Air France and SNCF Voyageurs are stepping up their long running air rail partnership by folding low cost high speed operator Ouigo into the Train+Air program, creating a broader one ticket network that links dozens of French cities to Paris Charles de Gaulle and long haul flights.

The move, which began rolling out in late 2025 and was formalized in an announcement on January 19, 2026, is positioned as a major shift in how travelers can mix rail and air for seamless and more affordable journeys within France and beyond.

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A New Phase for France’s Flagship Air Rail Alliance

The Train+Air offer, known for many years under the TGV Air name, allows travelers to combine a domestic high speed train and an Air France flight on a single reservation with through protection if delays occur. Until now the rail component relied exclusively on SNCF’s flagship TGV Inoui services. With Ouigo joining the scheme, the partnership between Air France and SNCF Voyageurs enters a new phase that reaches deeper into the French network and into the budget travel segment.

Since October 16, 2025, selected Ouigo routes have been available as part of Train+Air for journeys connecting with Paris Charles de Gaulle. The first wave of integration targets key hubs in the south of France, including Aix en Provence TGV, Avignon TGV and Marseille Saint Charles, creating new one ticket links to Air France’s main international gateway. Additional stations are due to be added steadily over the next two years as operational and commercial systems are aligned.

For both companies, the expansion is described as a natural evolution of a partnership that has already lasted more than three decades. Air France and SNCF Voyageurs have long framed intermodality as a way to extend airport catchment areas, ease congestion on short haul domestic flights and support climate goals by shifting some traffic to rail where viable alternatives exist.

How the Extended Train+Air Service Works

At its core, Train+Air is designed to remove the friction from planning and executing multi modal trips in France and onward to global destinations. Passengers book their itinerary through Air France channels, SNCF Voyageurs sales platforms or partner travel agencies, selecting a combined train plus flight option instead of separate tickets. One reference number covers the full journey, check in processes are streamlined and baggage handling is synchronized according to the specific routing.

The key benefit compared with piecing together separate reservations is protection in case of disruption. If a Ouigo or TGV Inoui service runs late and a customer misses an onward flight, Air France and SNCF commit to rebooking the traveler on the next available train or flight at no extra cost. The same applies in reverse if an inbound flight arrives late and the connecting train is missed. This type of through protection, more familiar from interline airline agreements, has been central to the appeal of the Train+Air product since its inception.

With the service now fully digital, travelers can check in online for their Air France flight from 48 hours before departure, or 24 hours for routes to the United States, and access their rail segment within the same booking journey. For international visitors heading into French regions or residents traveling out to long haul destinations, the combined product is marketed as a simple door to door solution anchored on Paris Charles de Gaulle but extending far beyond the capital.

Ouigo Brings Low Cost Reach to a Premium Model

The arrival of Ouigo within Train+Air marks a significant widening of the program’s price range and target audience. Ouigo is SNCF’s low cost high speed brand, operating simplified TGV services with à la carte paid extras such as larger luggage or specific seat selection. Fares can start from under twenty euros on some domestic routes, undercutting standard TGV Inoui tickets and appealing strongly to budget conscious travelers, families and students.

Until now, travelers who wanted the security of a protected Train+Air itinerary had to rely on TGV Inoui, which is typically more expensive. By integrating Ouigo, Air France and SNCF Voyageurs are effectively opening Train+Air to a more cost sensitive market segment while keeping the core advantages of a one ticket product. Early examples from French travel specialists show that, on some routes, combining an Ouigo leg with a long haul Air France flight can cut more than one hundred euros from a round trip compared with traditional options, depending on dates and availability.

For passengers in cities like Marseille considering a long haul trip to destinations in Asia, Africa or the Americas, this means they can now start their journey on a bright pink and blue Ouigo train to Paris Charles de Gaulle, connect smoothly to an Air France aircraft and remain covered if disruption hits at any point. The idea is to turn what might previously have been a patchwork of separate low cost rail and independent flight tickets into a coherent, insured itinerary that still feels affordable.

Network Expansion From Three Stations to Dozens

The initial stage of the Ouigo integration focuses on three stations in the south east that already see strong high speed rail demand and good timing for long haul connections. Avignon TGV, Aix en Provence TGV and Marseille Saint Charles are now live within the Train+Air platform for trips to and from Paris Charles de Gaulle. These links effectively extend the Paris hub several hundred kilometers south, bringing the Mediterranean basin and Provence region closer to global routes.

According to the rollout plan outlined by Air France and SNCF Voyageurs, the next milestone will be reached by September 2026, when a total of 27 stations across France should be connected to Paris Charles de Gaulle via Train+Air, including both TGV Inoui and Ouigo services. While the full list has not yet been publicly detailed, industry observers expect major cities such as Lyon, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse and Lille to figure prominently, reflecting Ouigo’s existing high speed network.

Beyond that date, the ambition is to gradually open Train+Air access to the wider set of roughly 70 destinations served by Ouigo in France, including both high speed and so called classic routes on conventional lines. That could bring smaller cities and secondary hubs into the fold, giving them a direct sales link into Air France’s long haul network without requiring additional domestic flights. The expansion reflects a broader European trend in which rail operators and airlines are experimenting with integrated offers around key hub airports.

Climate Strategy and the Shift From Short Flights to Rail

The extension of Train+Air to Ouigo is being closely tied to Air France’s climate and sustainability roadmap. Under its Air France ACT plan, the airline has committed to cut carbon dioxide emissions per passenger kilometer by 30 percent by 2030 compared with 2019 levels. Alongside fleet renewal and increased use of sustainable aviation fuel, shifting some domestic travel legs from aircraft to high speed trains is presented as a practical and visible lever.

Intermodality has gained traction in France following government measures that effectively ban certain short domestic flights where a rail alternative of under two and a half hours is available. While the rules contain exemptions and do not apply to connecting itineraries, they have accelerated debate about the role of rail in serving domestic demand. By strengthening the air rail product and making it attractive in price and convenience terms, Air France and SNCF are positioning Train+Air as a customer friendly expression of that policy shift rather than a constraint.

From SNCF Voyageurs’ perspective, integrating more closely with Air France helps reinforce high speed rail as the default option for domestic and near domestic travel whenever geography allows. It also offers the rail company access to a wider pool of international customers who might be more inclined to add a train leg to their flight when it is clearly presented during the booking process and comes with the reassurance of a single contract of carriage.

Digital Integration and the Promise of Seamless Journeys

Behind the public announcements, the success of the expanded Train+Air program depends heavily on digital integration between Air France and SNCF’s distribution and operational systems. To offer a genuinely seamless experience, the partners need to coordinate schedule data, real time disruption information, customer notifications and after sales processes across both the flight and rail legs. This coordination has been progressively strengthened in recent years as the program grew from 28 routes in 2022 to 41 routes by 2025.

The addition of Ouigo adds a further layer of complexity, since the low cost brand has its own product rules, fare structure and ancillary services. Ensuring that travelers understand what is and is not included in their Ouigo segment, especially around luggage allowances and seat options, is likely to be a key communications challenge. Both Air France and SNCF Voyageurs have emphasized that the combined product remains fully digital and that travelers will be able to manage most aspects of their trip online or via apps.

For frequent flyers and corporate clients, the integration also opens up more consistent reporting of end to end emissions and travel patterns, something that is increasingly important for companies tracking their environmental impact. Having rail and air segments on the same ticket and in the same data stream makes it easier to calculate emissions and, in some cases, to demonstrate that a lower carbon choice was made compared with an all air itinerary.

Loyalty, Affordability and the Battle for the Connected Traveler

The Ouigo move comes on the heels of another notable innovation in the Air France SNCF relationship. Since February 2025, members of Air France KLM’s Flying Blue loyalty program have been able to convert their miles into SNCF Voyageurs vouchers, with values ranging from 25 to 100 euros. That feature has rapidly become one of the most popular non flight uses of miles, signaling strong appetite among frequent flyers to deploy their rewards on rail travel as well as air.

By combining loyalty integration with a broadened Train+Air offer that now embraces low cost high speed services, the partners are effectively building a shared ecosystem around the connected traveler in France. Someone who flies long haul with Air France a few times a year can now use accrued miles to fund rail trips across the country, some of which may form part of future Train+Air itineraries. Conversely, a domestic rail customer who connects to an Air France flight via Ouigo may be more likely to join Flying Blue and remain within that ecosystem.

From a competitive standpoint, this strengthens Air France’s positioning against foreign carriers operating to and from France who may not have comparable integrated rail offers around Paris Charles de Gaulle. It also provides SNCF and Ouigo with additional visibility in international markets, since the combined product is displayed on airline and global distribution channels where overseas travelers are more likely to shop.

What It Means for Travelers in France and Beyond

For leisure travelers planning a holiday abroad, the extended Train+Air service promises more options to leave the car at home and avoid domestic connecting flights while still enjoying a coherent journey. A family in Avignon or Marseille can board an early morning Ouigo, arrive at Paris Charles de Gaulle with an integrated connection to a transatlantic or Asia bound flight, and travel with the reassurance that any serious delay on one leg will be managed by the partnership rather than becoming a personal headache.

Business travelers and international visitors stand to benefit as well. Rather than overnighting in Paris or juggling separate rail and air bookings, they can use Train+Air to knit together regional meetings and global trips in a single itinerary. The presence of Ouigo in the mix could make rail legs competitively priced even when booked as part of a corporate travel program, particularly in periods of high demand when classic TGV fares spike.

As the network grows toward the target of 27 connected stations by September 2026 and potentially many more thereafter, the practical effect for the French travel landscape could be significant. More regions will be effectively linked into the global air network through high speed and classic rail, often at entry level prices. At the same time, the environmental narrative around the program is likely to resonate with travelers increasingly attentive to their carbon footprint, especially on short domestic legs where rail can offer a substantial emissions advantage.