TUI to offer trains instead of plane tickets to discourage short-haul flights

Holiday heavyweight TUI is set to offer passengers rail tickets instead of plane seats in a bid to discourage short-haul air travel.

The huge travel firm, which has bases throughout Europe, is making the move in its Netherlands section of the business.

“Traveling more sustainably means offering your customers different transport options And trains are definitely part of that”, Arjan Kers, managing director of TUI Netherlands, said.

“Where the train can be an equivalent replacement for the airplane, we will gladly put this in the spotlight.

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“And even where it is not a replacement but a valuable addition, we want to draw attention to it,” Mr Kers added.

Six city breaks to Copenhagen, Prague, Vienna, Venice, Milan and Florence, will now offer be offered as rail journeys due to a collaboration between TUI and train travel start-up Green City Trip.

Entrepreneur Hessel Winkelman of Green City Trip added: “In the travel world you hear from everyone that it has to be more sustainable.

“Now the deed is followed by the word by the greatest.

“The train also saves on price and stress.

“Just think of those long queues and cancellations at Schiphol.”

A spokeswoman for ProRail, which runs the rail network in the Netherlands, added: “There is still plenty of room on the track and there are certainly plenty of opportunities in the night segment.

“International rail traffic has the future as a sustainable alternative and supplement to the airplane.

“The train is a more than a good replacement for important urban destinations, certainly up to about 750 kilometers.”