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It works when the high-speed trains stop directly at the airport, and when the trains are reliable. There are some places in the world that fulfill both criter

It works when the high-speed trains stop directly at the airport, and when the trains are reliable. There are some places in the world that fulfill both criteria (increasingly, many airports in China do).

lxgr 3y ago
> It works when the high-speed trains stop directly at the airport, and when the trains are reliable. That's not nearly enough. Airlines would need to figure out a way to actually integrate trains into their systems, including ticketing, baggage check-through, automated re-ticketing in case of delays/missed connections, liability of missed trains (including getting passengers a hotel and meals), and so much more. This is the value that connecting flights provide that the "train + plane" combination falls quite short of today: A binding contract making it the operator's responsibility to get you from A to B.
- DiogenesKynikos 3y ago
  Ticket integration would make life easier (note that it already exists in some places, such as Germany: [0]). However, in places where trains are reliable and frequent (such as Japan and China), you don't really have to worry about missed connections. Baggage getting checked through is a luxury, in my opinion, although it should be noted that this service exists in some places as well (in Switzerland, you can get your luggage checked through from your inbound flight to any train station, or from any station to your outbound flight: [1]). 0. https://www.lufthansa.com/ao/en/lufthansa-express-rail https://www.lufthansa.com/ao/en/lufthansa-express-rail 1. https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/before-your-journey/luggage/flight-luggage/zurich-with-swiss.html https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/before-your-journey/l...
  - lxgr 3y ago
    TIL, thank you! That's indeed pretty neat and wasn't available the last time I used the "AIRail" predecessor: > Should there be a delay, our transfer guarantee means that you will be rebooked automatically onto the next flight or train – we will notify you of this in good time. I wonder which EU passenger rights will apply to this, though: There's different sets of rules for rail and air.
bluGill 3y ago
That is a negative about China - they are building their high speed rail stations out in the middle of nowhere instead of the city center. Airports because of noise and the space runways needed are best located far from the city. Train stations are best located in downtown.
- DiogenesKynikos 3y ago
  There are a lot of downtown train stations in China. The push to connect airports is fairly new.

lxgr 3y ago

> It works when the high-speed trains stop directly at the airport, and when the trains are reliable. That's not nearly enough. Airlines would need to figure out a way to actually integrate trains into their systems, including ticketing, baggage check-through, automated re-ticketing in case of delays/missed connections, liability of missed trains (including getting passengers a hotel and meals), and so much more. This is the value that connecting flights provide that the "train + plane" combination falls quite short of today: A binding contract making it the operator's responsibility to get you from A to B.

DiogenesKynikos 3y ago
Ticket integration would make life easier (note that it already exists in some places, such as Germany: [0]). However, in places where trains are reliable and frequent (such as Japan and China), you don't really have to worry about missed connections. Baggage getting checked through is a luxury, in my opinion, although it should be noted that this service exists in some places as well (in Switzerland, you can get your luggage checked through from your inbound flight to any train station, or from any station to your outbound flight: [1]). 0. https://www.lufthansa.com/ao/en/lufthansa-express-rail https://www.lufthansa.com/ao/en/lufthansa-express-rail 1. https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/before-your-journey/luggage/flight-luggage/zurich-with-swiss.html https://www.sbb.ch/en/station-services/before-your-journey/l...
- lxgr 3y ago
  TIL, thank you! That's indeed pretty neat and wasn't available the last time I used the "AIRail" predecessor: > Should there be a delay, our transfer guarantee means that you will be rebooked automatically onto the next flight or train – we will notify you of this in good time. I wonder which EU passenger rights will apply to this, though: There's different sets of rules for rail and air.

bluGill 3y ago

That is a negative about China - they are building their high speed rail stations out in the middle of nowhere instead of the city center. Airports because of noise and the space runways needed are best located far from the city. Train stations are best located in downtown.

DiogenesKynikos 3y ago
There are a lot of downtown train stations in China. The push to connect airports is fairly new.