Brightline expands global distribution via AccesRail partnership

Brightline teamed with AccesRail to make train tickets to its six stations between Orlando and Miami available on all key GDS sales platforms — including Amadeus, Sabre and Travelport — using booking code 9B.

'This elevates our brand and puts us on a global landscape ... making it really easy for people to fly in, fly out, cruise in, cruise out, from two of the major tourism markets in Florida,' Brightline VP Sales Julie Sharenow said.

It comes on the eve of the first anniversary of Brightline connecting Miami and Orlando, with stops at West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura that give access to cruises at Port Canaveral, Port of Palm Beach, Port Everglades and PortMiami.

Brightline's Orlando station is located within Orlando International Airport, and shuttles to Miami and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airports can also be booked for a seamless connection from their respective downtown stations. (MIA on the GDS, FLL to come.) Cruisers sailing from Port Canaveral can connect to transportation at Orlando International Airport.

1.4m riders carried

Sharenow said cruise traffic is growing. In the past year, Brightline carried 1.4m riders, 20% of those taking a cruise, visiting a theme park or connecting to a flight. They've come from 139 countries on six continents.

Brightline has partnerships with Royal Caribbean Group that include promotions to passengers on their ships, with Princess Cruises via a 'station to stateroom' program with cruisers' bags delivered from Brightline Orlando or West Palm Beach to their ship at Port Everglades and with Cunard, which wraps a train and advertises on digital signs in the stations, raising awareness of the brand that in 2025 will add cruises from PortMiami. Princess has also wrapped trains.

'There are a lot of different opportunities and levels of partnership,' Sharenow said.

Commissionable fares

'We are very committed to the travel trade industry,' she added, through Brightline's commissionable fares program. And a dedicated travel partner portal, expected to launch by year's end, will make it easy to modify bookings, send invoices, see commissions and tap into marketing materials.

'A one-stop shop,' as Sharenow put it.

Adding a fifth coach to all trains

As ridership grows, Brightline is adding a fifth coach (60 seats) to all its trains. So each departure will have capacity for 303 riders, and there are 60 roundtrips per day.

Brightline is known for its guest experience, innovative station design, spacious lounges and spotless rail cars with Starlink Wi-Fi and chargers and outlets at every seat. Food, beverages and cocktails are available for purchase with Smart tickets and included with Premium tickets.

More about AccesRail

AccesRail enables partner railways to distribute their products via GDS primary screens using the same booking and ticketing method as airlines. All schedule and fare loading is done through OAG and ATPCO, and fund collection and reconciliation are done through IATA BSP.

Other AccesRail partners include BritRail, Norwegian Rail, Swedish Rail, German Rail, Dutch/Belgian Rail and Airport Express/Airport feeder trains.