The Lufthansa check-in counters at Cologne and Stuttgart railway stations are closed
In Stuttgart and Cologne, check-in machines will enable you to quickly and easily print out your boarding passes.
Furthermore you can check in online or on your mobile phone and receive your boarding passes.
AIRail: the perfect combination of train and plane
Travel conveniently from the centre of Cologne (via Siegburg/Bonn) or Stuttgart with the ICE (Inter City Express) to Frankfurt Airport, or in the opposite direction, and enjoy the comprehensive benefits of Lufthansa AIRail services. The perfectly timed coordination of the trains with Lufthansa flights means that transfer times between train and plane are minimal. You can also comfortably catch early intercontinental flights with AIRail.
When you start your journey with AIRail, you check in for both the train journey and the connecting flight in advance and simply take your baggage with you onto your AIRail train. So on arrival at Frankfurt’s mainline station and after checking in your baggage at the AIRail terminal, you can conveniently proceed to the departure gate for your onward flight without further delay.
If an AIRail destination is your final destination, then after your flight has landed in Frankfurt go directly to the AIRail terminal, where you can collect your baggage from the exclusive AIRail baggage reclaim and take it through customs. You then simply take your baggage with you onto your AIRail train.
At Frankfurt and Cologne stations there is free porter service, exclusively for AIRail passengers, to help you carry your bags between the platforms and the AIRail terminal.
All the important AIRail services at a glance
- Routes: - Cologne central station (via Siegburg/Bonn)-Frankfurt and return; - Stuttgart main railway station-Frankfurt and return
- Lufthansa boarding pass for AIRail trains as well as for feeder flights/onward flights
- Minimal transfer times between AIRail trains and Lufthansa flights
- Baggage check-in/collection before or after Lufthansa flights in the AIRail terminal at Frankfurt
- AIRail porter service at Frankfurt mainline station and Cologne central station
- Seat reservation in a specific Lufthansa Business or Economy Class allocated seating area as well as personal assistance from a Lufthansa AIRail guard
Travel conveniently and comfortably
AIRail trains are included in the regular Lufthansa timetable as ‘flights’. You can view the online timetable here:
To the online timetable
You can book AIRail at the same time as your Lufthansa flight as a feeder or onward route online or via the Lufthansa mobile portal.
Please note: for technical reasons, passengers who are starting or finishing their journey in Siegburg/Bonn must always specify Cologne as their start and end destination when making a booking.
Passengers who require special assistance during the AIRail journey should indicate this when booking and have it confirmed so that assistance can be guaranteed.
Additional information for AIRail - passengers requiring special assistance
Check-in and boarding pass
You must check in for your AIRail journey no later than 15 minutes before your train departs and be in possession of a boarding pass. For journeys starting from Cologne or Stuttgart you can check in conveniently online or on your mobile phone, as well as at the Lufthansa check-in machines at Cologne or Stuttgart main stations and receive all your boarding passes.
Check-in opening times:
Cologne (QKL) Mon–Sun: 05.00–20.00 hrs
Stuttgart (ZWS) Mon–Sun: 06.30–11.30 hrs; 12.30–13.30 hrs; 14.30-17.30 hrs
If your journey ends in Cologne or Stuttgart, you will already have been checked in for your AIRail train at the airport where you first began your journey.
In addition, the check-in machines at Frankfurt are available for you to use if you have not yet checked in for AIRail trains or Lufthansa flights.
The boarding pass for the AIRail route is only valid for the train you have booked and which is shown on your boarding pass. If you travel without checking in and without a boarding pass, or use a train which is not part of the AIRail offer, you may incur penalty fares from Deutsche Bahn.
Important information for passengers from Siegburg/Bonn: you can check in online or on your mobile phone, print off your boarding pass at home or get a mobile boarding pass up to 15 minutes before your train departs from Cologne’s central station. There are no check-in facilities at Siegburg/Bonn station.
Baggage regulations for AIRail travel
AIRail passengers are responsible for their own baggage during the train journey up to the point at which they check it in for their onward flight or from the point when they collect it after the flight they have just arrived on. For this reason please take your baggage onto the train yourself. For journeys beginning in Cologne or Stuttgart you can check in your baggage in the AIRail-Terminal (view layout) after arriving by train.
If you are travelling to Cologne or Stuttgart, simply collect your baggage from the AIRail terminal on the way to your train.
We have summarised the baggage check-in and collection options as well as the baggage check-in deadlines for you here:
| Baggage check-in/collection | Deadline for checking in baggage |
|
|---|---|---|
| Baggage check-in at Frankfurt
for journeys starting from Stuttgart or Cologne (Siegburg/Bonn) | Counter 11 in the AIRail-Terminal | 40 minutes before departure
|
| Lufthansa baggage drop-off counter in the departure area | Please note the check-in deadlines | |
| Check-in counter of the connecting airline in the departure area | Relevant airline’s guidelines |
|
| Baggage collection at Frankfurt
for journeys ending in Stuttgart or Cologne (Siegburg/Bonn) | Baggage collection: AIRail-Terminal (view layout) Please note: customs clearance may also be necessary |
At Frankfurt and Cologne stations the free AIRail porter service is available to help you with your bags between the station platform and the AIRail terminal/Center and with getting on and off the train.
The free baggage allowance for your AIRail journey is printed on your airline ticket.
As a rule, for Lufthansa flights the general baggage regulations apply in respect of hand luggage, as do the Lufthansa free baggage regulations.
For the AIRail service specific AIRail baggage regulations also apply.
The AIRail service
| AIRail service | AIRail passengers in Business Class | AIRail passengers in Economy Class |
|---|---|---|
| Seats | Frankfurt - Cologne: Exclusively reserved seats in carriage 21’s panorama lounge, with a special view through the train compartment as well as a bigger seat pitch Frankfurt - Stuttgart: Specially reserved seats in carriage 14 or carriage 21 | Frankfurt - Cologne: reserved seats in carriage 21 Frankfurt - Stuttgart: reserved seats in carriage 5 or carriage 21 |
| Seat reservation | When booking | At check-in |
| On-board service | Frankfurt - Cologne: tray service at your seat Frankfurt - Stuttgart: voucher for the on-board DB bistro | No on-board service |
| Newspapers and magazines | Available on the train | Not available |
| DB lounge access | Cologne central station, Stuttgart main station and Frankfurt inter-city mainline station* | No access to DB lounges |
* AIRail passengers with valid AIRail Business Class boarding pass for that day of travel (SEN/HON with additional companion)
