4 ms·

I'd also love to see some detailed information on this. I recently flew within Germany, probably saving a few hours over the train, but much more importantly it

I'd also love to see some detailed information on this. I recently flew within Germany, probably saving a few hours over the train, but much more importantly it cost half the price. Seems that for the vast majority of people who are price conscious, this is simply too significant to outweigh the environmental consequences.

kaybe 8y ago
Do you have a BahnCard? How much in advance did you book? Currently you can go to most places with 30-50€ if you play it right.
- 2T1Qka0rEiPr 8y ago
  I don't have a BahnCard, just looking at the site I'm really not sure I'd use it enough to justify it. Booked a couple of months in advance, and compared flight prices on that day to the train. Flights were significantly cheaper.
  - kaybe 8y ago
    The test offer can be pretty useful: https://www.bahn.de/p/view/bahncard/ueberblick/probebahncard.shtml https://www.bahn.de/p/view/bahncard/ueberblick/probebahncard... (It's important to cancel immediately though.)
- Tijdreiziger 8y ago
  That isn't very useful if you're a tourist who's only going to use the card once or twice a year.
detaro 8y ago
It really depends. E.g. people commonly compare cheap plane tickets to the "regular" train ticket price, not to a savers ticket (which is bound to a specific train) booked early, which is more comparable to how you typically book a plane ticket. Similarly, the rebate cards quickly can make sense if you're not only traveling once. On the other hand, it certainly does happen that you can find cheap plane tickets on a connection where the cheap train tickets are already gone. Time also depends, e.g. on where you're going in the destination town etc. If you take into account time to go to the airport, waiting and security time there, time to get from the airport into the city, ..., the train often isn't that much worse than it appears at first. Especially since e.g. a 6 hour train ride means I can sit down for 6 hours and work or nap, whereas the plane alternative is lots of short trips/wait times, which I personally find more stressful. I've flown inside Germany, but think it only makes sense in exceptional cases or if it's making a connection to an international flight.
- 2T1Qka0rEiPr 8y ago
  In my case I compared all options on the same day, with a couple of months' notice - plane still cheaper. I take your point though about "hidden" time costs. I'm taking a bus for a future trip because, despite being significantly longer than the alternative, it's over 3x cheaper and - as you said - I can just (try to) sleep on it.

kaybe 8y ago

Do you have a BahnCard? How much in advance did you book? Currently you can go to most places with 30-50€ if you play it right.

2T1Qka0rEiPr 8y ago
I don't have a BahnCard, just looking at the site I'm really not sure I'd use it enough to justify it. Booked a couple of months in advance, and compared flight prices on that day to the train. Flights were significantly cheaper.
- kaybe 8y ago
  The test offer can be pretty useful: https://www.bahn.de/p/view/bahncard/ueberblick/probebahncard.shtml https://www.bahn.de/p/view/bahncard/ueberblick/probebahncard... (It's important to cancel immediately though.)
Tijdreiziger 8y ago
That isn't very useful if you're a tourist who's only going to use the card once or twice a year.

detaro 8y ago

It really depends. E.g. people commonly compare cheap plane tickets to the "regular" train ticket price, not to a savers ticket (which is bound to a specific train) booked early, which is more comparable to how you typically book a plane ticket. Similarly, the rebate cards quickly can make sense if you're not only traveling once. On the other hand, it certainly does happen that you can find cheap plane tickets on a connection where the cheap train tickets are already gone. Time also depends, e.g. on where you're going in the destination town etc. If you take into account time to go to the airport, waiting and security time there, time to get from the airport into the city, ..., the train often isn't that much worse than it appears at first. Especially since e.g. a 6 hour train ride means I can sit down for 6 hours and work or nap, whereas the plane alternative is lots of short trips/wait times, which I personally find more stressful. I've flown inside Germany, but think it only makes sense in exceptional cases or if it's making a connection to an international flight.

2T1Qka0rEiPr 8y ago
In my case I compared all options on the same day, with a couple of months' notice - plane still cheaper. I take your point though about "hidden" time costs. I'm taking a bus for a future trip because, despite being significantly longer than the alternative, it's over 3x cheaper and - as you said - I can just (try to) sleep on it.