Kolkata, Aug 22 (UNI) Air India, India’s leading international carrier, has entered an intermodal interline agreement with AccesRail to boost connectivity options for Air India guests across Europe, including smaller cities without airports.
The agreement enables Air India guests to travel on a single intermodal ticket and take seamless, on-ground train and bus connections to more than 100 cities and towns in Austria, Belgium, Germany, The Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, and the United Kingdom via its European gateways of Amsterdam, Birmingham, London Heathrow, London Gatwick, Milan, and Vienna. It also allows Air India guests to enjoy the benefit of the same baggage allowance on these rail or bus operator services as offered by Air India on its own flights.
AccesRail is an IATA travel partner with its own designator code (9B), thus making intermodal journeys on a single ticket possible.
Nipun Aggarwal, Chief Commercial & Transformation Officer, Air India, said, “The expansion of our global network is one of our key priorities in the ongoing, comprehensive transformation of Air India. This partnership with AccesRail not only helps us to provide our guests easy access to an extended network of destinations across Europe, but also to bridge the gaps in connectivity between India and Europe.”
“Augmenting our network with an intermodal approach also underlines our commitment to environmental sustainability”, Aggarwal said.
Andrew Popescu, Vice President Business Development, AccesRail, said, “We are excited to be launching our Air India-AccesRail cooperation and look forward to continuing with Air India on a global scale with so many of our intermodal rail and coach partners. Through this enhanced AccesRail partnership, Air India will be able, now and in the future, to offer its customers more destinations and more possibilities in a more seamless fashion.”
AccesRail’s extensive network of rail and bus operators for Air India include Avanti West Coast (UK), Great Western Railways (UK), London North Eastern Railways (UK), National Express (UK), Trenitalia (Italy), ÖBB Austrian Railways (Austria), SNCB Belgian Railways, and Thalys (Netherlands/Belgium).
Currently, intermodal tickets with Air India are available for booking through travel agents globally. The airline also plans to extend the facility to its own sales channels progressively.
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