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Flying is faster, or not...

Posted by (Wengen) on

So for my 4th trip Interlaken - Amsterdam I decided to fly. Mostly because this time I am visiting both Amsterdam and Madrid, so have three flights planned, and cannot easily do my usualy Interrail trick...

Result: Interlaken - Amsterdam is a whole 1:20 minutes faster by plane then by train.. And this even though I cut it rather close. I arrived at ZRH half an hour before bag drop would close. But I know the airport. I had printed my luggage tags at home, so once of the train walked to the automated bag drop, where I could immediately get rid of my suitcase. Then I went to the gates, and to my delight there were no queues at security. I was airside less than 15 minutes after getting of the train. A new record.

But yes, It was not materially faster. Shows that even 8-9 hour train rides can be competitive.

Posted by
1065 posts

I flew into GVA, bus to Chamonix then bus to Annecy. Then I was going to Carcassonne, and flying from GVA-TLS made sense. Then I did the math - 1 hr from Annecy back to GVA, 2 hrs before the flight, 1 hr flight then 1 hr from TLS to Carcassonne, v. a 5 hr TGV ride from Annecy to the Carcassonne train station... it was a no brainer, TGV won!

Posted by
24972 posts

That’s a depender. And it depends on more than just about the time involved. Cost is important too. And sometimes, for me, the most important thing is arrival time. That makes the difference between a full day of sightseeing or going to bed. For me there is no "if the train trip is 5 hours the plane is faster" rule of thumb. There is no rule of thumb period. Here is one I get asked about a lot.

Budapest to Prague with Carry-on only
K&K hotel taxi to the airport: 0.6 ($30)
Preflight arrival: 2.0
Flight time: 1.3 ($90)
Deplane and get into taxi: 0.8
Taxi to Hotel Ventana, Old Town: 0.5 ($30)
Total: 5.2 hours ($150 and up depending on the flight ticket class)
Arrival 7:54 + 1:18 makes check-in time at my hotel about 9:12 in the morning. I get a full day of sightseeing; but I had to be at the airport pretty darn early to get that. Worth it? Maybe, maybe not.

Budapest to Prague on the train
Get to and use public transportation to Nyugati train station: 0.3 ($2)
Predeparture arrival at train station: 0.4
Train duration: 6.8 ($45)
Get to and use public transportation to Hotel Ventana: 0.4 ($2)
Total: 7.9 hours ($49)
For a similar departure time as the flight, I get into Prague at 14:26 + 0:24 = hotel check-in about 14:50. The day is more than half over. But I save at least $100.00. Worth it? Every trip is unique, so maybe, maybe not.

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