United Airlines To Offer German Railway Connectivity

United Airlines has joined Star Alliance’s intermodal partnership with German rail operator Deutsche Bahn (DB) and its transatlantic joint venture partner Lufthansa.

Starting Nov. 22, under the new cooperation, United passengers departing by train from 25 German cities and Basel, Switzerland, to Frankfurt airport can use the DB railway system to connect to their U.S. transatlantic flights.

“We are excited about the fact that United Airlines, an important member of the Star Alliance, will now use our innovative ‘Intermodal Partnership’ model,” Star Alliance VP of corporate strategy Renato Ramos said in a Nov. 21 statement.

Passengers who are bound via Frankfurt to United hubs in New York/Newark, Chicago O’Hare, Washington Dulles, Houston, Denver, and San Francisco will receive by a single transaction a combined fare on a single ticket. This is also true for U.S. connecting flights from the United hubs.

United said in a statement that the new collaboration is based on the Star Alliance “intermodal partnership” model launched in July 2022, where Deutsche Bahn was announced as the Star Alliance’s first intermodal, non-airline partner.

Passengers receive boarding passes for train journeys as well as flights when checking in, also for priority baggage handling and other services during the dedicated AiRail check-in at Frankfurt Airport.

Members of United’s MileagePlusSM frequent flyer program can earn miles for rail travel on a combined rail and flight ticket.

Additionally, customers will receive special protection if there are delays or cancellations, which are very common throughout the German railway system, while eligible passengers also have access to Deutsche Bahn lounges.

“This new collaboration will give our guests more travel options and additional flexibility, as they can easily connect 25 cities across Germany with the United States via a convenient transfer at Frankfurt Airport—all with just a single ticket,” United Airlines SVP Global Network Planning and Alliances Patrick Quayle said.

“It is initiatives like this that promote collaboration between different modes of transport on a larger scale,” Ramos added.