The passenger advocacy group Pro Bahn has criticized the rules governing a newly announced family ticket package. Although naming the concept “a good idea” the group’s chief, Lukas Iffländer, noted that the implementation is flawed. He pointed out that an offer only bookable mid-June and valid until mid-September is simply too late for a large segment of the target audience.
According to Iffländer, most families do not plan their summer vacations just four weeks beforehand. Instead, travel often begins to be booked and paid for during the winter or by the spring, covering accommodations, car rentals, and international train journeys.
These families, he argued, typically relied on standard saver tickets, often at significantly higher prices. It is therefore frustrating for them to now learn that a comprehensive package for the same journey existed at a fraction of the cost, had they only waited three months. The group stated that these families understandably feel “mocked”.
A further point of critique concerned the geographical scope. Iffländer emphasized that while the €99.99 package is a major deal for long domestic routes, it offers nothing to families traveling outside Germany, such as those journeying from Southern Germany to the Mediterranean.
He stressed the urgent need for a comparable family package covering international connections. Such an expansion, particularly for southern German families traveling to Italy, France, or the Adriatic coast, would provide genuine added value and finally extend the appeal of sustainable, rail-based family holidays across Europe.
Separately from the ticket itself, Pro Bahn has not abandoned its fight for a dedicated family reservation feature. On this point, the group had previously successfully challenged Deutsche Bahn (DB). Iffländer highlighted that the fact that the new family ticket package includes reserved seating is seen as a tacit confirmation of how critical joint seat booking is for families. He confirmed that Pro Bahn will continue to lobby both DB and the Federal Ministry of Transport on this issue.
The new offer, which was announced by Bahn Chief Evelyn Palla, allows a whole family of up to five people to travel round-trip on long-distance trains for a fixed price of €99.99, and includes seat reservations. However, the deal remains limited, being available for booking only from mid-June and valid across all of Germany until the end of the Bavarian school holidays in mid-September.
