Today, April 5th, ITA Airways announced that it had launched its newest sustainable transportation offering. As of today, passengers traveling with ITA within Italy will be able to take advantage of the airline's new Rail+Plane offering. This new offering enables travelers to purchase airfare and rail fare in one convenient process.

The airline anticipates that this new offering will be well received by its regular travelers as it will offer a high level of convenience. The airlines' representatives claim that the new offering will help promote sustainable travel as trains are a more eco-friendly means of traveling to the airport than cars.

Connecting the land with the sky

ITA Airways' Rail+Plane product will enable travelers to not only book both a plane ticket and a train ticket in the same place but also allow them to have just one ticket that covers both. The airline has created this product in collaboration with Trenitalia and Aeroporti di Roma. The partnership has chosen to use Accesrail technology to make the offering possible. The rail service ITA has partnered with is the high-speed rail service Frecciarossa, which offers quick, convenient connections to various cities across Italy.

In order for passengers to utilize the offering, they will need to use one of ITA's Rail+Plane check-in counters. Currently, the airline only has one check-in counter at an airport capable of processing these tickets. That counter is at Rome's Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport (FCO) rail station.

From here, ITA passengers traveling to various parts of Italy through Rome may connect to multiple places across Italy conveniently after flying into FCO. The opposite is true for passengers traveling from Italy. Through this offering, they can conveniently travel by train to FCO before boarding a flight to connect to ITA's expansive air transit network.

At the time of this writing, the Rail+Plane offering is still in its beginning phases. While the airline does not doubt the offering will be a huge hit, it wants to verify that it is well received by the traveling public before rolling out its entire Rail+Plane plan. The airline's goal is to have a ticket counter at every airport connected to the Frecciarossa rail system capable of processing these tickets enabling the airline to spread this offering across Italy. Presuming the new offering is well received, the airline plans to roll it out everywhere it can in Italy beginning in May.

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Sustainable travel

Like most airlines worldwide, ITA Airways is committed to reducing its negative impact on the environment. Along with numerous other airlines, it aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050. It is primarily looking to achieve this goal in ways many different airlines use, such as using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), enhancing operational efficiency, and utilizing newer, more efficient aircraft engines. However, this recent Rail+Plane offering is a unique way ITA is working to reduce carbon emissions.

It is no small secret that modern rail travel on high-speed trains is a far more sustainable transportation option when compared to traveling by car. While rail travel is not without its drawbacks, it can transport many passengers more quickly and efficiently over a long distance than could be transported in personal vehicles. That being said, even if the new travel offering is a success, it will not impact ITA's emissions output. Regardless, the offering shows the airline's commitment to improving the environment whenever and wherever possible.

What do you think of this new Rail+Plane offering? Do you have any plans to take advantage of this convenient travel product? Let us know in the comment section.

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  ITA Airways

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  AZ/ITY

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Rome Fiumicino Airport

  Year Founded:

  2020

  Alliance:

  SkyTeam

  CEO:

  Fabio Lazzerini

  Country:

  Italy