By Train and by Plane: Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn announce record figures

• Positive development of Lufthansa Express Rail’s booking figures: Previous record of 432,000 customers broken in October
• By the end of the year:  500,000+ bookings
• Expansion of the cooperation by 4 to a total of 28 domestic German destinations
• Offer available for more than 240 daily ICE connections with LH flight number

Since the beginning of the year, 432,000 travelers have chosen to use Lufthansa Express Rail to and from Frankfurt Airport. This means that the previous year’s result was exceeded by 28 percent in October 2024. By the end of the year, a total of more than 500,000 bookings have been confirmed. Never before in the more than 20-year cooperation between Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn (DB) have so many travelers opted for the joint offer as in 2024.

Due to the high demand, the range of feeder destinations to Frankfurt Airport – one of the largest airports in Europe – is being steadily expanded: this year it has grown by 4 to a total of 28 cities within Germany. New to the list are the cities of Augsburg, Siegburg/Bonn, Wolfsburg and Essen. This means that more than twice as many cities will be connected by Lufthansa Express Rail than Lufthansa currently does by flight. Thanks to the large number of Sprinter connections, passengers can travel faster between the metropolises with shorter journey times. In addition to the domestic German connections, the cooperation also relies on an international connection between Munich Central Station and Zurich Airport, with a possible boarding in Bregenz, Austria. This ideally complements the offer to the hub of the Lufthansa Group Airline SWISS. The number of feeder trains is also increasing: DB and Lufthansa are offering more than 240 daily ICE connections with a Lufthansa flight number (codeshare numbers).

Michael Peterson, DB Board Member for Long-Distance Passenger Transport: "More and more people are taking advantage of a climate-friendly journey to their flight. Together with Lufthansa, we are delighted with the passenger record. The networking of the two modes of transport, rail and air, is very much in vogue. Our intermodal offering is growing continuously – our passengers benefit greatly in particular from the ICE Sprinter network with extra-fast connections between the metropolises"

Dieter Vranckx, Member of the Executive Board of Deutsche Lufthansa AG: "We are constantly expanding our cooperation with Deutsche Bahn and thus offering our customers flexible travel options. With additional connections, an increased frequency and more comfort, we have made the Lufthansa Express Rail service attractive to more and more guests in recent years. Connecting air and rail even better in the future will only be possible with an efficient and modern infrastructure. We could offer our customers even better travel and transfer services at the Lufthansa hub in Munich if the airport were connected to Deutsche Bahn’s long-distance services. That is why Munich urgently needs an ICE connection. “

Lufthansa and Deutsche Bahn are continuously focusing on the expansion of joint offers for trains to flights. For more than 20 years, the cooperation between the two partners has enabled Lufthansa customers to purchase a combined ticket for train and flight with just one booking step.  

In addition to Lufthansa Group airlines, other Star Alliance airlines are now also using the Lufthansa Express Rail service. This is made possible by Deutsche Bahn’s membership as an intermodal partner of the Star Alliance. And the program will be further strengthened: For example, United Airlines has been using the Lufthansa Express Rail service since the end of last year and other Star Alliance airlines will follow.

Lufthansa Express Rail – advantages at a glance:

• Fast, comfortable and flexible from 28 cities by train to Frankfurt Airport - overview of all cities see infographic
• Optimal connections with short transfer times from train to flight
• Authorization to use the Fast Lane at Frankfurt Airport
• Free rebooking in case of delay
• Large overhead bins on the latest generation of trains
• Special AiRail terminal for baggage check-in and reclaim at Frankfurt Airport
• Priority handling of Express Rail customers’ suitcases at Frankfurt Airport
• One ticket, two boarding passes – for ICE and connecting flight
• Free Wi-Fi on the train
• Mileage credit also for the train journey
• Access to DB lounges for business and First Class customers
• Bookable via all Lufthansa sales channels.

About Lufthansa Group

The Lufthansa Group is an aviation group with operations worldwide. With 100,000+ employees, Lufthansa Group generated revenue of €35.4bn in the financial year 2023. Our largest business segment is Passenger Airlines while other key business segments include Logistics and Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO). Other companies and Group functions such as IT companies and Lufthansa Aviation Training form complimentary components of the Group. All airlines and business segments play leading roles in their respective markets.