Eurostar & SkyTeam Team Up For 2025 Single Booking Plane To Train Journeys

Traveling around Europe by train and plane is about to become easier thanks to a new partnership between Eurostar and SkyTeam, a global airline alliance. SAS, KLM and other European airlines are joining forces to make travel easier and also cut short-haul flights between destinations.

Eurostar teams up with JetTeam for plane-to-train journeys

Since the pandemic, train travel has become increasingly popular with travelers. Whether catching a high-speed train in Spain or enjoying the ride on a sleeper train, rail travel helps to reduce travelers’ carbon footprint. Now, with a new agreement, international fliers will have easier access to train travel.

Starting in early 2025, travelers will have access to long- and medium-haul flights and train journeys in one reservation. SkyTeam, representing European airlines like Air France, KLM, SAS and Delta Air Lines, has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the high-speed rail company.

Eurostar CEO Gwendoline Cazenave said in a statement:

Offering travelers the choice to see Europe in the most sustainable and convenient way by rail is a key component of Eurostar’s vision for growth.

We are creating a future where travellers can connect between Eurostar trains, domestic railways and long haul flying, opening up our services to new markets across the globe. 

This new partnership builds on KLM’s current agreement with Eurostar, where train tickets are automatically included in travelers’ journeys if they depart from Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station or Antwerp Central station to catch a flight. SkyTeam states this agreement has already led to a drop in flights between Amsterdam and Brussels.

Other partners in the agreement

Meanwhile, the new alliance also includes China Airlines, Czech Airlines, Air Europa, ITA Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Vietnam Airlines and many more. Moreover, due to the fact that Eurostar offers the largest international high-speed network in Europe, serving 28 destinations in Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK, this partnership will pave the way for more sustainable onward travel for international travelers.

Right now, approximately 13 percent of Eurostar travelers fly long haul, arriving at SkyTeam’s hubs in London Heathrow, Amsterdam Schiphol and Paris-CDG, and connecting to a Eurostar destination.

SkyTeam CEO Patrick Roux spoke of the new partnership, saying:

Working with Eurostar as our first non-airline partner underscores SkyTeam’s commitment to delivering a more integrated and responsible travel experience by incorporating intermodal travel.

One of the world’s most-loved train operators, with a reputation for customer service, Eurostar is a natural fit for SkyTeam.

Meanwhile, the two organizations will work out the details of the partnership over the next few months, with air-to-rail options expected to launch in the first half of 2025.