United Airlines, Lufthansa Group, and Deutsche Bahn announced a new commercial partnership to increase choice and connectivity between Germany and the US.
United customers traveling between the U.S. and Germany via Frankfurt Airport can now book integrated rail and air journeys with one transaction, combined fare, and single ticket starting November 22.
Customers can connect between 25 German cities, Basel, Switzerland, United's hubs at New York/Newark, Chicago, Washington, Houston, Denver, and San Francisco, and U.S. destinations.
“We are excited to announce our new partnership with Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn,” said United Airlines Senior Vice President Global Network Planning and Alliances Patrick Quayle.
This new collaboration gives our customers even more travel options and flexibility, allowing convenient connections between 25 German and US cities with one transfer at Frankfurt Airport on a single ticket.
The partnership builds on Star Alliance's July 2022 Intermodal Partnership model, which combines airlines with railway, bus, ferry, and other transport ecosystems alliance-wide. It links loyalty systems for easy airport/station/port transit.
“Connecting amazing places on both sides of the Atlantic has never been so easy,” said Deutsche Lufthansa AG Senior Vice President Network, Alliances & Partnerships Stefan Kreuzpaintner.
In the AiRail check-in area at Frankfurt Airport, customers can receive boarding passes for both rail and air sectors, priority baggage handling, and other services. United MileagePlus customers can collect miles for rail journeys as part of a combined rail/air ticket.