KLM ditches one of its European flights in favor of trains
A major European airline is cutting back on flights and replacing that capacity with high-speed trains instead.
From 29 March 2020, Dutch flag carrier KLM will replace one of its five daily flights from Amsterdam to Brussels with trains operated by the French-Belgian high-speed rail company Thalys. The flight between the two cities is so short that passengers spend only a brief 20 minutes in the sky, compared to the two-hour train journey.
The carrier says the benefits from the change are twofold. First, using more environmentally friendly forms of transport would support KLM's drive for sustainability. Secondly, Amsterdam's Schiphol airport (AMS) suffers from tight restrictions on the number of departures and arrivals that are permitted on any given day. Reductions in short-haul flights would release slots that can be used for long-haul flights instead.
The airline would buy capacity on the trains, which it would then sell. The TGV Thalys high-speed trains, which connect Paris with Amsterdam in a little over three hours, also pull into the station connected to Schiphol, enabling seamless connections to KLMN flights.
According to a Railway Gazette, KLM is in favor of using rail instead of flying on short-haul routes as long as trains "fully match the speed, reliability and comfort that air travel offers". When compared like-for-like, a two-hour train journey seems longer than a 20-minute flight. But, when you include travel time to and from the arrival and departure airports plus the waiting time in the airport before the flight, flying then becomes a longer journey than the two-hour train ride that runs directly between the two city centers.
If you're curious about how taking a plane versus a train over a short distance between major European cities would look and feel, TPG UK recently tested it out by racing from Buckingham Palace to the Eiffel Tower in a bid to test whether plane or train would be the quickest mode of transport for the journey between London and Paris.
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The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
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- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month