Deutsche Bahn: Goodbye family reservations

In the end, it was all to no avail. Deutsche Bahn is going ahead with its plans. With the timetable change on Sunday, the company has abolished the so-called family reservation. Thanks to this, parents could previously book as many seats as they wanted for their children on long-distance train journeys for a flat rate. That's over now. From now on, each reservation will cost extra.

Several federal ministers sharply criticized Deutsche Bahn's (DB) plans last week. "I would very much welcome it if those responsible reconsidered their plans," said Justice and Consumer Protection Minister Stefanie Hubig (SPD). Price increases that come at the expense of families are out of step with the times. "Affordable mobility is particularly important for families."

Environment Minister Carsten Schneider (also SPD) takes a similar view. "The railway has taken a completely wrong turn here. It's important for the environment that rail travel is attractive, especially for families," he told the Funke Media Group newspapers. A petition by the German Ecological Transport Club (VCD) had been signed by more than 66,000 people by Sunday. The CDU-led Ministry of Transport remained silent on the matter.

From now on, a seat reservation in 2nd class will cost €5.50. Previously, it was €5.20. In 1st class, the price will be €6.90 instead of €6.50. These prices apply regardless of the passenger's age, meaning children traveling with them will also be charged. Children up to the age of 14 will continue to travel free when accompanied by an adult, meaning they don't need an extra ticket—they just need a seat reservation if the family wants to be sure they can sit together on popular routes. This means that for a family of four, reservations will cost twice as much as before.

Deutsche Bahn justified the move with the "tense economic situation" the group finds itself in. Last year's bottom line was a loss of 1.8 billion euros; it was the fifth consecutive loss. Long-distance traffic is a particular concern for management. The ICE and IC train business is actually the group's flagship, but things are currently anything but smooth here. Punctuality has remained at just 62 percent for two months, revenue is falling, and losses are rising. In addition, capacity utilization of long-distance trains was just 42 percent in the first quarter of 2025. And those who travel by train rarely do so at the standard price: 90 percent of all customers now buy saver fare tickets, from which the group naturally earns less.

Deutsche Bahn has since given up hope that the latter will change – and is coming up with new savings offers month after month in order to at least increase capacity on its long-distance trains. With the timetable change on June 15, for example, there is a "Super Saver Fare Promotion for Short Distances" that now costs just €6.99 instead of €9.99. This is intended primarily to appeal to and win back those customers who recently switched to regional trains, on which Deutschlandticket holders can travel virtually free. Furthermore, DB has reduced the price of the Bahncard for young travelers up to the age of 27 from €79.90 to €49.99 until the end of the year. This is another extremely price-conscious target group that Deutsche Bahn wants to win back.

Deutsche Bahn is also backtracking on one point: Flexpreis tickets can now be canceled at short notice – that is, up to one day before the first day of validity. The company had changed this with the "major timetable change" in December 2024. Since then, such tickets could only be returned after the eighth day before departure for a fee of ten euros – an attempt by the long-distance division to ensure greater planning security and, at the same time, generate some extra revenue.

However, this measure has also been subject to massive criticism in recent weeks and months, for example from the passenger association "Pro Bahn," which is now also opposing the abolition of family reservations. It had described the eight-day deadline as "outdated." Deutsche Bahn recognized this – and is reversing the stricter cancellation conditions. "At the request of many customers," it says. Deutsche Bahn is therefore quite prepared to reverse previous decisions if pressure from passengers is great enough. Parents and politicians therefore remain hopeful that this insight will also prevail when it comes to family reservations.