ALLRAIL, the Alliance of Passenger Rail New Entrants’ Post

Tonight, European Sleeper will be the first ever passenger operator to start a direct service between Brussels and Prague.   - this is the kind of new EU cross-border offering that will achieve modal shift to rail (!)   In the German media at the weekend, it was stressed how the German incumbent DB’s in-house rail ticket sales channels benefit from a vastly market dominant share in the rail ticket sales market.   Furthermore, while DB sells the night trains of its fellow state-owned incumbent ÖBB Nightjet (on the same overlapping city pairs), DB refuses to sell European Sleeper itself.   this contradictory behaviour is deeply discriminatory and threatens the short-term commercially viability of European Sleeper.   If modal shift to rail is to be achieved, then All Rail Tickets Must Be Shown And Sold At All Rail Ticket Vendors – both incumbent in-house and 3rd party.   That means: full transparency for passengers to all possible rail options. https://lnkd.in/eGkKis_D

Rail giant Deutsche Bahn is appealing a German antitrust order that it properly remunerate mobility platforms such as Omio and Trainline for selling its tickets. The company says the decision trespasses on its "entrepreneurial freedom." But enforcers say that paying a fair commission for each ticket sale is key for digital mobility services to flourish. Judges have declared that dominant companies, notwithstanding their market heft, enjoy the right to contractual freedom. At the same time, judges say they have a duty to supply existing customers that have no alternatives. The balance, the case law seems to say, depends on the specific facts of the situation in question. State-owned Deutsche Bahn manages the German rail infrastructure, and is also by far the country’s largest train operator and ticket distributor. It sells its own tickets over the counter, via ticket machines and increasingly online at bahn.de. “Mobility platforms” such as Trainline, Omio and Deutsche Bahn’s own DB Navigator aim to be one-stop shops for consumers seeking transport tickets, allowing them to search for and buy train, bus, ferry and airplane tickets, and even to book rental cars and bikes. To follow this antitrust case connect with me to learn more about MLex Market Insight, a LexisNexis company

Good to see the paper points to the 1:28 train vs. plane relation of GHG emissions. Let’s all stick to this EU average and to GHG emissions (not just CO2 emissions) because these are the categories the aviation industry hates to be mentioned.

📰 It’s an honor to see that one of Germany’s largest newspapers cited me as an expert on flight ticket pricing – not only in the online version, but also in the print version of the well-known Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in an editorial about how to save money when booking flights! https://lnkd.in/efkAzZVm 👨🏻💻 While we do have a massive audience ourselves on reisetopia.de nowadays, I am still super happy to get into mainstream media as it allows us to reach even more people and make their travel experience better. Since 2016, I’ve been following the mission of #redefiningluxurytravel, and I couldn’t be happier on how often we have been in the media with our tips & tricks lately. 🗞️ In the last five weeks alone, we have gotten media coverage by large publishers like focus.de, reisereporter.de, rnd.de, merkur.de, faz.net and more. What’s best about this? Many readers get to know reisetopia through these articles and then become readers on our website & can benefit from a wide range of helpful guides, plenty of daily news and our premium hotel booking service. How important is press coverage for you and your company? #press #tipsandtricks #flights

Germany in a winter nightmare. The snow came as a surprise, followed by ice. There were massive cancellations for buses, trains and, above all, air travel. With all these cancellations, the question arises as to whether the snow chaos could have been prevented and what it actually cost? Our H&Z expert & Managing Partner Michael Santo answers these questions in today's online edition of Deutsche Welle. And he assumes a loss in the hundreds of millions. "But, he emphasises, the onset of winter, especially in Bavaria, is a truly exceptional situation." Read more here: https://lnkd.in/d7Mfr6Qx H&Z Management Consulting SUSTAINX #aviation #airtravel #headhearthand

Cross-border #travel promotes European cohesion - we at Trainline share this idea with the Allianz pro Schiene e.V. pro Schiene. Together we want to make train journeys across borders more attractive and thus make the travel sector in #Europe more sustainable: And this can be achieved through a joint European timetable. We have developed an interactive map to show how much potential there already is in the European rail network. It shows which European cities can be reached without changing trains from the 20 largest cities in Germany. To make it even easier to decide against travelling by plane and in favour of the #train, the booking of international connections in particular must be simplified. We are therefore calling on the EU Commission: Booking train tickets for journeys in Europe must become as easy for consumers as booking plane tickets. The EU legislator should therefore put regulation for this important topic on the agenda for the new legislative period. To this end, it should define rules for data access and commission in accordance with the #FRAND principles (fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory). In this way, a level playing field can be created in the online sale of rail tickets. Click here for the interactive map: https://lnkd.in/ercUAcsJ #Transport transition #Climate protection #Competition #Mobility Many thanks to everybody involved, namely Jenny Wittwer and the team of Allianz-pro-Schiene, led by Dirk Flege.

Following the insolvency of FTI Touristik GmbH, the parent company of FTI GROUP, the other tour operators are vying for customers and three billion euros in sales to be distributed in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Who will come out on top? #fti #ftigroup #insolvency #touroperators #marketshares #travelindustry #fvwtraveltalk

Time to fly! Companies are allowing their employees to go on more business trips again after Covid with airlines like Swiss International Air Lines. According to a study by the Lufthansa subsidiary AirPlus International, the booking levels have reached 88 % compared to the pre-pandemic year 2019. However, some things have changed. Find out more here. https://lnkd.in/dUb8HZsX #aviation #corporate #passengers #booking #flying

"Saving. No matter the cost!" [German proverb, a sarcastic one] English Link (Google translate) below. Headline: Lufthansa takes back savings - Free coffee should make customers happier again. English: https://lnkd.in/etd9Tryt A reminder: Aviation is a prime example in marketing at (at least German) universities and literature for the topic #branddissolution. Especially the Eurpean airline networks (Lufthansa Group, International Airlines Group (IAG), Air France-KLM group, etc.) but also American Airlines (old vs. new corporate ID) are examples for marketing failures. Depackaging was a buzzword when low cost airlines appeared, even toilet use and "standing seats" were seriously discussed. But you can take everything too far. And that "shareholder value" and "cost savings" focus is a very clear sign, when management does not care for anything else. So they tell you they are or go "green" and "sustainable"? Sorrry, IMHO they lie. And we developed Kolibri as a proof of concept that sustainability (17 goals, not just climate) are not just possible, but highly profitable. Again, they tell you different, they lie. Or repeat (happily I believe) the lies of the #fossillobbies.

Lot Polish Airlines Set to Expand Fleet and Upgrade Long-Haul Cabins! 🛫 Exciting news from Lot Polish Airlines! After a successful 2022, the Polish National Airline is gearing up for new milestones. Changes are on the horizon, especially for passengers flying on Lot's Boeing 787-8. In 2022, Lot achieved a remarkable profit of $28 million, the highest since 2018. But the airline is not stopping there. In a statement released today, Lot unveiled an ambitious growth strategy aiming for even more record-breaking results. Key Highlights: 🔹 Fleet Expansion: Lot plans to increase its fleet by 50%, adding 110 aircraft, making it a three-digit fleet! 🔹 Destination Growth: Nearly 20 new destinations are in the pipeline, both short and long-haul, expanding the travel horizons for passengers. 🔹 Enhanced Passenger Experience: Lot is revamping its cabins, introducing new designs, Recaro seats in all classes, and a cutting-edge entertainment system. Plus, WiFi will become a standard feature on long-haul flights. 🔹 Lounge Upgrades: The Polonez Business Lounge in Warsaw and Lot's first Business Lounge in North America, located in Chicago, are set to receive impressive makeovers. Comfort and Convenience for Passengers: 🔹 Business Class: Each seat in the 1-2-1 configuration will have direct aisle access and a door for added privacy. 🔹 Premium Economy: Easier access to the aisle for all passengers. 🔹 Economy Class: More legroom for a comfortable journey. Lot Polish Airlines is committed to providing an unparalleled travel experience. Stay tuned for these exciting developments! #LotPolishAirlines #TravelNews #Aviation #PassengerExperience #FleetExpansion #InnovationInAviation #TravelTech #AirlineUpgrades #BusinessTravel #AviationIndustry #FlyingInStyle ✈️🌍