Air/Rail Intermodality – Recent Experiences from Germany
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RESEARCH Air/Rail Intermodality – Recent Experiences from Germany This paper tries to explore recent developments in Germany, where an integrated intermodal product, the so-called AIRail, offers unique service features, like integrated ticketing and baggage handling, which is so far only known in the air transport industry.A new approach to integrate air and rail servic- es was undertaken with AIRail, which has achieved considerable success so far, as more than 170,000 passengers per year use this service. Characteristics and advantages of AIRail will be explored in the rest of the paper, but also shortcomings and challenges that can be identified. Furthermore, special attention will be given to the impact of high-speed train services between Frankfurt and Cologne on air services between these cities. By Wolfgang Grimme Background Airport Express”, as early as 1982 inaugurated several months before, To increase the benefits of the trans- (until 1993), connecting both which reduced travel time between port system or infrastructure, policy- Düsseldorf (via Cologne) and Stuttgart both cities tremendously. The service makers often demand a better integra- with Frankfurt Airport. These services features integrated ticketing and bag- tion of the various modes of trans- were discontinued for several reasons, gage handling. The latter point is par- portation. For environmental reasons the most notable probably being con- ticularly important to gain passenger and to relieve congested airports, a siderable increases of leasing rates by acceptance for rail services. With shift of short-distance feeder air serv- the train operator, which Lufthansa AIRail, baggage is checked through ices to rail is a frequently expressed was not willing to pay. Another prob- from the Lufthansa-branded check-in objective in transport policy. However, lem was the difficulty to achieve a counter in Cologne or Stuttgart main as a prerequisite to the market success high load factor of a fully dedicated station directly to the final destination of such ideas, it is necessary that rail train, which offered only few daily fre- and vice versa. transport providers offer attractive quencies and considerably longer jour- products for passengers to create an ney times than air travel. However, this service is particularly incentive to choose rail services over challenging for the participating serv- short-distance air services. Forced A new approach to integrate air and ice providers for several reasons. First, modal shifts by command-and-control rail services was undertaken with the new ICE 3 high-speed trains do not regulatory instruments are incompati- AIRail, which has achieved consider- feature baggage compartments. ble with liberal market economy able success so far, as more than Therefore, a passenger compartment is regimes. They tend to reduce con- 170,000 passengers per year use this converted in a “quick change” config- sumer welfare and should therefore be service. Characteristics and advan- uration to carry baggage on the AIRail abandoned in favor of more market- tages of AIRail will be explored in the segment of the journey, which is asso- oriented measures. The attractiveness rest of the paper, but also shortcom- ciated with a loss of 10 seats that could of intermodal products has to be ings and challenges that can be identi- otherwise be used for paying passen- increased with regards to both price fied. Furthermore, special attention gers. The second challenge is associat- and journey time, as well as conven- will be given to the impact of high- ed with Deutsche Bahn’s very dense ience. speed train services between Frankfurt and synchronized timetable, requiring and Cologne on air services between the loading and unloading of baggage This paper tries to explore recent these cities. during the brief stops not to exceed 4 developments in Germany, where an minutes. Baggage is transported in integrated intermodal product, the so- AIRail Service Characteristics closed containers on wheels from the called AIRail, offers unique service AIRail, jointly developed by Deutsche platform at Frankfurt Airport to securi- features, like integrated ticketing and Bahn, Lufthansa and Fraport, can be ty screening and the baggage handling baggage handling, which is so far only considered as the most advanced inter- system which was extended for this known in the air transport industry. modal product available to travelers in purpose into the airport’s new long- The idea, however, to operate a train Germany, if not in Europe. It was distance train station. Thirdly, baggage with the service characteristics of air introduced on the route between of passengers who started their jour- transport is not new. Deutsche Frankfurt Airport and Stuttgart in ney outside Germany is required to be Bundesbahn operated a dedicated train March 2001 and between Frankfurt cleared by customs. For this purpose, service on behalf of Deutsche Airport and Cologne in May 2003 small customs offices have been set up Lufthansa, the so-called “Lufthansa after the high-speed train line had been at the train stations of Cologne and Aerlines Magazine e-zine edition, Issue 34 1 Stuttgart, so passengers can clear their which have made AIRail a well- flights prefer air transport due to bet- baggage directly at the train station. accepted alternative to feeder flights, ter accessibility of the airports of there are also a number of challenges Cologne and Stuttgart by car and due A total of 15 regular trains per day in and problems associated with the to lower parking fees at the airports each direction between Frankfurt service. First, it is a rather complicat- than at the main train stations. As Airport and Cologne are designated as ed and costly process when a foreign both Cologne/Bonn and Frankfurt AIRail trains as well as 7 trains airline wants to make use of the Airport are directly connected by between Stuttgart and Frankfurt AIRail service. Interested airlines high-speed train this may lead to the Airport, therefore offering passengers have to apply for approval at their idea to offer AIRail from a wide range of frequencies, resulting home country’s civil aviation author- Cologne/Bonn Airport instead of or in in reduced waiting time for connecting ity, as AIRail is a deviation from stan- addition to the services from the main flights. On average, about 31 seats in dard security procedures found in train station. Apart from increased 2nd class for economy class passen- international aviation. Second, AIRail customer acceptance this would also gers and 6 seats in 1st class for busi- cannot be booked on Lufthansa’s own help to save costs as check-in and ness and first class passengers are website caused by technical problems customs facilities are already avail- reserved on each train designated as with the booking engine of able at the airport. However, this AIRail service. In total, this results in Lufthansa. This inadvertently creates would require an increase in train fre- an available AIRail capacity of 555 incentives for internet users to book a quencies between the two airports seats per day or about 200,000 seats feeder flight instead of the AIRail from its three services daily at the per year on the Cologne-Frankfurt service. This fact becomes even more moment of which two are operated route, with slightly less than half of curious as it is possible to book very early in the morning and one this quantity for the Stuttgart- AIRail on other internet-based travel very late in the evening. It may be Frankfurt route. The “blocked space” agents such as Opodo. Third, it is sufficient to offer four daily services, agreement of Lufthansa with Deutsche rather difficult for foreign travel equal to the current number of flights Bahn has evident advantages over the agents, who are not familiar with the which could arrive at/depart from lease and operation of a complete train different intermodal products avail- Frankfurt Airport synchronized with as it was done with the “Lufthansa able in Germany, to identify the serv- Lufthansa’s flight banks. Airport Express” from 1982 to 1993. ice characteristics of AIRail in com- On the one hand, it is possible to offer parison to other intermodal products, Case study: more frequencies and on the other most notably code-share agreements Impacts of the high-speed rail- hand, it is less difficult to achieve that Deutsche Bahn maintains with way line on air services between higher load factors. Moreover, the American Airlines, All Nippon Cologne and Frankfurt agreement between Deutsche Bahn Airways, China Airlines and TAP The city pair Cologne-Frankfurt seems and Lufthansa is flexible so that the Portugal. While code-share services to be a perfect example for the benefits number of available seats can be include more destinations than of a shift from short distance air serv- adapted to demand on short notice. AIRail, these services do not feature ices to railway. Since 2002 Germany’s through-baggage handling and are fastest high-speed line has reduced The AIRail service is not limited to therefore less attractive for passen- railway travel times from Cologne passengers traveling on Lufthansa. A gers. Traditional booking engines and main station to Frankfurt Airport from total of 27 other airlines have agree- computer reservation systems are not two hours to 50 minutes. Comparing ments with Lufthansa to use the able to display additional information this to the travel time by air, taking AIRail service to feed passengers to about the exact service characteristics into account the time needed for the of code-share trains. Although it transfer to the airport, for check-in, Frankfurt Airport. For the participat- seems that these challenges may be security checks, boarding, the actual ing airlines, this service has clear overcome quite easily, they are, in flight and deboarding it seemed ques- advantages, as they do not have to pro- fact, rooted in an incompatibility of tionable if there was a future for air vide own check-in agents at the train the information technology systems services on this city pair.