Germany’s Transport Minister Patrick Schnieder (CDU) has proposed a joint luggage transfer system between Deutsche Bahn and German airlines. “A joint luggage transfer between rail and airline is an excellent idea and a worthwhile task that the rail operator should take on together with the airlines,” Schnieder told the Funke newspapers on Wednesday.
Under the proposal, passengers would be able to check in their luggage at train stations, with bags then transported to the airport without any further effort from travelers. Schnieder pointed out that similar systems already exist in other countries. “It is extremely convenient to drop off your luggage in the city and only collect it again at your destination,” the minister said.
Deutsche Bahn, however, cautioned against expectations of a nationwide rollout. Checking in luggage at train stations would involve “immense challenges,” a company spokesperson told the Funke newspapers. At the same time, the rail operator said it is “generally always open to suggestions on how to make travel chains more comfortable.”
Lufthansa Airlines chief Jens Ritter recently spoke in favor of closer cooperation with Deutsche Bahn on luggage transfers. “Many guests want a more convenient way to handle luggage. Ideally, passengers would be able to check in their bags at the train station in Hamburg or Cologne and only collect them again at the final flight destination,” Ritter said.
Peter Gerber, president of the German Aviation Association and chief executive of Condor, expressed a similar view to the Funke newspapers. “It would be much more attractive if I could drop off my luggage at the train station and have it loaded directly at the airport, without me as a passenger having to take care of it,” he said.
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