The passenger association “Pro Bahn” has criticized the details of the new family ticket, stating that while the underlying idea is strong, its execution is lacking. According to the association leader, Lukas Iffländer, the offer is problematic because it is only bookable starting in mid-June and only valid until mid-September, timing that is simply too late for a large portion of the target demographic.
Iffländer pointed out that most families do not begin planning their summer holiday trips just four weeks beforehand. Typically, the process of booking holiday apartments, hotels, international rail journeys, and rental cars occurs much earlier, often in the winter or early spring. Consequently, many families, without realizing better options existed, booked regular, often more expensive, standard tickets. They now learn that a comprehensive package fare-for a fraction of the cost-would have been available, provided they had simply waited three months. In his words, these families understandably feel misled.
A second major drawback is the limited scope of the ticket. While the 99.99 Euro price point represents a genuine bargain for long domestic routes, it offers absolutely nothing to families who plan to travel internationally, for instance, from Southern Germany toward the Mediterranean coast. The association stressed the urgent need for a comparable family package that covers connections to neighboring countries. Such an offering would significantly enhance the value for South German families traveling to destinations like Italy, France, or the Adriatic, ultimately giving the sustainable railway holiday a much broader European reach.
Furthermore, the Pro Bahn leader has not abandoned the campaign for a mandatory family reservation system. He noted that the new family ticket’s inclusion of a seat reservation service serves as an implicit confirmation that group booking for families is paramount. The Pro Bahn stated that they will continue to pursue this issue with both Deutsche Bahn and the Federal Transport Ministry.
These criticisms follow the recent announcement by Bahn Chief Evelyn Palla, who introduced the discounted summer family flat rate. This ticket would allow a whole family of up to five people to travel by long-distance trains round trip for 99.99 Euros, with seat reservations included. However, the new deal remains constrained by the same window: bookable only from mid-June and valid across all of Germany until the end of the Bavarian school holidays in mid-September.