On direct flights between Frankfurt, Germany and New York City, USA, the legacy airline Lufthansa competes with the smaller airline Condor.

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Due to its historical role, Lufthansa also operates feeder flights between other German airports to and from Frankfurt. 

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Recently, Lufthansa cancelled the through-ticketing contract between its feeder flights and Condor. As a reaction, the EU Commission has issued a Supplementary Statement of Objections signalling to Lufthansa its intention to order the reinstatement of this agreement.

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Without the feeder traffic, Condor will no longer be able to operate the Frankfurt to New York route on a commercially viable basis.

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According to the EU Commission, there is otherwise a risk of “serious and irreparable damage to competition on this market”.

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Now, the EU Commission must apply the same to passenger rail.

The EU Commission is right. A through-ticket across different competing airlines will enable more choice, lower fares and better protection for passengers between Germany and New York. 

Indeed, there will be passenger rights coverage from beginning until end of the entire journey to New York, and the causer of any delay is liable for compensation – which is the right policy!

▷ In short, passengers will benefit from a network that includes another airline, not only Lufthansa and its alliance partners.

▷ Meanwhile, Condor’s flights will survive commercially, so that people in Germany can benefit from competition to New York.

So why does this kind of arrangement not exist in passenger rail? Why is there no mandatory through-ticketing across all operators, i.e. between the smaller ones and the larger incumbent operators? 

This way, rail passengers could also benefit from more choice, lower fares and better rights for passengers. After all, smaller operators – just like Condor – improve the network that is on offer to travellers.

European Passengers’ Federation Chair Josef Schneider says: “it is alarming that, in 2025, airline passengers flying from Germany to New York have more choice and better rights than rail passengers travelling within the EU.”

ALLRAIL Secretary General Nick Brooks states: “The EU Commission’s planned Single Digital Booking and Ticketing Regulation (SDBTR) must ensure non-discriminatory through-tickets in passenger rail as well.”