Family Reservations with the Train Bite the Dust!
Train journeys will no longer accommodate multiple family members in a booking. - Train station ends practice of prioritizing family seating arrangements.
Time to empty your pockets a little more for those long train rides! The German Rail (DB) has made a small change to their timetable that will significantly impact family budgets. As of today, the family reservation is a thing of the past. Each family member now has to shell out for their own seat reservation, and it's gonna cost ya!
The family reservation, a convenient feature that allowed parents to reserve multiple seats at a fixed price, has been losses its luster. From now on, you'll have to put your money where your seat is, paying for each seat individually. To add insult to injury, DB has raised the price of seat reservations in second class by 30 cents to 5.50 euros per seat. First-class reservations? They now set you back 6.90 euros instead of the previous 6.50 euros. For a family of four, that's a round-trip cost of 44 euros!
Outraged criticisms and criticism have flooded in from politicians, associations, and the public alike. The German Environmental Transport Club (VCD) has started a petition to put a stop to this change. As of this writing, the petition has already clinched 66,000 signatures. The VCD didn't mince words, stating, "This move not only increases costs for families but also tarnishes the DB's image."
Even the Federal Ministry of Transport's spokesperson has voiced doubts about the measure. Environment Minister Carsten Schneider also chimed in, expressing disappointment in the DB's decision. "Families should be able to afford to sit together on the train," Schneider said, "I hope the responsible parties will reconsider this surprising step."
Despite the pushback, DB remains firm in its decision. With children up to 14 years old continuing to travel for free accompanied by adults, the DB argues its new policy is fair game.
There's a silver lining, though. Along with the abolition of family reservations, some regulations that benefit passengers come into effect with Sunday's timetable change. Flex price tickets, for instance, can now be canceled for free up to one day before the first day of validity, and some discount campaigns have kicked off.
- Timetable change
- Sunday
- Children
- Long-distance journey
- Seat
- VCD
- Berlin
- DB
- German Rail
- The timetable change implemented by the German Rail (DB) has caused a stir, particularly in regard to the family reservation system, which is now history.
- The German Environmental Transport Club (VCD) has launched a petition against the change, citing increased costs for families as a major concern and questioning the DB's image.
- Despite criticisms, DB continues to stand by its decision, stating that its new policy remains fair considering children up to 14 years old can still travel free with adults.
- Interestingly, the timetable change also brings about some positive changes for passengers, such as the ability to cancel Flex price tickets for free up to one day before the first day of validity.
- As a family preparing for a long-distance journey, you may want to consider the recent changes in the German Rail's community policy when planning your travel and lifestyle adjustments.
