Air France Air & Rail tickets: Everything you need to know

Did you know some airlines, including Air France, offer tickets that combine flights and train rides? They function much like air-only itineraries except one segment is on a train instead of a plane. Some travelers might want to do this if they are flying into a hub airport, such as Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), and then continuing on to a smaller city where there might be little flight connectivity. Booking a combined ticket can make the experience more seamless.

I had no idea combined flight and train itineraries existed until I accidentally booked an Air France Air & Rail ticket last month. Here’s what the experience was like and what you should know if you’re considering booking one yourself.

Related: Rail renaissance: The best new trains to take

Booking an Air France Air & Rail ticket

Last year, my husband and I took advantage of one of Flying Blue’s Promo Rewards. It was offering economy flights between Denver (our home base) and several European cities for only 15,000 Flying Blue miles each way.

We ultimately settled on a combined trip to Prague and Brussels over Christmas. We flew into Prague, then took a sleeper train to Brussels and flew home from there. Little did we know that wouldn’t be our only train ride on this trip.

After making our reservation, we noticed our return trip left not from an airport but from Brussels Midi/Zuid Station (which uses transportation code ZYR). We would take a train from Brussels to Paris and then catch a nonstop flight to Denver.

What we had stumbled upon was one of Air France’s Air & Rail itineraries. It was included in our 15,000-mile Promo Rewards flight from Brussels to Denver, and according to Air France’s site, it would work just like any flight-only itinerary.

Related: Move over, Delta: Why Air France-KLM’s Flying Blue program has become my favorite SkyTeam loyalty program

Air France Air & Rail details

Part of the reason why we, and other travelers, might be confused by these types of tickets is that Air France’s website lists four types of air and rail journeys, each of which has a different name (and different punctuation marks, even!) depending on the region where you are originating or terminating. Here’s how they break down:

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• Train + Air (trains in France)
• Air & Rail (trains to/from Brussels)
• Air France Smart Connect (trains in Switzerland)
• Eurostar (trains to/from Amsterdam)

For our Air & Rail journey from Brussels, the airline site explained that the entire trip was booked as a single ticket, so we could treat the hour and 32 minutes between our train and plane as a connection. Arriving at a major international airport like CDG over the holidays just an hour and a half before an international flight seemed unwise. As a connection, however, it seemed more reasonable since we would be pulling right into the station at the airport.

Also, if a delayed train caused us to miss our flight, Air France would be responsible for rebooking us — a guarantee you won’t get if you simply take a train or other public transport to the airport. Plus, if you paid cash for your ticket, you would earn Flying Blue miles on the train segment just like you would on a flight (except trains in Switzerland).

At the Air France counter, we found a smaller version of what you’d see at airport check-in, including Sky Priority and economy lines. There was also a Eurostar Premier Lounge, accessible to travelers with Air France business-class or La Premiere tickets and travelers with upper tiers of Flying Blue or SkyTeam elite status.

After a short wait, we presented our passports to the staff member, who checked our luggage, printed our boarding passes (which included those for both the train and flight portions of our journey) and pointed us to the correct platform. She also explained that our bags would go all the way to our final destination so we would not need to retrieve them and recheck them at CDG.

However, note that in some cases, you can obtain your boarding passes for the train and plane but must keep your baggage with you on the train and check them at the airport. That’s the case if:

• Your flight departs from Paris-Orly Airport (ORY)
• Your destination is Tel Aviv
• Your flight is operated by Delta Air Lines
• You are staying in Paris for more than 24 hours (i.e., doing a stopover)

The capacity of the TGV inOui train hold is limited to 60 baggage items, too, so if yours is not one of those first 60 checked items, you have to keep it with you on the train and check it at the airport. That could make it much harder to catch your connecting flight. Be sure to read the website’s fine print regarding baggage before you book your Air & Rail ticket.

Since this was an intra-European train ride, we didn’t have to go through security or wait for our boarding group to be called. So, we headed straight to the platform and into our cabin.

According to Air France’s site, all Air France Air & Rail tickets to and from Brussels are in first class on the TGV inOui train, even if your flight is in economy.

Our seats were assigned automatically at check-in, and we didn’t have to pay extra for specific seats like we would on many planes (our Air France flight from Paris to Denver cost $30 per person to choose seats). My husband and I were on separate bookings, but because we checked in at the same time, we ended up seated next to each other.

Our first-class train seats weren’t exactly what you’d expect from first class in the sky. They reclined but not far. There was no meal service, just a selection of items that you could order online and pick up in the dining car. There were free (albeit spotty) Wi-Fi and a selection of movies, shows, podcasts and games available on the SNCF (French train company) portal, though these crashed when I tried to stream them.

But we were perfectly comfortable on our 90-minute ride — and it was nice being able to use the restroom freely (without waiting for the fasten seat belt sign to turn off).

When we arrived at CDG, we didn’t have to worry about collecting our luggage or checking in. However, we still had to navigate the winding multilevel airport and find our gate.

Because CDG has multiple security checkpoints for different gate sections, we didn’t go through security right away. First, we went through immigration and passport control. Then, we hopped on an airport train to the L and M gates of Terminal 2E (Air France’s main international departure hub), where we got in line for security. By the time we reached the checkpoint, we had only about 20 minutes before our flight was due to start boarding. Thankfully, the security line was short and we had just enough time to grab a to-go breakfast before making it to our gate.

We had to show our boarding passes at several steps throughout the airport, including security, immigration and even at the cash register in the shop where we got breakfast. We used the same boarding passes the agent had given us at the train station, as they included all the information for our flight.

We reached our gate right as boarding started. It was a little stressful, but it was nice knowing that if a delayed train caused us to miss our flight, Air France would be on the hook to help us.

Related: Everything you need to know about booking Eurostar train travel across Europe

Compared to simply flying, our train journey felt much faster and smoother than if we’d had a connecting flight in Brussels. We had to arrive just 30 minutes before departure, compared to two or three hours for most airports, and the train from ZYR to CDG took only half an hour longer than a direct flight from Brussels Airport (BRU) to CDG. Overall, we saved time — and enjoyed a couple of extra hours of sleep before our journey.

If given the choice, I’d gladly take a train instead of a flight. Having both air and rail options should, in theory, give travelers more options and make it easier to visit places where Air France may not have as much of a presence in the sky. Considering the great deal I got by purchasing my ticket with miles, I’m glad to have more ways to use Air France in the future.