EXPLAINED: How does the Swiss 'Air Rail' booking system work?
SWISS airline and national rail company SBB have expanded their "Air Rail" service from Geneva Airport into Vaud and Valais communities. What you should know about it, and how can you use it?
From June 11th, towns of Vevey and Montreux in Vaud, as well as Sion, Sierre, Visp and Brig in Valais, will be connected to the SWISS airline route network — which means that if you leave from one of these cities and head for the Geneva airport, you can link your rail and air journeys together.
SWISS and SBB are expanding their joint Air Rail product from Geneva Airport. The Western Swiss towns of Vevey, Montreux, Sion, Sierre, Visp and Brig will all now be more conveniently linked into the SWISS route network. For more info: https://t.co/veShHhLYrt pic.twitter.com/BpcYyewfPN
— LX_Newsroom (@LX_Newsroom) June 3, 2024
The service was first launched in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, when 10 daily flights between Zurich and Geneva airports dwindled to just two, and trains were put into service instead between the two hubs.
Since then, this flight and train ticket combo has expanded to cover more stations:17 cities, both in Switzerland and abroad.
The new Air Rail additions mean that passengers can get to Geneva’s airport by train from 10 cities in French-speaking Switzerland (and also Bern and Interlaken).
The latter two are also connected, along with Basel and Lucerne, as well as Ticino cities of Lugano and Bellinzona, to the Zurich airport.
The Air Rail service also extends beyond Switzerland’s borders to Munich in Germany and Bregenz in Austria, which are also connected to Zurich airport.
Map: SBB media
How can you benefit from this system?
If you want to take a train from one of the above cities to the Geneva Airport, you no longer have to buy a train ticket and a plane ticket separately.
You only need to make one booking with SWISS for the entire journey by train and plane.
You can do so through this link on the airline's website, choosing in what class you want to travel on the train and plane.
"When embarking on the journey, the traveller needs to check-in only once, and will then be issued with their boarding pass (which includes their rail ticket) directly from SWISS," the airline said.
The system is flexible
"SWISS Air Rail customers can also use their rail ticket one day after their SWISS arrival or one day before their SWISS departure if they prefer, which gives them greater flexibility in their travel planning," the airline said.
You will also have a 'connection guarantee' in the event of a delay.
What’s more, the ticket offers the same delay compensation as a connecting flight. This means that if your flight is delayed and you miss your train, you will be rebooked onto another rail service free of charge. Perhaps most importantly, if your train is delayed and you miss your flight, you will also be rebooked free of charge.
And if you are Miles & More member — which, aside from SWISS, includes Lufthansa (and its subsidiaries), Austrian, and other airlines in the group) — you will earn miles and points for the rail travel, too.
The same applies to Air Rail to and from Zurich airport as well.
Keep in mind though that Air Rail can be booked only if you travel with SWISS or other members of the Lufthansa group; it is not valid for all airlines.
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From June 11th, towns of Vevey and Montreux in Vaud, as well as Sion, Sierre, Visp and Brig in Valais, will be connected to the SWISS airline route network — which means that if you leave from one of these cities and head for the Geneva airport, you can link your rail and air journeys together.
SWISS and SBB are expanding their joint Air Rail product from Geneva Airport. The Western Swiss towns of Vevey, Montreux, Sion, Sierre, Visp and Brig will all now be more conveniently linked into the SWISS route network. For more info: https://t.co/veShHhLYrt pic.twitter.com/BpcYyewfPN
— LX_Newsroom (@LX_Newsroom) June 3, 2024
The service was first launched in 2020 during the Covid pandemic, when 10 daily flights between Zurich and Geneva airports dwindled to just two, and trains were put into service instead between the two hubs.
Since then, this flight and train ticket combo has expanded to cover more stations:17 cities, both in Switzerland and abroad.
The new Air Rail additions mean that passengers can get to Geneva’s airport by train from 10 cities in French-speaking Switzerland (and also Bern and Interlaken).
The latter two are also connected, along with Basel and Lucerne, as well as Ticino cities of Lugano and Bellinzona, to the Zurich airport.
The Air Rail service also extends beyond Switzerland’s borders to Munich in Germany and Bregenz in Austria, which are also connected to Zurich airport.
How can you benefit from this system?
If you want to take a train from one of the above cities to the Geneva Airport, you no longer have to buy a train ticket and a plane ticket separately.
You only need to make one booking with SWISS for the entire journey by train and plane.
You can do so through this link on the airline's website, choosing in what class you want to travel on the train and plane.
"When embarking on the journey, the traveller needs to check-in only once, and will then be issued with their boarding pass (which includes their rail ticket) directly from SWISS," the airline said.
The system is flexible
"SWISS Air Rail customers can also use their rail ticket one day after their SWISS arrival or one day before their SWISS departure if they prefer, which gives them greater flexibility in their travel planning," the airline said.
You will also have a 'connection guarantee' in the event of a delay.
What’s more, the ticket offers the same delay compensation as a connecting flight. This means that if your flight is delayed and you miss your train, you will be rebooked onto another rail service free of charge. Perhaps most importantly, if your train is delayed and you miss your flight, you will also be rebooked free of charge.
And if you are Miles & More member — which, aside from SWISS, includes Lufthansa (and its subsidiaries), Austrian, and other airlines in the group) — you will earn miles and points for the rail travel, too.
The same applies to Air Rail to and from Zurich airport as well.
Keep in mind though that Air Rail can be booked only if you travel with SWISS or other members of the Lufthansa group; it is not valid for all airlines.
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