Finnair offers air-to-rail connection to Saint Petersburg
(Warsaw 1.10.2014) Finnair and Finnish railway operator VR are cooperating to offer combined air-and-rail tickets between Saint Petersburg and international destinations connecting via Helsinki. Finnair begins selling the combined tickets on 1 October 2014, and the first Allegro train connection with AY code will be on 1 December 2014.
Combined tickets will enable customers flying throughout Finnair’s network in Europe, Asia and North America to connect to and from Saint Petersburg on the high-speed Allegro train, which takes 3 hours and 36 minutes between Helsinki’s Central Railway Station and Saint Petersburg’s Finland Station. Passport and customs procedures are carried out on board the train while en route, saving customers’ time and allowing for a smooth passenger experience.
The new intermodal ticket allows stopovers in Helsinki, enabling customers with business in both cities to make a single booking while also giving leisure travellers the opportunity to take time to explore the Finnish capital region.
“The convenient Allegro train with its two daily frequencies in both directions is a great complement to our twice-daily Saint Petersburg flights,” says Finnair CEO Pekka Vauramo. “Working together with VR, we can effectively extend the catchment area of Helsinki Airport while also helping bring greater numbers of business and leisure travellers to Helsinki. We believe intermodality offers interesting potential for enhancing connections for travellers.”
"Together with Finnair we are offering a new and interesting opportunity for those travelling to and from Saint Petersburg," says Mikael Aro, CEO of VR. "We believe this is an attractive offer for international travellers."
The minimum connecting time for passengers making an intermodal transfer is currently 2 hours and 45 minutes. The most convenient transfer is via the Finnair City Bus, departing from Helsinki Airport and the Central Railway Station approximately every 20 minutes.
In mid-2015 a rail link from Tikkurila Station to Helsinki Airport will be completed, making possible a seamless transfer from the Allegro train straight to the airport.
Further information:
Finnair Media Desk, + 358 9 818 4020, comms@finnair.com
Allegro timetable: https://www.vr.fi/cs/vr/en/allegro_timetables
Finnair City Bus timetable: http://media.finnair.com/files/pdf/FINNAIR_CITY_BUS_TIMETABLE.pdf
Finnair Gallery: http://gallery.finnair.com
Finnair on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Twitter
Finnair blogs: http://blogs.finnair.com
Finnair on Facebook: www.facebook.com/finnair
Finnair Group website:www.finnairgroup.com
Finnair is specialised in fast connections between Europe and Asia via Helsinki. The airline carries more than eight million passengers annually and connects 13 cities in Asia with more than 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, operates a young, modern fleet and is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past five years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.
