Connection
 

I booked a "flight" on travelocity from Boston to Saarbruecken connecting through Frankfurt. However, there is some indication that the Franfurt to Saarbruecken and Saarbruecken to Franfurt legs are on rail. The "flight" time from F to S and S to F is listed as 2 hours 11 minutes. The problem is that on the return, the "connection time is only 1 hour 8 minutes. While this might be enough if they are both air flights, it seems extremely difficult to transfer from a train to an international flight in this amount of time. Does anyone have any experience, insight or suggestions?

I have had no experience with this air-rail type of ticket, but I would definitely take an earlier train from Saarbruecken to Frankfurt.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand this. You used Travelocity to book flights from Boston to Saarbrücken through Frankfurt, but instead of all air travel, you ended up with air plus train travel? How did that happen without you knowing it? If it DID happen without you knowing it, I'd get on the phone RIGHT NOW with the Travelocity people and straighten it out! I doubt there's anything anyone on a travel forum can help you out with. This is something to take up IMMEDIATELY with Travelocity!

andy---are you going to attend the fodors get together in cambridge on jan 30??

bob

I don't know what StCirq is getting all hot and bothered about. European air lines are increasingly using trains as connections, as they are more frequent, and often quicker than air travel. People regularly take the train from Brussels to Paris CDG for example as it is much more convenient that shuttling out to Brussels airport, and much more comfortable.
To Gpanda, without looking it up my guess would be that there is at least an hourly regular interval train service from Saarbrucken to Frankfurt, so simply catch the train one hour earlier. The train station at Frankfurt Flughafen, ir just an escalator ride away from the airline check in, so dead easy.

trying to remember the booking on travelocity, I think there was a notation of DB on the F to S and S to F legs. Further research indicates that this might have suggested it was a train connection.

As a practical matter, the train satation in Saaarbruecken is much closer to my ultimate destination than the Airport. If it is a train, I will follow the advice given here and merely switch to an earlier flight. Even if this requires a new purchase, somehow the Boston to Saarbruecken to Boston package was cheaper than the Boston to Franfurt to Boston package. Still cheaper with a new one way train ticket.

I agree. This is a normal everyday occurance. As a matter of fact AA has codeshares with Thalys and I believe some others as well, so you even earn miles.
Now for the original question. You should make it, but if you want to feel less hurried, like somebody already suggested, take the train 1 hour earlier. The trains, unlike planes, especially in Germany run on time and you will be dropped of in the basement of the airport. I may be wrong on this, and you could ask on the way out, but you maybe be able to get your boarding pass at the train station, so if that is true, all you need to worry about is the security. Again, I'm not sure about that.

I agree..simply take an earlier train back from Saarbruecken and worry about more important things in your planning.