With Stéphane Jaladis
An experiment that should continue over time. To celebrate a 30-year partnership, Air France and SNCF Voyageurs offer Flying Blue members the chance to convert their miles into vouchers for use on the TGV INOUI network.. Created in 1995, the combined transport service " Train+Air " (formerly TGV Air) has proved its worth. It is now available on 41 routes to and from Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Paris-Orly airports, compared with 28 in 2022 - an increase of almost 50% in just three years. The aim is to " facilitate access to airports by rail and encourage the use of low-carbon transport solutions where available" emphasised the two partners in a joint press release.
22 stations in France have direct links to Paris airports. The service, which is entirely digital, makes it possible to combine rail and air journeys in a single booking. It also offers customers the guarantee of taking the next train in the event of irregularity.
Since 2019, more than 600,000 bookings have been made via the "Train+Air" service. This figure underlines passengers' growing interest in combined journeys. It also demonstrates customers' desire to reduce the footprint of their journeys. In 2024, the most popular routes were Lyon, Lille and Strasbourgwith the majority of passengers connecting to North America and the West Indies.
Vouchers for travel with TGV INOUI
The two transport companies have taken a new step forward. For the first time in the world, members of the Flying Blue loyalty programme can convert their Miles into SNCF Voyageurs vouchers. The airline can now exchange them in the Flying Blue Store for SNCF vouchers worth 25, 50 or 100 euros to help buy tickets for TGV Inoui and Intercités trains, or for travel with its subsidiaries such as Eurostar and Lyria.
The thresholds have been set at 7,500 miles for a €25 discount, 15,400 miles for €50 and some 30,000 miles for a €100 voucher. This corresponds to purchase volumes for Air France tickets of €1925, €3850 and €7500 respectively. Bookings are made via SNCF Voyageurs approved agencies and SNCF Voyageurs direct sales channels.
Air France and SNCF Voyageurs are determined to further improve intermodality between train and plane. The two companies are looking at ways to make their services more complementary and the customer journey smoother. In this context, it should be noted that the integration of both Transavia flights, the Air France-KLM group's low-cost service, and Ouigo trains, the rail company's low-cost service, should be completed in the first half of 2025.
