Vienna’s City Airport Train – unique in Europe

The Vienna City Airport Train (CAT) has been operating since 2003 and is Europe’s only air-rail link which offers a ‘City Check-In’ facility. In just 16 minutes, passengers in Vienna can travel on a non-stop service between the city centre and the airport, and vice versa, from early in the morning until late at night, 365 days a year. But what makes CAT more than just a mere airport transfer? Global Railway Review explores what the service has to offer.

Unbeaten record for punctuality and availability

Vienna’s City Airport Train covers approximately 19km in 16 minutes, on a non-stop service, providing travellers with an effortless and fast connection between the airport and the city centre. The service has an unbeaten record for punctuality and availability; in 2011, over 98% of all CAT connections were on time. This sets the airport transfer service apart from other modes of transport, especially when road-traffic conditions are often heavily congested.

CAT passengers benefit from a number of distinct advantages when compared to competing taxi and bus companies that are often caught up in road-traffic. Reliability is the number one priority for the airport transfer. The City Airport Train is based on the Siemens Taurus traction unit and is combined with double-decker coaches and has proven to be a winning combination as the units have been consistently running the best levels of availability since their inception in December 2005.

Success of the ÖBB and Vienna Airport strategic partnership

The launch of the CAT service marked the start of a very positive trend in airport transfers. Back in 2003, approximately 90% of airport transfers were made via car. Now, 30% of all airport transfers use the public rail network, with about half of these using the CAT service. The introduction of the City Airport Train has also had a positive impact on the competing market share of the S-Bahn – the rapid transit train that connects to the Austrian Railway network (ÖBB).

Before the introduction of the CAT service, the S-Bahn owned just 6% of the market share. Overall, a strong general trend towards public transport, in particular transport on the public train service, can be seen in the Vienna market. However, comparing these two transport services, it is noticeable that the S-Bahn trains often do not match the expectations that today’s air traveller requires of a modern transfer solution.

In a joint partnership between Vienna International Airport and ÖBB, the City Airport Train Company was founded in 2002. The concept was to introduce a state-of-the-art, sustainable and environmentally-friendly connection for airport transfer in Vienna. Existing successful air-rail connections, such as the Heathrow Express in the UK and the Arlanda Express in Sweden, served as benchmarks.

Elisabeth Landrichter, Managing Director for City Air Terminal Betriebsgesellschaft mbH, believes that support from the two CAT parent companies is absolutely essential. “It allows knowledge of CAT services to be transferred from the two fields of business; the railway and airport. The combination of these resources makes the CAT service not only very com – petitive, but also a unique product.”

Through the strategic partnership between the two parent companies, it has been possible to go beyond a mere train and create a major USP for the City Airport Train: the ‘City Check-In’ facility.

An airport in the middle of the city

The CAT’s ‘City Check-In’ facility is unique within Europe. It provides a check-in hall that includes all the amenities of an international airport, but within the CAT City Terminal. In the heart of Vienna, CAT passengers can check-in, receive their boarding pass, and hand over their flight baggage, free of charge, before pro – ceeding with the CAT service to Vienna Airport. The ‘City Check-In’ facility is available to passengers of the Star Alliance Group members, NIKI and Airberlin. Approximately 80% of Vienna’s total passenger volume is handled at the airport with these airlines.

“The ‘City Check-In’ desk in Vienna is an essential service for our customers,” explains Elisabeth. “One of the key success factors is undoubtedly the support provided by Vienna airport. It essentially acts as the primary interface between the airlines, the check-in agents and the CAT service. Approximately 45% of our customers take advantage of the personalised support and, in particular, the time saved in comparison with checking in at the airport.”

The ‘City Check-In’ allows a traveller to check-in from the centre of Vienna as early as the night before, right up to 75 minutes before departure of their flight. This saves the CAT customer valuable time, which they can otherwise use during their stay in Vienna. The baggage checked-in by CAT passengers is loaded via a baggage conveyor belt directly on to the next departing train and then fed in to the baggage sorting system at the Vienna International Airport. “Since its inception, not one single suitcase has ever gone missing,” claims Elisabeth.

Service is the number one priority

It is not just the ‘City Check-In’ that significantly differentiates the CAT service from other transport options. The quality and service also makes it stand out. A team of dedicated train attendants look after passengers both at Vienna International Airport and the City Terminal, plus to ensure passengers receive a relaxed journey on board. In addition to support from this team, passengers can also contact the CAT Call Centre which is open for questions and assistance 24/7.

“Comfort, innovative services, and the principle of being an ‘easy going’ service are critical criteria for sustained success in the day-to-day competition with other forms of transport,” states Doris Pulker-Rohrhofer, Co-Director at CAT. “This means we are always investing in new advanced technology. For example, in March 2012, we added a new feature to online bookings via the CAT website, so it is now possible to get your online tickets sent as a text message to your mobile phone. Currently, the CAT team is working on a mobile and smartphone browser version of the CAT website. This will also link, in the future, to the Vienna Mobile Guide, CAT App, that has been available since 2010. Ultimately, we build all of these developments around the essence of the City Airport Train brand, which is to offer a very simple, yet powerful product service for airport transfers.”

A carbon neutral, sustainable and winning link with ÖBB infrastructure

Alongside providing a comfortable and tech – nically advanced service, personal carbon footprint and environmental balance play an increasingly important role in the decision criterion for choosing the mode of transport, particularly for outbound journeys.

CAT passengers not only travel in comfort and ease, but they also enjoy a completely carbon neutral journey to the airport. Since early-2011, the CAT service has been operating its zero-emission trains using electricity from 100% renewable energy sources. This means that passengers using the service make a significant contribution to protecting the environment.

The business philosophy that drove the introduction of the zero-emissions rail link is the commitment to making the City Airport Train an active partner in climate protection and to developing it beyond the already environmentally-friendly normal rail service, by taking that extra step towards preserving the environment. The 1.14 million passengers that travelled with CAT in 2011, not only selected the fastest airport transfer in Vienna, but also the most environmentally-friendly.

Investing in travel comfort and quality

A major refurbishment project of CAT trains was completed in early-2011. The interior of the train sets was completely renewed and the exterior design was given a fresh new look: the striking new green CAT livery symbolises the speed and dynamics of the high performance service. Alongside the new exterior colour scheme, the makeover inside included new glass partitions and floor carpets, new leather upholstery and cushioning for the seats, and revised racking for daily newspapers, as well as a completely revised set of security notices.

Elisabeth and Doris both underline the importance of this investment for the future. “As our customer satisfaction surveys indicate, besides the speed and reliability, the high level of comfort is a key decision criterion for our customers in choosing to travel with CAT. The refurbishment project is another clear signal of our commitment to providing a passengerfocused service.”

Enhancing travel convenience and making the 16 minute short stay on board entertaining is of key importance, and right from inception of the City Airport Train, a close cooperation in live information with the company Infoscreen has been available, broadcasting daily news, travel and topical information about Vienna, through 20 monitors in each train set.

In addition to the recent upgrading of the trains, new investment is also being made in the two terminal stations. With the recent opening of the new, third check-in at the Vienna International Airport, an extension to the existing terminal at Vienna airport was also opened and included a dedicated CAT service counter. On-going construction work at the CAT City Terminal will also be completed in November 2012. With the renovation of the building, the CAT City Check-In hall will be enlarged and directly connected to a shopping mall, giving enhanced connection to subways and commuter trains. This will ensure both smooth and considerably more attractive access to public transport in Vienna.

The Vienna City gateway

Running at a profit for the past four years, CAT is ready for the future. The City Airport Train has established itself as the fastest and most comfortable airport transfer service for the city and is recognised as a fixed point for international and national air travellers, and CAT brand-recognition has grown to a rate of 90% in the local market. Furthermore, the recorded increase in annually passenger numbers is a clear sign of the successful development of the CAT service.

Elisabeth puts this success down to the consistent focus on quality and service which will be expanded in the future. “We have a stretch-goal, especially in the local market, to grow market share and to build an important cornerstone for tourism in Vienna, because CAT represents a calling card for Vienna and with it comes high expectations.”

With this in mind, the City Airport Train is looking forward to 2013 and its 10th anniversary with eager anticipation and ambition for the future.

Biography

Elisabeth Landrichter studied at Vienna’s University of Economics and Business and the University of St. Gallen. In 1992, Elisabeth joined the Flughaven Wien Group and has worked in various positions including the Head of the Controlling Business Unit Handling Services. Since 2007, Elisabeth has been Managing Director for City Air Terminal Betriebsgesellschaft mbH, and earlier in 2012, also became responsible for Strategic Controlling at Vienna Airport.