rail
provider, for customers flying to Madrid and Barcelona, for up to 24 onward
destinations; and in the U.K. via London Heathrow with four rail
companies—LNER, Avanti West Coast, Great Western Rail and the TransPennine
Express—as well as the coach operator National Express.
In addition, Air Canada customers flying to Seoul, South
Korea, can connect to Korail’s KTX trains via the Arex Express and Seoul
Station, for travel up to eight onward destinations, according to the carrier.
“The expanded offer will make it easy for our customers
flying to and from our international hubs to add convenient rail or bus
connections on a single itinerary,” Air Canada EVP of revenue and network
planning Mark Galardo said in a statement. “Our intermodal connections not
only provide more choice, but also make available sustainable options for
short-haul segments of their journey.”
Air
Canada in December 2023 also expanded its air-to-rail booking options via partnerships
with Lufthansa Express Rail, AccesRail and WorldTicket for trips to and from Austria,
France, Germany and Switzerland.
