KLM teams up with Thalys for air-rail transfer service

KLM Royal Dutch Airways and high-speed rail operator Thalys have began a trial to switch airline passengers by practice between Amsterdam Schiphol and Brussels airports.

The brand new service has been launched to permit KLM to drop one day by day flight between Amsterdam and Brussels by means of shopping for seats on Thalys trains between the 2 airports.

The enterprise is KLM’s implementation of the Dutch authorities’s Motion Plan for Rail and Air Providers, which seeks to make sure that worldwide rail journey turns into a “logical different” to flights on routes of lower than 700 kilometres.

KLM has already been providing switch passengers the choice of boarding a Thalys practice as a substitute of a flight on the Brussels-Schiphol leg of their journey for a number of years. Round 20 to 25 per cent of passengers selected the rail choice earlier than the pandemic.

The airline stated the brand new trial with Thalys was aimed toward enhancing buyer expertise and might be expanded if profitable. 

KLM can be working with NS Dutch Railways and different European rail operators to discover additional high-speed practice transfers as an alternative choice to flights.

Boet Kreiken, KLM’s government vp, buyer expertise, stated: “The brand new air-rail product is the primary concrete results of the Motion Plan for Rail and Air Providers. 

“We’re striving to make sure a seamless buyer journey, with higher connections between rail and air journey.”

This KLM-Thalys trial is ready to proceed till 29 October, which can be adopted by an in-depth analysis when choices for additional creating the air-rail product can be assessed.

The Thalys practice service between Amsterdam and Brussels airports takes round 90 minutes in contrast with a mean flight time of 45 minutes.