Following a successful launch in Europe last year, Air Canada is expanding its air-to-rail booking options in Europe to include Italy, Spain, and Britain. Additionally, the airline will launch its first air-to-rail connections in Asia.
Passengers travelling to or originating in destinations beyond the airport will have easier connectivity, with both air and rail service included on a single ticket.
Air Canada Expands Intermodal Travel Connections
Air Canada has announced it is extending its intermodal strategy across Europe to include Italy, Spain, and Britain, and it will also expand its network to Asia, with its first operator in South Korea.
Customers purchasing flights will now be able to easily book onward land connections to destinations across these countries to create a seamless travel itinerary.
The new rail and bus options are an expansion of Air Canada’s intermodal program which was first launched in December 2023 in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
Executive VP of Revenue and Network Planning at Air Canada, Mark Galardo says that “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. Our intermodal connections not only provide more choice, but also make available sustainable options for short-haul segments of their journey.”
Customers will be able to connect to Trenitalia, Renfe, five rail/bus operators in the UK including National Express, and KORAIL in South Korea.
Here’s a snapshot of where the expanded air-to-rail service will now be able to take you:
Italy
Air Canada is flying to two airports in Italy this winter – Rome and Milan – where customers will be able to connect conveniently to Trenitalia, the largest train operator in Italy, offering high-speed, regional, overnight, and international train routes.
Through these connections, customers will be able to travel to up to 30 onward destinations, including Florence, Naples, and Reggio di Calabria.
Spain
Air Canada will operate to Barcelona and Madrid this winter. Customers will be able to connect at airports with Renfe train routes, which serves over 18,711 kilometres of line in Spain.
Travellers will be able to quickly and comfortably reach Spain’s largest cities and connect to smaller locations, including popular tourist cities such as Cadiz, Granada, Pamplona, and Zaragoza.
Britain
Air Canada passengers flying to London Heathrow will have rail access to 32 destinations on four rail companies: LNER, Avanti West Coast, Great Western Rail, and the TransPennine Express.
In addition, the UK’s leading scheduled coach operator, National Express, offers connections at London Heathrow to 28 points, such as Brighton, Bristol, Cardiff, and Southampton.
South Korea
Air Canada flies non-stop from Toronto (YYZ), Vancouver (YVR), and in the summers Montreal (YUL), to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport (ICN).
Customers will now be able to connect to KORAIL’s KTX high-speed trains via the AREX Express and Seoul Station. The high-speed KTX trains have reduced the travel time to anywhere in South Korea to under three hours.
Through these connections, customers will be able to travel to up to eight onward destinations which include Busan, Daegu, Gwangju, Jinju, Mokpo, Pohang, Ulsan, and Yeosu.
Through Air Canada’s partnership with AccesRail, customers can book connecting rail or bus travel on aircanada.com as part of their journey, all on one single itinerary.
Conclusion
Air Canada is expanding its air-to-rail booking options across Europe to include convenient connections in Italy, Spain, and Britain, as well as in Asia, with its first operator in South Korea.
The new rail and bus options are an expansion of Air Canada’s Intermodal program which was first launched in December 2023 in France, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria.
The expanded offer will make it easy for travellers flying to and from many of Air Canada’s international hubs to add rail or bus connections on one single itinerary.
