Air France-KLM Celebrate Inauguration of Air&Rail Lounge in Brussels
An 7th daily high-speed rail service between Brussels and Paris will also be added this summer
Photo: Courtesy of KLM
Air France and KLM celebrated the inauguration of their newly refurbished Air&Rail Terminal at Brussels-Midi/Zuid train station on March 26.
The opening of the new facility reflects the airline’s long-standing commitment to providing seamless rail connections to passengers traveling across Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
The fully renovated rail terminal and lounge offer connecting passengers an elegant space to relax before boarding their train in the Belgian capital. Air France and KLM provide rail connections from the Brussels-Midi/Zuid terminal to their respective hubs at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS).
Photo: Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. Courtesy of KLM.
The French and Dutch flag carriers have been offering their combined Air&Rail service since March 2001, allowing customers to book flights and connecting train tickets under a single fare. Since then, the service has provided over 4.5 million seats on around 93,000 high-speed trains.
“We’re proud to continue investing in the Air&Rail product,” said KLM’s CEO Marjan Rintel. “We remain fully committed to ensuring a smooth customer journey, making the train an ever-better alternative to air on short-haul European routes.
“We’re working closely with our partners to optimize the Air&Rail offer for our customers, who can connect to over 300 destinations worldwide via Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam Airport Schiphol.”
In addition to the convenience of having one ticket for the entire journey, Air&Rail passengers receive the guarantee of being booked on the next available flight or train should their original flight or train be delayed and they miss their connection. Air France and KLM have dedicated representatives to assist passengers at each train station included in the program, including at the newly refurbished terminal in Brussels.
Members of Air France-KLM’s loyalty program, Flying Blue, also receive a range of other benefits when using the Air&Rail service. This includes the accumulation of Miles, priority access at airport check-in desks, access to Brussels-Midi/Zuid’s Eurostar lounge, extra baggage allowance, and free seat selection on their flight.
Air France passengers flying out of Charles de Gaulle can also check in their luggage for their entire journey before boarding the train in Brussels, while they can also travel in first class aboard the high-speed TGV INOUI trains.
Photo: TGV INOUI. Courtesy of Free Nomad / Unsplash
Meanwhile, KLM SkyPriority passengers flying out of Amsterdam Schiphol can benefit from priority check-in, boarding, baggage handling, security, and immigration when connecting from the Air&Rail service. Since 2022, KLM passengers can check in for their entire journey online from 30 hours and up to 15 minutes before departure. KLM business class passengers can also enjoy Premium class travel on Eurostar trains to Schiphol.
Air France-KLM also announced that an additional high-speed connection between Brussels-Midi/Zuid and Paris Charles de Gaulle will be offered this summer, from June 15 to August 22, taking the total number of connections to seven per day.
Air&Rail tickets can be bought on both the Air France and KLM website, as well as at Brussels-Midi/Zuid station and travel agencies. The new terminal is open every day from 5:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
