Drastic Changes at Deutsche Bahn: Family Reservations Bite the Dust!
Railway no longer accommodates family reservations
Get ready for some big news! Deutsche Bahn's playbook has seen a shake-up, and not everyone is happy about it. The much-criticized changes are pushing forward, with naysayers questioning whether this move is in the right direction.
From this very day, the cherished family reservations are no more. Parents embarking on long train journeys can no longer secure a flat rate for themselves and their little ones. Sadly, the so-called family reservation has become obsolete with a small tweak to Deutsche Bahn's schedule.
Now, if you want to hold a seat, you have to pay for each one separately for every family member. To add salt to the wound, Deutsche Bahn has raised the price for second-class seat reservations by 30 cents, now setting you back 5.50 euros per seat instead of the former 5.20 euros. In first class, reservations cost 6.90 euros instead of the previous 6.50 euros. So for a family of four, reservations will double in price.
A Flicker of Hope: Economic Questioning
The abolition of family reservations has stirred up a storm of indignant reactions and criticism from politics and associations. The environmental transport club has even started a petition to thwart this project! In response, a Ministry of Transport spokesperson voiced their doubts about the measure last Friday.
Despite the resistance, the state-owned company held firm and pressed on. They tactfully remind us that children under 14 years old still travel free when accompanied by an adult. With the timetable change this Sunday, some regulations will be enacted to benefit passengers. Flex price tickets can once again be canceled free of charge up to one day before the travel date, and some discount campaigns will kick off.
In essence, the scrapping of family reservations will undoubtedly make travel with children more costly and logistically challenging for families. But move over, as some positive passenger-friendly updates are set to roll in! Keep your eyes peeled for those.
Sources: ntv.de, lar/dpa, further information from Bundesverkehrswegeplan, Reisebüro Porsche, German Railways Association, and the Federal Ministry of Transport.
- Deutsche Bahn
- Consumers
- Train Traffic
- Prices
- In light of the new community policy at Deutsche Bahn, there are concerns about the impact of the abolition of family reservations on the transportation industry, particularly on families with small children, as traveling with children is set to become more costly and logistically challenging.
- The decision to eliminate family reservations has sparked financial implications, as the price for second-class seat reservations has increased by 30 cents, and the costs for both first-class and second-class reservations have risen for families.
- While the elimination of family reservations has stirred public backlash, there is a glimmer of hope for consumers with some vocational training programs in the form of discount campaigns and passenger-friendly updates in train traffic that will be enacted in the near future.
