Why does Cologne Hauptbahnhof have an airport code?
 

Can anyone explain to me why Cologne airport has a 3 letter airport code (QKL)? I looked it up because I saw it on someone's luggage in KRK today and was curious about how this came to be.

Some years ago, Lufthansa stopped flying FRA-CGN and also reduced the number of flights STR-FRA. Instead, Lufthansa is code-sharing on "flights" between Cologne and Frankfurt as well as between Stuttgart and Frankfurt with the DeutscheBahn, thus some trains have a LH flight number, you get a boarding pass instead of a train ticket and so on. This way, you don't need to buy a rail&fly ticket to get from Cologne to FRA, but you can simply book it as a flight, check-in in Cologne etc.

And more importantly for some FTers, you can collect miles without flying. :D

once upon a time, you could also check your bags in at QKL and not have to deal with them again until your final destination. I always thought that was pretty great... Less great picking them up, it always took a little while for them to make it down from the tracks...

and yes, the 625 miles one gets for FRA-QKL (with executive bonus) are pretty good.

It's nice to think that someone may have once dream of an integrated air and rail network. I always thought it would be amazing to not have to lug my bags from home to Sheffield train station, through Kings Cross, around the Underground and the long walk from Heathrow train terminus to the terminals. I'll keep dreaming, shall I?

In Switzerland this is possible, see this link. It costs 22 CHF for regular travellers, I think as a FTL they wanted to have half the price. I ended up not using it though and took my stuff as carry-on, thus I don't know exactly how it works. It is supposed to work also for the trip FROM the airport, but I think for this you first have to pick it up at the airport and hand it over to SBB who then deliver it to your railway station.

LH even had a trial of a baggage service in 2008-9 in the greater FRA area (I think upto 120km) where your luggage would be picked up/dropped off the day before/after your flight. Sadly there were not too many takers for that pilot service, so it was dropped. Airlines and airports prefer pax arrive using public transport that way the traffic to/from the airport is more organised....

Fliegen auf Flughöhe Null
 

There was a full train reserved only for holders of air tickets. This called Lufthansa Airport Express was a kind of "wet leasing" a train. At that time the high-speed rail Frankfurt-Cologne was not finished and this train passed the romantic Rhine valley. Therefore an attraction for tourists!

A quick link:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DB-Baureihe_403_%281973%29

The used a for that time hyper-modern train type which German Rail had only 3 of. Finally they got LH livery and interior. Due to logistic reasons and the Cologne-Bonn Airport being kept open they distincted between QKL/CGN.

During trade fair periods there was also an additional stop at Cologne-Deutz just 3 minustes from Cologne Hbf(QKL).

Quite a few main line railway stations in the world have Airport Codes assigned to them to allow through-ticketing on IATA ticketing stock.

AccessRail operates under airline code of 9B, and offers such through ticketing.

AF also used to sell code shares with TGV, for instance CDG to Lyon. I do not know whether they still do this. Few years ago I remember connections to Lyon with TGV popping up in web engines. I do not remember what the IATA code was, though.

I also recall people using flight tickets to take the train from Paris to Brussels on similar basis.

I took advantage several times of the baggage check in at paddington for the heathrow express.

Although I still had to lug my luggage across London from liverpool street, I always appeciated being able to drop it off here and not haul it any further. And then the quicker passing through departures, not having to queue for check-in etc.

Very nice it was.

It is XYD, unless I am mistaken.

Hong Kong still has this service at two principal airport express stations (Kowloon and Hong Kong Central). It is very nice (although not a separate airport code).

Then they do not sell train tickets as flight tickets. I believe that LO has a similar service in the Warsaw city (http://lot.fi/dk/en/web/lot/check-in, search for Zlote Tarasy). I never used it though, so I do not know if they take luggage there, and if the service is popular at all.

Swiss has the same service for Basel. From FCO there is only one direct option, but they give you the option of flying into Zurich and taking the train to Basel (with a separate boarding pass). I actually find that it can be cheaper to book this option when flying into Zurich and not take the train...